The Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), the Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante, has underscored the need for peace and harmony among supporters of political parties ahead of the December 7 general election.
The Most Rev. Prof. Asante, a former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, said the emerging clashes between the two leading parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), did not augur well for a democratic country such as Ghana.
“The clashes show the level of intolerance, which is not a sign of democracy. Democracy is a contest of ideas and not physical, where violence is allowed to have a place,” he said.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the Most Rev. Prof. Asante said “the tension in the atmosphere created by the clashes does not speak well of the country and is tainting Ghana’s reputation”.
The call for peace comes against the backdrop of the confusion that occurred near the house of the presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at Nima in Accra on November 13, 2016 during a health walk organised by the NDC.
Supporters of the two parties engaged in accusations and counter-accusations as to which side ignited the tension.
The incident has since received a backlash from the public, especially the international community, including the European Union, the American Embassy and the United Kingdom High Commission.
Again, on November 9, three persons sustained various degrees of injury following a clash between supporters of the NDC and the NPP parliamentary candidates in the Odododiodoo Constituency after the two parties had held separate rallies in the area.
Although the cause of the clash is unclear, some residents of the area claimed they heard gunshots, while others said they saw some people fleeing for their lives.
“I am disappointed”
While condemning and expressing his disappointment at the recent clashes between the NDC and the NPP, the Most Rev. Prof. Asante said it was important for political parties to be circumspect in their campaign.
He urged the leadership of the various political parties to speak against clashes and conflict by their supporters and avoid provocation in their campaigns.
NPC dialogue launch
Meanwhile, the NPC is expected to hold a press conference today to give a statement on recent political happenings, as well as launch the second high-level meeting of national leaders.
An initiative of the NPC, the meeting will bring together the flag bearers and leaders of the various political parties competing to lead the country in the 2016 polls, chiefs, various interest groups and associations, as well as civil society organisations (CSOs).
The high-level meeting will begin a dialogue that organisers believe will result in a commitment by the flag bearers to peace.
In particular, it will seek to get the commitment of the political leaders to continue a dialogue to end the country’s vicious circle of heightened tension with each election year and end the system of governance where the winner of the polls has absolute say in the management of the country.
Speaking at a press soiree organised by the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG)-Civic Forum Initiative (CFI), the Most Rev. Prof. Asante said: “It is an agenda for dialogue. We want to get the commitment of all the leaders to continue talking before and after the elections, not only among themselves but also with Ghanaians on where the country is heading.”
He said the winner-takes-all system of governance or the type of governance being practised in the country was debilitating to progress.
Peace pacts
Interacting with the media, the Executive Director of IDEG, Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, sought to find out from editors and senior journalists their views on past efforts to achieve peace initiatives in the 2008 and 2012 elections.
Mr Wilson Parker of Class FM was of the view that the Peace Pact signed in Kumasi, where the flag bearers committed themselves to peace in the 2012 general election, had not achieved much, since their supporters did not put any premium on the pledge.
His sentiments were shared by Gifty Dodoo of Rainbow Radio International, who wanted political leaders to precede all their campaign speeches across the country with words of commendation for their opponents.
Citizen journalism
Dr Akwetey, in response, said the peace pact signed by political leaders still remained current for journalists to hold the leadership to.
He said it had helped to defuse tension, as the leaders could not prod their supporters to engage in violence or turn a blind eye when the supporters did.
He mentioned the efforts of Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey in getting supporters of the NPP from the Obra Spot at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle after the 2012 elections when indications were that the party would lose the polls as an example.
Dr Akwetey proposed citizen journalism to the editors as a definite way of engaging all Ghanaians to ensure the entrenchment of democracy after more than two decades.
“Who is financing political parties when they are not rigorously taking dues from their supporters”? he queried.
“These are the things that you must question”, he added.
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