They have also
been reminded that, peace can never be bought hence there is the need for all
hands to be on deck to work hard to achieve peace especially in the forthcoming
general elections.
Nana Adu Mensah
Asare, the Chief of Amakom within the Kumasi Metropolis who doubles as the
newly elected Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) Presiding Member (PM), gave
the advice during the official launching of Centre for the Development of
People (CEDEP) Election 2016 Project launch/Open Forum held at GNAT hall,
Kumasi.
The launch was
under the theme “PROMOTING PEACEFUL,VIOLENCE-FREE AND CREDIBLE GENERAL
ELECTIONS IN GHANA THROUGH CIVIL SOCIETY AND CITIZENRY INVOLVEMENT IN TARGETED
ELECTION PROCESSES IN 2016 AND BEYOND”.
The CEDEP’s
Project with the objective of promoting peace, on-violence and unity in Ghana
before, during and after the December 7,2016 general elections brought participants
from the representatives of the Electoral Commission (EC),National Peace
Council, Various Political Parties, Religious bodies, women’s group, Youth
Groups, the media, civil society organizations ,Persons with Disability
(PWDs),National House of Chiefs among others.
The Amakomhene
who chaired the function, lamented there is urgent need for all stakeholders
across the country to stand up for peace ahead of the polls since without peace
no meaningful development can take place.Nana Asare therefore suggested to the
Electoral Commission (EC) especially to play their role as referees and not as
participants in the elections if the country was to see violent-free polls.
According to
him, as captured in the coat of arms of the Ghana flag, “freedom and Justice”,
there can’t be peace if there is no justice and challenged the EC not to give room for people to speculate or perceive
them to be working for a particular political party or candidate.
Whiles
commending the CEDEP authorities among other organization, the Amakomhene
entreated all Ghanaians to contribute their quota to help maintain the relative
peace in the country.
The Paramount
Chief of Juansa in the Asante Akim south district in the Ashanti region, Nana
Kwame Osei Agyeman Teatoa II, who represented the National House of Chiefs,
also stressed the need for all hands to be on deck to ensure peace before,
during and after the December 7,2016 elections.
He cautioned
Ghanaians, especially the youth not to allow themselves to be used by
politicians to create confusion but rather turn-up on the voting day and vote
for their choice and leave the polling centre peacefully.
Earlier, the
Executive Director of Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP),Mr.Charles
S.Sakyi, noted that, some political activists are throwing caution to the winds
and are hitting below the belt!
“Those who are
taking these trends of affairs for granted would be shocked at the revelations
made by the EC on the list of 81 Constituencies identified country wide as
Election-related “Hot Spots” ahead of December polls. Out of this number, our
dear Ashanti region has 14”, he added.
Mr.Sakyi said
“We cannot be sure whether new Hotspots are not springing up after the exercise
was completed and the last update was done! This state of affairs is absolutely
uncalled for and citizens of Ghana deserve munch better”.
To this end, he said “CEDEP has a mission to support,
facilitate and build the capacity of the marginalized, vulnerable and excluded
groups in society, including the poor, the voiceless, women and children, the
aged and People with Disability(PWD) to become effective partners and together,
influence socio-economic policy in pursuit of sustainable human development in
Ghana.
The Executive
Director of CEDEP said in consonance with its belief in Partnership, CEDEP is
currently collaborating with Creative Associates International Inc.through the
USAID/West Africa Reacting to Early Warning and Response Data (REWARD for
short)to roll out a number of strategies aimed at ensuring that peace prevails
before, during and after the December general elections in Ghana.
He announced
that, the project aims at achieving the following objectives; to raise
awareness among citizens, party members, including women, youth, PWDs, in
“hotspot” areas against political violence around the elections; to promote
women, youth and PWDs as positive participants, leaders, and peacemakers in
electoral processes; to raise public awareness around and promote civil
understanding of the political processes surrounding the elections as well as
to promote peaceful interactions and alternatives to violence among political
opponents within the political processes surrounding the upcoming 2016 general
elections. see more pictures,
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