Ministry of the Interior creates hotline to attend to emergency issues
The Ministry of the Interior is creating a hotline to enable it to attend to emergency issues during and after this year’s election.
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The hotline will enable the ministry to receive information timely and act promptly to ensure that all election-related issues are immediately responded to.
The Minister for the Interior, Mr Prosper Douglas Bani, who disclosed this, said it was one of the measures put in place as part of the readiness of the ministry in terms of security towards the election.
He was speaking at a symposium dubbed “Religions for peace: promoting healthy participation in the political life of Ghana,” organised by the Presbyterian Interfaith Research and Resource Centre (PIRRC) in Accra.
The Minister emphasised that there would not be war before, during and after the election because the ministry had prepared adequately in terms of logistics, training and all the necessary measures put in place to promote peace in the country.
Security
He said his ministry was responsible for providing tight security services to protect Ghanaians not just for the purpose of elections, but to ensure that Ghanaians were always secure.
He urged individuals not to hesitate to give out any information at their disposal. “Ghanaians should make the ministry active if it is not, because if the ministry does not have information, there is no way it can act,” he said.
Mr Bani further called on Ghanaians to have confidence in the security service, the Electoral Commission( EC), the judicial service and all the institutions in the country.
He explained that election was one of the democratic processes that causes anxiety and heightens tension, but after the declaration of results all the tensions must end.
He cautioned social media users and advised that they should not rely on any kind of information from social media to engage in negative acts.
Involve religious leaders
The General Secretary of the Christian Council, Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, stated that religious leaders must be concerned about the election process and get involved.
All the political aspirants belong to a church or a mosque, he stressed; therefore, religious leaders should play their role well by telling them to be guided in their actions to ensure peace.
Mr Opuni-Frimpong cautioned religious leaders to stop prophesying negatively about the election as it puts fear in Ghanaians.
Politics
The General Secretary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Alhaji Ahmad Suleman Anderson, stated that peaceful election was a collective responsibility, so religious leaders should not choose silence as an option.
Alhaji Anderson said Ghanaians had the notion that politics was a dirty game, and called on the public to build confidence in the political leaders, the EC, security personnel and all the institutions involved in the electoral process.
He indicated the need for religious organisations to play a lead role in the national development effort.
Personalities who attended the symposium included the Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, Rev. Dr Samuel Ayete-Nyampong, some queenmothers and UN peace ambassadors.