Upper West Regional Inter-Party Dialogue Committee inaugurated

Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister on Friday cautioned members of the Regional Inter-Party Dialogue Committee not to allow their political differences to make them pitch tents against each other in the course of performing their duties.

He said they should rather monitor the biometric registration exercise to ensure that the final register that would be compiled for the 2012 polls was credible and devoid of the registration of minors and aliens.

Alhaji Sulemana gave the cautioned when he inaugurated a 31 member Upper West Regional Inter-Party Dialogue Committee in Wa , which has the Dorimon Naa, Sohimwineye Dana Gore, President of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs as its chairman.

He urged the members to use the laid down procedures to challenge any person that they doubted his or her eligibility but not to attack perceived offenders physically.

He appealed to stakeholders such as traditional rulers, religious leaders, political party functionaries, the electoral commission, the security personnel, youth and women groups, as well as the media to support the committee in its quest to ensure peaceful elections in the region.

Alhaji Sulemana advised political parties in the region to conduct their electioneering campaigns based on issues and avoid insults and utterances that could spark off controversies in the area.

“There can be nothing more challenging for us than thinking of how to sustain the entrenched democracy which Ghanaians have enjoyed over the years and to consolidate the enviable gains enjoyed so far”, Alhaji Sulemana said.

Mr Ben N. Banye, Upper West Regional Director of National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), said the roots of a thriving democracy were to be found in peace, stability, law and order, as well as compliance by all stakeholders.

He said the role of a credible independent umpire and equality of political opportunities for all political parties facilitated by the existence of a level playing field to promote free, fair and credible elections and the acceptance of results were critical and vital for a successful 2012 elections.

He urged the committee to operate as a unifying body to promote peace and work with regional and national enforcement bodies on the code of conduct for political parties.

Mr Banye said the distribution of money and other gifts to the electorate, declaration of results by political parties, defacing of posters, biased media reporting and abuse of incumbency among others were some of the violations the committee must stand against to ensure a violent free elections.

The Catholic Bishop of Wa, Most Reverend Paul Bemile, who chaired the function urge Ghanaians to tolerate each other views and resort to dialogue in resolving issues to sustain peace in the country.**