Let’s firm up party constitutions, structures for electoral peace
The year 2015 has witnessed a number of instances of political party-related violence that have left people dead at the hands of their own party members, and the situation becomes scary as the 2016 elections draw nigh.
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In the past, there had been pockets of violence among members of political parties, especially the two major parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which had been brought under control by the security agencies.
While inter-party rivalry, which sometimes turns violence, is not what we subscribe to, because of its negative impacts on our nascent democracy, the recent intra-party violence is a cause of great concern. What would cause a party member to not only want to but actually inflict fatal wounds on another party member, instead of uniting to maintain or wrest power.
The disturbances and violence in political parties, we have observed, have mostly been as a result of party structures, which the masses have not identified with and so have sought to exhibit their displeasure in those violent ways because they are not given an ear by the party leadership.
We, therefore, urge the various political parties to firm up their constitutions and internal arrangements, with the view to letting all their members identify with their stance on matters affecting the nation and the parties.
We also ask for transparency on the part of the leadership whenever they invoke the party’s rules, so that they are not seen to favour some above others.
It is our belief that when these are done, harmony will be promoted at the political party level, which will have an influence on the entire political atmosphere in the country before and after the 2016 elections.
The Daily Graphic joins the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference to call on all political leaders, activists and supporters to refrain from violence because it is threatening the country’s democracy and peace.
We also believe that although the security agencies are well able to deal swiftly with all reported cases of violence without fear or favour in the run-up to the 2016 elections, care must be taken not to allow political activities to degenerate into chaos and violence.
The Daily Graphic further urges the strengthening of all state institutions concerned with any aspect of entrenching the country’s democratic dispensation, so that they are able to perform their roles effectively and in a transparent manner. This will put at bay any misunderstanding, on the part of stakeholders, that could degenerate into violence.
Adequately resourcing institutions such as the National Identification Authority (NIA), the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), will go a long way to adequately update the electorate on their duties to the country in maintaining law and order before, during and after elections.
It is in view of this that we laud the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for pledging to offer financial and technical support to the National Peace Council (NPC) and other state institutions to ensure peace before and after the 2016 general election.
We believe, as the Communications Analyst of the UNDP, Mr Bossman Owusu, indicated, that engaging state institutions to learn from the mistakes committed in the previous elections would prevent a repeat of those mistakes and maintain peace in the country for the elected President to be able to govern in an atmosphere of peace and security after next year's elections.
