Parties to engage in sports for peaceful elections

Accra, Sept 18, GNA - The Centre for Democracy, Human Rights and Justice (CDHRJ) on Thursday launched competitive sporting activities for political parties and the security services to promote peace.

Speaking at the launch of the programme, The Reverend Prince Akwetey Silveira, Executive Director of CDHRJ said sports was chosen because it had the potential to unite people.

The programme which begins next month will see all political parties, the police, the prisons, the fire and the customs services engage in football and thug of "peace."

Rev. Akwetey said utterances of politicians leading to the December polls were putting fear in the people and that there was the need to bring those politicians to order.

He said when violence occurred, it is the poor and vulnerable whose interest the politicians claimed to be seeking would suffer the consequences.

He called on all to live peacefully with one another and to shun people who glorify violence to ensure that national development agenda was not disturbed.

The CDHRJ has also planned to engage school pupils in tree planting exercise in some parts of the country to serve as peace objects for people.