Ensuring peaceful 2016 Election... A task for all
Elections, no doubt, have become key stabilisation factors in many emerging democracies. However, if they are carelessly handled, it can lead to wars and instability.
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While the global community expects Ghana to go through its seventh general election peacefully, media reports suggest rising political heat stemming from intolerance and the use of intemperate language.
It is against this backdrop that President John Dramani Mahama’s promise to ensure adequate security before, during and after the 2016 elections is welcome.
This assurance notwithstanding, concrete measures need to be put in place to ensure the attainment of peace before, during and after the elections.
The situation becomes even more dicey when the government is accused of the abuse of incumbency, while the police are perceived to have taken sides with the givernment and are, therefore, not neutral.
Given such a scenario, one would then ask: how can the government and the security agencies ensure peace and safety during this year’s polls?
Undoubtedly, organising peaceful elections is a shared responsibility. While the government and the security agencies are expected to play their part in a transparent manner, other stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission (EC) and the political parties, have an equal responsibility in ensuring peaceful elections.
An independent, well-functioning and transparent EC is crucial for organising successful polls. Also, we cannot achieve peace if the political parties themselves behave irresponsibly towards one another and do not show commitment towards good governance.
The challenge confronting this nation, in the view of the Daily Graphic, is lack of political inclusiveness.
Democracy becomes more functional if there is the guarantee of inclusiveness, for which reason the country must strive to achieve that.
At the same time, the citizenry must desist from actions that threaten the foundations of peace and stability. This is because maintaining peace before and after elections is a functional measure requiring every stakeholder to play his or her part by way of contributing towards achieving unity.
To achieve this goal, political and religious leaders, the security agencies, the citizenry and all others must be committed to peace and work assiduously to maintain it before, during and after the 2016 elections.
There is also the need for all of us, including the media, to be very circumspect in what we do and say. There must be a strong sense of responsibility in the body politic that seeks to promote national cohesion, peace and development, instead of acts and omissions which have the tendency to derail the peace we enjoy and our development efforts.
The moment every Tom, Dick, and Harry pledges his or her commitment to peace, Ghana can once again show to the global community that the country’s democracy is advancing and maturing.
