‘Use inter-party dialogue to resolve differences’
Stakeholders in politics in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region have resolved to use inter-party dialogue as an effective tool to resolve their differences in order to foster peace and unity in the area.
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In a post-election review workshop held in the municipality recently, representatives of political parties such as the New Patriotic Party (NPP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), Progressive People’s Party (PPP) and the Convention People’s Party (CPP) pledged to collaborate with state institutions to deepen the democratic process.
Meeting
The workshop was organised under the auspices of Socioserve-Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, to provide an opportunity for members of the Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC) in the municipality to share experiences from the 2016 general election and to make suggestions on how to improve upon successive elections.
The initiative received support from organisations such as Development Gateway International (DEGAIN), Global Action for Women Empowerment (GLOWA), the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), all of which advocated the promotion of peace and transparency in the electoral process.
Dialogue
The Project Coordinator of Socioserve-Ghana, Mr John Obuaba, urged participants to use the workshop as a platform to strengthen inter-party cooperation to consolidate the prevailing peace and unity among their supporters in the area.
He also called on political parties to use IPDC as good grounds to discuss how the energy and potential of the youth could be harnessed for productive ventures rather than resorting to violence at the least provocation.
“As stakeholders, it is important to strengthen our collaboration to provide a viable platform for parliamentary candidates to debate issues to enable the electorate to become better informed about democratic processes in the country,” Mr Obuaba added.
Commendation
For his part, the Manya Krobo Municipal Director for the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr James Awumey, lauded Socioserve and its partners for their role in the successful conduct of the 2016 elections in the area.
He, however, suggested that in subsequent elections, parliamentary candidates should be made to appear before the IPDC to sign an undertaking to participate in the peace process, stressing that parliamentary debates should not be seen as a mere formality but rather a platform to sell their policies to the electorate.