Ms Kathleen Addy, Chairperson, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has asked the youth not to allow themselves to be used as tools to cause mayhem as the country heads to the polls in December.
She, therefore, urged them to avoid politicians whose utterances had the potential to cause violence in the elections to safeguard the country’s democracy and maintain its long-standing peace.
“Anybody (politician) who ask you to engage in violence during this election doesn’t have you at heart,” Ms Addy said during a townhall engagement organised for selected out-of-school youth in the Odododiodio Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, on Friday.
The engagement, organised by the NCCE and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), was to, among other things, sensitise the youth to the “dos” and “don’ts” in elections to ensure peace before, during and after the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.
It formed part of a series of engagements the Commission and IFES had lined up aimed at strengthening citizens’ knowledge on political finance, misinformation, disinformation, electoral violence, and abuse of state resources, towards a peaceful and credible election in 2024.
The engagement, which is a political accountability programme, also sought to empower the youth with the knowledge and motivation to actively engage in the political process and exercise their democratic rights and responsibilities effectively.
It is being piloted in six districts, involves five in-school activities and five townhall meetings.
It is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), on the theme: “Empowering Young People for Responsible Participation and Accountability.”
Ms Addy expressed concern about political violence that had characterised recent elections in the country, leading to some deaths and causing injuries to others.
At least eight people lost their lives while several others were injured during the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Out of the eight who passed away, two were recorded in the Odododiodio Constituency.
The Chairperson of the NCCE, said under no circumstance should a life be lost because of election, explaining that “election is not about fighting”.
She explained that Ghana, as a country, had adopted democracy as its system of governance, which meant that political parties were required to put before the electorate their policies and programmes.
As such, she said, democracy and for that matter elections were “an exchange of ideas” which must be done in a civil manner.
“As a country, we have agreed to practice democracy, which means that political parties will put forward their policies and based on that we will choose who we want to lead us, simple.
“It is not about conflict, it is not about fighting and so, whoever tells you that you are supposed to fight or start a conflict to enable them to win an election does not have your interest at heart. Your opponent is not an enemy,” she stressed.
Ms Addy condemned recent clash that occurred between supporters of the two major political parties– the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress, in Mamobi, a suburb of Accra, describing the incident as “needless”.
The incident caused injuries to nine persons.
Ms Addy urged Ghanaians to eradicate such clashes from the country’s politics to maintain the peace the people currently enjoyed.
Mr Gilbert Sam, Senior Elections Specialist, IFES, stressed on the need for the country to end monetisation of its politics.
According to him, the phenomenon, if not checked and ended immediately would retard the country’s growth and development.
“We are at the cross-roads of fighting galamsey (illegal mining). If a galamseyer should fund a candidate today, do you think that candidate when he wins election and a bill is in Parliament, can vote against the galamseyer who funded him?” he quizzed.
Mr Samuel Asare Akuamoh, a Deputy Chair in charge of Operations at the NCCE, urged Ghanaians to take advantage of the Electoral Commission’s online exhibition of the voters’ register to verify their details to enable them to exercise their franchise come December 7, Election.
GNA
KK
19 Oct. 24
Captioned Pictures Attached
