Youth activists cautioned against jeopardising peace
As the ongoing Presidential election petition case at the Supreme Court is getting to a crescendo, youth activists of political parties in the Northern Region have been cautioned against utterances and actions that could throw the prevailing harmony in the area into jeopardy.
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They have also been reminded to consider the trial as part of the blocks in consolidating the nation’s democratic dispensation for which reason they should accept the outcome of the case in good faith irrespective of who eventually wins the verdict of the judges.
The Catholic Bishop of Yendi, Most Rev. Bishop Vincent Boi-Nai, who was addressing various youth groups at a forum in Tamale, further indicated that “holding different political views should not make us enemies; we should go beyond our differences for the sake of the development of our dear country.”
The forum formed part of a development dialogue series in Northern Ghana by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) on the theme: “Managing the expectations of the youth in the ongoing Presidential election results petition.”
Under the series, the Advocacy Think-Tank put together policy makers and the civil society, including the media, to share a common platform to periodically discuss and review ongoing social policies and programmes, promoting the livelihood of people in the three northern regions through public fora and seminars.
Most Rev. Bishop Boi-Nai also entreated both the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to prevail on their respective supporters to limit their expectations of the outcome of the court case since the judgment could go either way.
“Those who hold entrenched positions must be made to soften their stands and rather resort to dialogue in the event of the judgement not going their favour,” he stated.
Most Rev. Boi-Nai further advised the people not to always seek retributive justice but restorative justice that used dialogue to arrive at reconciliatory decisions.
“After all, violence would never solve any problem; if we always resort to violence, we make the situation worst and open ourselves up to ridicule,” he said, adding “the truth must be told, the truth must be told to ensure that our democracy works.”
The Northern Regional Director of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Alhaji Abdul-Razak Saani underscored the importance of peace for a thriving democracy such as the one being practiced in the country.
He, therefore, admonished the youth to be ambassadors of peace at their respective communities and not to allow themselves to be used to perpetrate violence since they would be the eventual losers in such a situation.
A member of Council of State, Vo-Na Mohammed B. Bawah attributed the vulnerability of the youth in the area to the lack of employment and economic opportunities, coupled with uneven political field.
He called on the media to always live up to their responsibility by ensuring balance reportage in the ongoing court case in order not to whip-up sentiments of party followers to embark on any disturbances.
The chief further reminded media practitioners of the consequences of irresponsible reportage which he said led to the Rwandan genocide.
The programmes manager of CDD-Ghana Northern Office, Paul Osei-Kuffour, explained that his outfit worked with both state and non-state actors, particularly civil society groups and organisations, to promote institutions and structures within the local governance and decentralisation programme aimed at enhancing their responsiveness and accountability to the public.
By Zakaria Alhassan