"Democracy needs to be cultivated among the youth"

Koforidua, July 11, GNA - The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Freddie Blay has stressed the need for society to consciously exposes the youth to the tenets of good governance and values of democracy so that they would naturally be imbued with it and become practitioners and good soldiers in defence of parliamentary democracy.

He said democracy was a culture, which must be cultivated not only among the elderly in society but even more importantly among the youth. Mr Blay was speaking at the inauguration of parliamentary clubs in the Aburi Girls Secondary School, Mamfi Methodist Girls High School and the Pope John Secondary School at Koforidua at the weekend. He said the formation of the clubs was expected to spread all over the country to inculcate in every Ghanaian youth reverence for parliamentary democracy and good governance.

Mr Blay told the youth that as future leaders, society would be counting on them to ensure security of the country.

"It is on your strong and sturdy shoulders that we can rest or place the burden of our future nation building. You can't afford to let yourself or this country down. There is too much at stake and we as your elders have confidence in you and the future of this country." he said. He said: "As a people, we need to decide and be determine that military takeovers and unconstitutional changes of government would be events of the past."

Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Member of Parliament for New Juaben North, urged members of the parliamentary clubs to propagate parliamentary democracy among their peers.

Mr Jones Kugblenu, Director of Public Affairs of Parliament, said the formation of parliamentary clubs was aimed at educating the youth to appreciate the work of Parliament and to inculcate in them democratic principles.