Maulvi Wahab Adam, Ameer and Missionary in charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, has called on government to function on the principle of absolute justice, which is an important moral quality. Maulvi Adam said political, religious, social or economic justices should never be compromised and no partisan interest or political consideration should be permitted to influence the process of decision-making. He made the call at the launch of “Think Africa Forum”; a political forum set to encourage and challenge Africans to work to understand their emerging joint continental responsibility. It was also organised to commemorate the 51st Anniversary of Ghana’s Republic in Accra. The programme was under theme: “Credible Version of the Call of Unfinished Africa Agenda: The Ghana Response”. Maulvi Adams spoke on the topic: “Religion and Faith: Key components in Moral Governance for National Progress - Redefining old Myths”. He noted that Professor Larry Diamond, Political Scientist, has described good governance as a pre-requisite for national progress consisting of several dimensions. Maulvi Adam said some of the dimensions were the capacity of the state represented by its institutions to function in the service of the public good, adding “good governance is commitment of the leadership to the public good.” Another dimension, he said, was accountability, which governing agents were more likely to be responsible when answering for their conducts to the society and to other institutions that monitored their behaviors and could impose sanctions upon them. Maulvi Adam said the principle of the rule of law was another dimension for good governance, adding that governance could only be good when it was restrained by the law and that it was through the rule of law that individuals could be secured against arbitrary from the state. He said Religion is a source of all moral laws and moral governance presupposes the application of moral standards in the process of nation-building. Maulvi noted that the process of election must be based on the moral quality of trust and integrity, and that Islam teaches that citizens must exercise their vote with the consciousness that God was watching them and would be held responsible. Professor John Nabila, President of the National House of Chiefs stressed the need to respect the institution of chieftaincy since they contribute to national development. He noted that chieftaincy institutions in Africa contributed to peace, stability and unity, which ensured that the rule of law was respected at the district levels. Mr Victor Moffatt, Managing Editor of the Canon Newspaper, said the Think Africa Forum is a series of public fora slated for the year preceding general elections in African countries that would usher in a focused seasonal opportunity to revive Godly thinking, discussions and debate for change and continuity. Mr Maffatt noted that a well-informed citizenry was an important non-negotiable asset in the building of the society that would hold up high the identity and harness the joint resources for the sustained development of Ghana and Africa as a whole. Source: GNA/Ghana