EAGLE to champion crusade for Non-Violence Election

Accra, July 21, GNA - The Every Accountable Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EAGLE) Party on Wednesday outlined a programme of activities to champion a crusade for non-violence and peaceful elections. Mr Danny Ofori Atta, Chairman of the Council of Elders of the Party, who outdoored the activities at the Greater Accra Regional Delegates' Conference in Accra, said Ghana needed to deepen its multiparty democracy through non-violence electioneering campaign.

"To this effect, The EAGLE Party is of the view that recent political insinuation between the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition party; the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is a threat to the growth and development of multiparty democracy in the country" he said.

Mr Ofori Atta, therefore, urged all political party leaders to demonstrate their commitment to democratic order by adhering to the principles of the Political Parties Code of Conduct for Elections 2004. Activities lined up for the crusade include non-partisan public lectures throughout the country to educate the electorate about the tenets of constitutionalism, periodic interaction between politicians and media practitioners to reduce tension.

The EAGLE Leader emphasised the need for cooperation among all political stakeholders to ensure transparency, decorum and respect of opponents' views, "this is the basis for a violence-free elections." He said a specially designed leaflet would be distributed to raise public consciousness for non-violence and peaceful elections.

Mr Ofori Atta later in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said: "We denounce violence. The national interest must supersede any political and individual agenda that is what is paramount to the EAGLE Party."

Ms Cecilia Akuateh, National Women's Organiser of the Party cautioned District Chief Executives (DCEs) to avoid the temptation of using state machinery to campaign for any political party to stave off tension and nasty incidents.

She said her Party would not accept the situation where DCEs might use state resources against other parties and called on followers of minority parties to be vigilant throughout the electioneering campaign to avert electoral irregularities.

Ms Akuateh blamed the country's present economic difficulties on the incompetence and mismanagement of resources by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government.

She, therefore, asked the electorate to massively vote out the NPP, in Election 2004, to give hope and restore investor confidence in the economy.

She said the NPP's campaign promise of turning the economy round, the creation of jobs and to raise the standard of living of Ghanaians under its slogan "Positive Change" had now turned out to be a political ploy.

She said the NPP had in less than four years exposed itself that it lacked ideas and men to enable it to salvage the country from the economic doldrums.

Ms Akuateh noted if for the past four years the NPP Government was not able to assist Ghanaians to realise their wishes and aspirations, it had no moral justification to seek a new mandate.