Koforidua, Aug. 8, GNA - Brigadier General Francis Agyemfra (Rtd), Senior Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) on Friday condemned the simmering hostility that had marked the on-going voter registration exercise and called on political actors to help stop the confusion.
He expressed reservation at the turn out of events that nearly marred the otherwise orderly registration exercise and questioned whether it was justified for political parties to resort to aggression in their quest for political power.
In a speech to mark the induction of the Eastern Regional Enforcement Committee of the 2008 political parties' code of conduct in Koforidua on Friday, he said there was the need to curb the skirmishes and allow for a peaceful process.
He said this shall guarantee an orderly conduct of the 2008 general polls, noting that it was in the nation's supreme interest and that of the political entities to maintain the peace. "The roots of a thriving democracy are to be found in peace, stability, law and order, as well as compliance by all stakeholders with well-defined electoral laws and codes", he said. He called for a level playing field for all political players and expressed the hope that the political parties that had subscribed to the code shall respect the provisions of the document so as to protect the tranquillity of the country.
The Eastern Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Anthony Gyampoh, commended the IEA for the initiative and gave the assurance that as "heir to the throne", the NDC shall not engage in any "unorthodox" activities that might threaten the stability of the country.
Mr Gyampoh's views were shared by his counterpart of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Alecs Agobo, who said his party shall not support any action to destabilize the country especially when some leaders of the opposing camp had been their school mates and friends for so long. The Deputy Eastern Regional Police Commander, the Reverend ACP Ampah Benin, urged the public to see the police as a force that was there to protect them.
Mr Quaye Sowah, Eastern Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) pleaded with the political parties to ensure that Ghana remained intact by working hard to diffuse sources of tension.
The remit of the regional enforcement committees is to monitor breaches of the political parties' code and report such incidents to the IEA for appropriate actions to be taken. It aims at ensuring a level playing field for all political players to ensure that nagging electoral issues such as the abuse of incumbency, defacing of posters, the use of provocative language, and biased media reportage are dealt with dispassionately before they escalate into violence. 08 Aug. 08
