You are worth more than a few Ghana Cedis and a pack of cooked rice – GBA president cautions youth

The President of the Ghana Bar Association, Mr. Yaw Acheampong Boafo, has advised the youth to channel their energies and exuberance into meaningful ventures and not to be misled by unscrupulous politicians to engage in acts that could destabilize the nation.

Speaking at a remembrance service for the Martyrs of the Rule of Law in Accra, he said the young people should not devalue themselves by engaging in criminal acts.

“You are worth more than a few Ghana cedis and a pack of cooked rice. The sad and horrible events of June 1982, for example, should serve as a constant reminder that intolerance, violence, political vigilantism, and military adventurism should not be tolerated and have no place in any

civilized democracy such as ours,” he said.

Touching on the recent violence during the just-ended voter registration exercise, he urged the public not to think all is well because such associated acts of political vigilantism are a threat to the peace, stability, and development of the country.

Mr. Achemapong Boafo said such acts should serve as a source of worry for all well-meaning Ghanaians.

“What should be a familiar exercise of civil duty and what is supposed to be a regulated process for the registration of voters and procedure for the challenge of prospective registrants and transfer of votes were and have been marred by threats, intimidation, assaults, and violence at the registration centers across the country. It should not be lost on us that such acts invariably scare away and restrict eligible Ghanaians from registering to vote and voting in national elections and referenda, a clear violation of their constitutional rights.”

He noted that the Ghana Bar Association is deeply worried about acts of intimidation, violence, and vigilantism that characterized the recent voter registration and transfer exercises.

He added that Ghana has been touted as an oasis of peace surrounded by turbulence within the subregion, hence violence and lawlessness should not be tolerated.

He stressed the need for all stakeholders to work towards our collective aspirations and development and ensure that the consciousness of our past travails, struggles, and failures to get to where we are now and rededicate ourselves to ensure that we do whether in word or deed should not create fertile conditions for military adventurers to take advantage to truncate our Democratic Journey.

He further urged members of all the leading political parties, the Electoral Commission, and the government to work toward peaceful elections.

Watch a video of his remarks below:

JAB/OGB

Catch up on this week's episode of The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV as we discussed the topic, Medical Confidentiality. Watch the video below:





Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.