Goodwill to all

The tension associated with the 2012 general election and the threat of court action against the result will not deter Ghanaians from preparing for the Yuletide.

The challenges of Elections 2012 and the outcome should give us the vim to observe the birth of Jesus Christ with the hope of imbibing its tenets to moderate entrenched positions in the body politic.

During the run-up to Election 2012, all the presidential candidates appended their signatures to the Kumasi Declaration with the pledge to uphold the peace of the country.

Our leaders in the spiritual and temporal realm and those who contested the polls never missed the opportunity to preach peace in order to sustain the stability of the country.

With the polls, the declaration of the results and the threat of a court action coinciding with the Christmas celebrations, it is our hope that every Ghanaian will step back and examine the implications of his or her actions on the peace and stability of Ghana.

In spite of the protestations that have greeted the declaration of the results by some political parties, it appears nobody wants to fight for his or her right through illegal means.

Situations like this elsewhere would have led to violence and destruction of life and property. Here in Ghana, although people are agitated, they are mindful of the need to preserve the peace.

The DAILY GRAPHIC calls on every Ghanaian to embrace peace and extend the goodwill to all as a true manifestation of the spirit of Christmas.

We have insisted time and again that the greatest enemy of our land is not the political differences but poverty, disease and squalor.

Sometimes, we have misdirected our attack on our brothers and sisters just on account that they belong to different political persuasions.

There are certain actions and inaction that retard our progress such as the ‘winner-takes-all’ policy that has reduced our politics to a ‘do-or-die’ affair. And because there is so much at stake in an election, the players do everything under the sun to carry the day. We do not want to be misunderstood. There is only one victory to be won. But after the victory, it should be possible for the victorious political parties to embrace people from all shades of endeavour and opinion for nation building.

Unfortunately, we have been unable to do that since the return to constitutional rule in 1993, making our politics very adversarial.

If the message of the season requires that we extend goodwill towards all, then we must use this year’s Christmas to make a clear departure from the past by extending a hand to our opponents, be they in government or in the minority.

The DAILY GRAPHIC also draws attention to the close political contest between the two main political forces – the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) – who virtually share the electorate 50-50.

For two consecutive elections, God has spoken in a way reminding us that our country is polarised and the only way forward lies in showing goodwill towards one another. Despite those clear signals, we are unable to take steps to bridge the divide so that we can see ourselves as belonging to one country with a common destiny.

We appeal to all Ghanaians to use the Christmas message to build bridges of friendship towards even their bitterest enemies so that together we can fight the common enemy of poverty, disease and squalor.

The political party leadership must also extend their private rapport to the public platforms to demonstrate to their supporters that after all we share common values.

The DAILY GRAPHIC dare say that we may not be all the time lucky to escape the brink of violence. And that is why we should not only preach peace but work at it too. For, example they say, is better than precept.

It is against this backdrop that we urge all Ghanaians to extend a hand of goodwill to all, including political opponents, during the season so that the message given to the shepherds 2000 years ago will be meaningful.

The DAILY GRAPHIC wishes all Ghanaians a merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.