WATCH THESE POLITICIANS - NCCE BOSS

NPP's very desperate flagbearer, Nana Akufo Addo

Ghanaians, particularly the youth have been cautioned not to allow themselves to be exploited by selfish politicians to trigger violence in the forthcoming general election.
 

The Deputy Commissioner of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in charge of operations, Mr Samuel Akuamoah, who made the call during a stakeholder forum on the impending elections, observed that it would be disastrous if Ghanaians allowed themselves to be used by selfish politicians to destabilize the peace in the country.

The programme, organised by the NCCE and sponsored by the European Union, attracted stakeholders, including the representatives of the various political parties, religious and traditional leaders, the Electoral Commission, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, the Media, the Security Agencies and the National Peace Council among others.

CPP Presidential Candidate Ivor Greenstreet

It aimed at ensuring that stakeholders remained committed at ensuring peace before, during and after the forthcoming general election as well as make inputs and contributions towards achieving that objective.

The Deputy Commissioner who expressed concerns about the attitude and utterances of some political party leaders including their supporters, stressed that nothing should be done to disturb the relative peace the country was enjoying.

“Ghana should not be complacent over the fact that she has enjoyed some level of peace in the past elections.  Anything can happen and we should not take things for granted. All players must play their respective roles very well to ensure peace, before, during and after the elections,” Mr Akuamoah stressed.

President John Dramani Mahama

The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police Simon Afeku, who made a presentation on Early Warning Signs, Possible Causes, and peaceful ways of managing elections related cases called on the media not to allow their platforms to be used by politicians to cause trouble.

The Regional Coordinating Director, AlhajiAbubakarAbdullai, who addressed the stakeholders on behalf of the Regional Minister, Mr Albert Abongo, expressed regrets that elections had become a major cause of conflict in Africa which often led to fatal consequences.

He mentioned chieftaincy and land disputes as some of the major causes of conflict in the Region and appealed to the stakeholders to ensure that such conflicts did not degenerate into violence. 

Editorial

Consumption or Investment

Consuming what one should invest is a sure route to doom. This is a truism that supposedly is on the mind of most economic planners but the state of most economies today points to the fact that beautiful sayings by themselves do not resolve much.

 For governments the issues are made more difficult by fact that demands for instant gratifications often push them to act against long-term goals.

The point however is that reality will always catch up with us sooner or later.

One way out of the difficult dilemma is to ensure that the populace knows exactly what the stakes are and why some demands cannot be met as well as where and why government is investing resources in areas which may not bring about immediate benefits.

This of course is always difficult and painstaking. But we only need to look around to see what the alternatives are. Short-termism is comfortable but it lasts for only a while.

Of course, there is also the issue of trust. The people will go with their leaders if they believe the leaders have their interests at heart. If trust is weak, it becomes more difficult for people to take what they hear seriously.

So, for leaders, interested in promoting a long term vision, it is incumbent that they walk the talk of transparency and accountability.