Prioritise peace, devt in upcoming elections - Graphic MD to political parties

The Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL), Ato Afful, has underscored the need for the country’s political actors to prioritise the interests of the people and the nation’s democratic process above party interests.

He said that political actors must maintain power through consent, not coercion, and respect the rights of every voter, adding that they must participate in the electoral process with a spirit of tolerance and compromise.

"Without these ingredients, elections alone do not, and cannot make true democracy," Afful noted, adding that “Political actors cannot measure one's own faith by the rejection of somebody else's faith in the process, and in the electoral system."

Graphic series

Speaking at the fourth edition of the Graphic National Development Series (GNDS) 2024 in Accra yesterday, Mr Afful noted that the event's theme, "Sustaining Civic & Democratic Governance System for Development, Mandate of All Citizens," is crucial in shaping well-thought-through ideas and building national consensus on issues.

He stated that the GNDS was a forum designed to focus on strategic issues of national character, ultimately influencing policy and behaviour sets on behalf of the people.

He emphasised that as a national character brand, the Graphic Communications Group Ltd's commitment to the country and its audience went beyond an accurate and independent media.

Electoral outcome

"Our duty of care to the people of Ghana should bring us together. We should turn dialogue into inter-party and Electoral Commission (EC) cooperation and collaboration so that bridges between peoples lead to action - and a successful electoral outcome," Mr Afful said.

With just nine days to the December 7 elections, Mr Afful urged citizens, especially the youth, to participate in the electoral process.

 “I want to particularly say this to the young people of every grouping, in and across every electoral area, district, region in this country - you, more than anyone, have the ability to reimagine Ghana, to remake this the place we want it to be. Live, work and thrive in,” he said.

"Go out and vote. Remember, in God we trust, all others, we verify," he stated.

He said the GCGL did not presume to know what was best for everyone, and it was not in its place to pick the outcome of a peaceful election.

However, he expressed his unwavering belief that all Ghanaians yearned for certain fundamental rights, including the ability to speak their minds, confidence in the rule of law, and a representative and accountable government.

Commendation

A governance expert and the Chief Executive Officer of the John Agyekum Kufuor Foundation, Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah, who chaired the event, commended the EC for its transparency and expansiveness in the lead-up to the country's elections.

He said the EC had made significant strides in ensuring a peaceful and successful electoral process. 

"The task falls on all of us to ensure that the elections become very successful, and more importantly, very peaceful."

Security

However, Prof. Agyeman-Duah also expressed concern about election security, warning against the possibility of "disguised vigilantes" who might attempt to subvert the process by impersonating official security agencies.

He emphasised the need for the police and other security agencies to be vigilant and take steps to identify and prevent such incidents.

Participants

Some participants in the event stressed the need for Ghanaians to work together to ensure a peaceful poll for the country to continue to uphold its accolade as the beacon of democracy, peace and stability in the subregion.

Background

The GNDS on elections is the last in the series for this year. The earlier ones focused on agriculture, health and education.

The development series is a thought leadership national platform of the GCGL, carefully structured to steer strategic national discourse away from a partisan stance to reach outcomes of a national character behind which the country can rally for development.

The event brought together key stakeholders, including political parties, the leadership and other officials of the EC, national security officials, local authorities, traditional leaders and religious figures to provide updates on measures being taken to ensure a peaceful, transparent and credible elections.