‘Notify police when organising events’
The Ashaiman Divisional Commander of Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Seth Tay, has asked political parties to always notify the police when organising events to enable the peace officers to provide adequate security.
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He said although every political party had the right to organise political events, it was necessary that the parties informed the police on the place, date and time of such events.
This was contained in a speech read on his behalf at a workshop by the Ashaiman Municipal Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) for political party activists.
The programme, which was on the theme; ‘’Empowering the youth to stand up for Ghana for a peaceful Election 2016’’ was sponsored by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
Objective
It was aimed at creating awareness of the role of the youth in ensuring a peaceful election to help reduce incidents of electoral violence before, during, and after the 2016 general election.
It was attended by representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), the Peoples National Convention (PNC) and the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP).
The participants were taken through the Public Order Act, electoral processes and procedures, including electoral offences and sanctions and code of conduct for political parties.
Compromise
DSP Tay, whose presentation was on the Public Order Act, said the police had the responsibility of suggesting suitable days, venues and time to political parties if it was established that the latter’s designated timetable would compromise the peace in a particular community. He said an acceptable timetable could be reached in collaboration with the party that was organising such an event and therefore appealed to the leadership of all parties to cooperate with the police to ensure an incidence-free election in December .
The commander further indicated thatt even though, “we are in a political season, the laws of the land are still functional and operational, and as such anybody who flouted the law would be dealt with accordingly without fear or favour.”
Advice
The Ashaiman Municipal Director of NCCE, Mr Edwin Anthony, said studies had shown that political youth activists were often the cause of electoral violence in the country and therefore advised the participants to share the knowledged gained with their colleagues to guard against being used to disturb the peace in the country.
For her part, the Greater Accra Regional Director of NCCE, Mrs Lucille Hewleft Annan, who spoke on the code of conduct, also advised political parties to paste their posters at approved public places. She reminded the people that it was unlawful to destroy posters of politial opponents and that offenders would be prosecuted.
The Ashaiman municipal electoral officer, Mr Stephen Reynolds, said the commission was prepared to conduct a free and fair elections this year.
In a communiqué, the participants resolved to advise their party activists against engaging in any form of electoral violence.
