Mr. Justice Siaw Mandela, a political analyst, has urged the two main political parties, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), to commit to peace in the upcoming general elections.
He stated that the two parties must refrain from actions and statements that threaten the country’s stability, security, and peace.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he stated that the elections should not be a do-or-die affair.
Mr. Mandela urged the Police Service to deal ruthlessly with anyone who would cause a false alarm during the upcoming elections.
”I want to inform both the NDC and the NPP that we want peace. “Inciting people can disrupt the peace and stability that we have in the country,” he stated.
He was reacting to the NPP’s allegations that retired COP Kofi Boakye was training thugs in Kumasi to disrupt the elections, and the NDC had also accused Brigadier General Opoku of conspiring with the NPP to rig the election.
The analyst added that these allegations must be investigated to determine their veracity, and if found to be false, those who made the allegations must be held accountable.
He also urged Ghanaians not to let politicians use them to incite violence.
‘’I want to advise Ghanaians not to kill themselves because somebody wants political power. The young men and women should know that these politicians use them for their selfish gains. Among those who were recruited as vigilantes, some may have been maimed, and so we have to use these examples to advise ourselves. Using violence cannot win you an election.”
He further advised the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct free, fair, and transparent elections acceptable to all political parties and other stakeholders contesting the race.
‘’We should remind ourselves that the elections can be peaceful and uneventful. Why should we witness violence in an exercise where you will go and take a ballot and vote for your preferred candidate? The elections should not be a do-or-die affair. It should be the most peaceful thing so that those who ring the war bells must be exposed as those who will have individual benefits and not those who engaged in the violence. If you engaged in any form of violence and died, you would have died a useless death.’’
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana