THE Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, has called on political leaders to refrain from unguarded utterances that could incite people to engage in violent behaviours which could mar the conduct of free and fair elections in December.
He also urged the people to be law-abiding and respect the views of each other to sustain the peace the country was currently enjoying.
Mr Asamoah Boateng, who made the call during a tour of some three districts in the Eastern Region, however cautioned that the government would not “hesitate to fairly and firmly enforce the rule of law on any individual or groups of people who blatantly engage in violent acts that pose a threat to the country’s thriving democracy”.
“In the wake of any outbreak of lawlessness and violence in the country, we all stand to lose as political parties and individuals,” he stated.
Mr Asamoah Boateng, who was accompanied by the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Ofosu Asamoah, visited the Asuogyaman, Lower Manya Krobo and Yilo Krobo Districts, to interact with the staff of the Information Service Department (ISD), heads of departments and the local people to learn at first-hand problems facing them, as well as communicate the achievements of the government to them.
He also paid a courtesy call on the various paramount chiefs in the districts.
“Elections are not about strength or fight but about the expression of ideas, thus we should all endeavour to play by the rule of the electoral process to sustain the country’s thriving democracy,” Mr Asamoah Boateng stated.
According to the minister, since the forthcoming elections should be a defining moment for the various political parties, particularly the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), every effort should be made to ensure its peaceful conduct.
He therefore called on political parties to “strictly play by the rules of the electoral process to prevent the outbreak of lawlessness and violence in the country”, which had for many years been upheld as a safe haven in the sub-region.
“As responsible political parties, who have the interest of the nation at heart, we must refrain from engaging in negative utterances that could instigate the people to take the laws into their own hands”, he stated.
The Minister, who particularly expressed his worry about the rampant use of tribalism and ethnicity by political parties, called for an end to such negative politics, saying “we are one people with a common destiny in spite of our political affiliation”.
As part of efforts to calm nerves before, during and after the elections, the Minister called on assembly members, heads of departments and staff of the ISD to educate the people on the adverse effects of lawlessness and violence and how they could contribute towards the conduct of peaceful elections.
Dwelling on the achievements of the government, he indicated that although the NPP administration inherited a weak economy from the NDC, prudent management had surged the country’s economy to a buoyant height.
This, he noted, had become possible since the country opted for HIPC, from which Ghana had derived enormous benefits.
He said the resources, which the country would have used in servicing its indebtedness had been channelled into massive infrastructural developments including roads, school buildings, health facilities, provision of potable water, electricity and places of convenience for the people.
According to him, since education remained central to the country’s development aspirations, the government decided to implement the new educational reform in addition to the various initiatives such as Capitation Grant, the feeding programmes as part of efforts to ensure that all Ghanaian children had access to education.
For his part, Konor of the Manya Krobo Traditional Area, Nene Sackitey, reiterated the need for Ghanaians to live in peace and unity in order to make the country attractive to investors and tourists.
Pix: Nene Sackitey (left), the Paramount Manya Krobo Traditional Area, receiving Mr Asamoah Boateng to his palace.
No comments:
Post a Comment