National Peace Council calls for peaceful, competitive campaigns

Reverend Dr Ernest Adu Gyamfi, Chairman, Governing Board, National Peace Council, has called on the citizenry to act responsibly and conduct election campaigns in a competitive manner that upholds peace. He urged the citizenry to shun actions by individuals or groups that plan to disrupt the country's peace ahead of this year's elections. Speaking at a stakeholders' forum in Tamale, Reverend Dr Adu Gyamfi urged the citizenry to exhibit tolerance, love and transparency, saying they were virtues that could erase mistrust and sustain peaceful coexistence. The stakeholders' forum was organised by the National Peace Council with funding support from the United Nations for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS). It was on the theme: 'Building Trust for Peaceful 2024 Elections'. Stakeholders from traditional, religious, security, education and Civil Society Organisation (CSO) sectors attended the forum to discuss strategies for promoting peace in the upcoming elections. It sought to increase public awareness of pr eventing vigilantism and electoral-related violence in politics towards ensuring peaceful and credible 2024 elections. Reverend Dr Adu Gyamfi said the event was essential in stimulating trust among political actors and institutions particularly the political parties, Electoral Commission, Ghana Police Service and the Judiciary. He said it was to create awareness about the readiness to enforce the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999) to safeguard the security and safety of citizens from the threats of violence before, during and after the December polls. He said 'We have a choice in the coming elections to choose peace or violence. I urge you all to choose peace instead of violence.' Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, addressing participants, commended the National Peace Council for its efforts in conflict prevention and peacebuilding and said its partnerships were instrumental in receiving early warning signals on possible conflicts and designing suitable intervention s to address them. He said the discovery of oil, the challenges of illegal mining, and the potential for resource-related conflicts emphasised the need for proactive measures to maintain peace. He said there was no automatic path to peace and stability, and that it was the collective responsibility of the citizenry to ensure that democratic processes emerged peacefully. He urged the citizens to embrace togetherness to foster a culture of peace and to ensure that the 2024 elections became a testament to the country's enduring democratic values. Most Reverend Philip Naameh, Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tamale said the country's declined position in peace rankings called for greater efforts by all stakeholders to regain the position as the most peaceful country in sub-Saharan Africa. He said to continue to strengthen progress as a nation, citizens must not only work together diligently but also, embrace the Ghanaian identity rooted in culture, religion and traditional values. He said advancing pea ce through tradition and religion involved leveraging the positive aspects of culture and spiritual practices to promote harmony and understanding among different communities. He said the incorporation of teachings of peace, tolerance and coexistence from various religious texts into the educational curricula and said culture and religion should self-evaluate the values of education and peace and feature them in practice. Source: Ghana News Agency