Speaker's Forum express concern about political intolerance

Accra, July 14, GNA - Contributors at the Speaker's Forum on Monday expressed concern about political intolerance and stressed that it should not be taken for granted before it was ignited into a major conflict.

They said a greater degree and extent of political tolerance should permeate the whole spectrum of the society so that Political Parties; Executive, Media and Parliament become its apostles.

The 16th Speaker's Breakfast Forum was organised by the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey in collaboration with the Institute of Economic Affairs to afford eminent personalities the opportunity to discuss national issues focusing on intolerance.

The Reverend Dr Mensa Otabil, General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church, who spoke on: "Promoting a Culture of Political Tolerance in Ghana" said the attitudes; beliefs and values of a people at the personal level ultimately shaped the public expression of the country's politics.

He said as the nation strove for an improved quality of life, it was important that "our national conversation are open to the possibility of expanding the options and alternatives available to us so that informed choices can be made by the people".

Rev. Dr Otabil said this process demanded openness, sincerity and respect for views that might differ from the standard traditional responses that would require the commitment to look for new and better answers.

He proposed that the African should include the ideals of democracy in his values, beliefs and attitudes since the well-intentioned adoption of successful political models from other societies frequently failed to have similar levels of success.

Rev. Dr Otabil said "to get to the core of our current challenges, we must be able to do critical introspection. We must look at factors within that feed the conditions around us today".

He said there was the need to ask what was within the socio-cultural beliefs and systems that provided the breeding grounds for the continued devaluation of life that so easily led to mob justice and barbaric extermination of human life.

The General Overseer said a tolerant society was one where members put themselves at the receiving end of their own actions when considering what treatment to give others.

Rev. Dr Otabil said the seeds of political intolerance were sown in the pre-colonial beliefs and values while the general intolerance of contrary views had its origins not in the current practice of multi-party democracy but in older, traditional beliefs and systems within the society since the institutions of the old African society made little room for non-conformist views.

Groups that held strongly to the same core of beliefs and values were easily tempted to depreciate the worth f persons beyond their community, who believed, thought and acted differently, he said. Rev. Dr Otabil said evidence of this could be seen in the present party political relations and in the several senseless wars ravaging the continent where the limbs of so called "enemies" who happen to come from a different tribe or political party were hacked off.

He said "one critical challenge we face as a nation relates to our inability to forge one cohesive body out of our complex diversity in languages, ethnic groupings, religions and cultures, while pride in the cultural identity derived from our ethnic subcultures has become a critical obstacle to forging a national identity and understanding".