‘Face election challenges with maturity’

Story: Matilda Attram

THE Presbyterian Church of Ghana has called on Ghanaians to face the challenges of the forthcoming general election with maturity in order to preserve the country’s democratic gains.
It urged all aspirants to admonish their supporters to refrain from the use of abusive language and other forms of provocation, including physical attacks on people with different political persuasions.
“Aspirants must pledge to accept the results as declared by the Electoral Commission (EC) and, where there are doubts, seek redress through judicial processes rather than show defiant, violent and destructive attitudes and declarations,” it said.
At a press conference in Accra to publicise a communiqué issued by the church at the end of its eighth General Assembly held in Sunyani recently, the Moderator of the church, the Rt Rev Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso, said the police and the other security agencies must not only be vigilant but also firm and neutral in dealing with the electorate and ensure that all rules and regulations, as well as established procedures, were strictly observed before, during and after the elections.
He reminded the presidential and parliamentary aspirants that since they saw themselves as having been called upon to serve God and His people, they were accountable to God and the electorate and must “put the well-being of all Ghanaians first and foremost in whatever they do”.
He noted with concern reports of malpractice involving the registration of minors and foreign nationals by some political parties, resulting in vehement confrontations in parts of the country.
“We also noted that the period given for the registration was too short and too close to the time for the elections. That gave rise to frantic efforts by many to register, resulting in avoidable conflicts,” he said.
The Rt Rev Dr Frimpong-Manso suggested that appropriate procedures should be established to register persons attaining the voting age of 18 to avoid a backlog.
He, however, said that if the registration of newly qualified voters should be done in an election year, the EC should start such registration in January to ensure that all those qualified to register would have ample time to go through the exercise satisfactorily.
“The EC should examine various systems for voters registration elsewhere which are functioning well in order to develop a much better system for Ghana than what obtains at the moment,” he stressed.
Touching on the economy, Rt Rev Frimpong-Manso said the country was still experiencing double-digit inflation, contrary to expectation, adding that the problem of unemployment among the youth needed urgent consideration.
He said despite the positive measures by the government to promote good governance, the assembly had reservations about some aspects of government’s actions which must be seriously considered.
“In our attempts to establish democracy in this country, and within the context of our fledgling democratic structures, it may be prudent for the government to provide explanatory statements for some of its important actions, especially those that are most likely to cause dissension among the people,” he stated.
He articulated the church’s concern over recent incidents of gross disregard for law and order in certain parts of the country.
The Rt Rev Dr Frimpong-Manso said obnoxious acts had taken the form of instant justice meted out to alleged criminals and the destruction of government and private property by irresponsible individuals.
“Armed robbery and indiscriminate killings have also been on the increase. Careless driving on our roads, resulting in needless deaths, seems to have become an everyday occurrence, as well as tribal strife leading to armed conflicts such as what recently happened in the north,” he said.