Reverend Johnson Avuletey, Deputy Volta Regional Minister
Elections should be seen as 'intimidation' of ideas pertaining to political parties, a competition of manifestoes to offer electorates greater opportunities to vote based on national drive for development, Reverend Johnson Avuletey, Deputy Volta Regional Minister has said.
He likened political discourse to people embarking on a journey with the same democratic vehicle to show, which of them had superior ideas that delivered the aspirations of the people on time.
"The strategies of deliverables need not spark conflicts, disagreements will come but must not lead us into temptation of spilling human blood."
Rev Avuletey, who stated this at an advocacy workshop by the Volta Regional Secretariat of National Peace Council (NPC) in Ho said politics was about ideas, development and sustaining the welfare of the masses.
He said elections should therefore not be about physical intimidation and unleashing of brutalities on political opponents by a group or groups in a political establishment.
He said the phenomenon of vigilantism threw shades on the political successes of the country.
Rev Avuletey said Ghana had chosen democracy as best form of governance through the adoption of the fourth Republican Constitution.
"One of the tenets of democracy is to conduct free and fair elections to select leaders and why should this be a crime," he noted.
Osofo Kofi Atabuatsi, member, National Governing Board of the NPC said it would be a mark of incompetence on the part of duty-bearers including; political actors and civil society groups to continue to chastise the Council and its work without recourse.
He said it would be unwise on the Council's part to issue responses to every comment in the public space without thoroughly investigating it, reason their reaction to such comments delayed.
He said there were procedures, which governed their operations, particularly, which allowed aggrieved parties to make an appeal through writing to the Council, spelling out the facts and truths to kick-start investigations for prompt response.
"Anything short of this only adds to the delay of the Council's responses to the matter at discussion. We only comment when we have the full facts backed by our investigations."
Osofo Atabuatsi said contrary to media reports of intimidation and brutalities visited on innocent members of the public, rounds by his personnel revealed a direct opposite to the claims.
He urged actors in the political space to be circumspect of their utterances, which could plunge the nation into conflict and chaos.
