Choose judicial process over violence

This is an indication that Ghanaians have learnt lessons from what happened in neighbouring countries and other parts of Africa during elections that resulted in the loss of lives and limbs and the breakdown of law and order and are resolved to avoid the mayhem that our neighbours have witnessed.

We admit that since we are humans, disputes are an inevitable part of our existence. For this reason, there may be instances of misunderstanding as we go about our various campaigns towards Election 2012 and even after casting the vote.

In the event of such disputes, however, our maturity will be manifest in how we go about resolving them.

At the inauguration of a building to house a municipal court for the Kpando municipality and adjoining districts at Kpando in the Volta Region on Monday, the Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood,  urged Ghanaians to resort to the courts, rather than the use of violence, for the resolution of electoral disputes.

She declared the Judiciary’s preparedness and commitment to fair, impartial, just and speedy resolution of all election-related disputes that might arise from the upcoming elections, adding that the capacities of judges had been built towards meeting any challenges.

What can be more reassuring than this from the head of the Judiciary?

We have done it before in the recent past. We recall that when the Legislative Instrument for the creation of 45 constituencies was laid before Parliament, many were those who thought that that LI could be the beginning of troubles on our political scene. The speed with which the Judiciary dealt with court cases that arose from the dispute is highly commendable and gives an indication of how ready the Judiciary is to handle such cases.

Indeed, it also shows how ready individuals and political parties are to take advantage of the courts to resolve cases, unlike the situation elsewhere in which people  resorted to the use of violence to settle electoral disputes.

The beauty of human existence lies not so much in a society without disputes as in one that is able to use acceptable means to resolve such disputes when they arise.

 In the forthcoming elections, we may disagree; but when we do, let us be able to use the appropriate dispute resolution mechanisms to iron out our differences, without a resort to violence, since violence will distort our peace.