Dr William Boateng, Head of Sociology and Anthropology Department of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), has admonished politicians to desist from taking entrenched political positions on issues of national development.
He explained that instead of looking for opportunities to pull each other down, political party activists must believe in the capabilities of each other and work towards uniting the country for growth and development.
He made the admonition at the eighth Annual Sandwich Conference organised by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Department of Anthropology of UCC which was on the theme: ‘Paving the Way for a Peaceful, Free and Fair Election 2020-The Role of the State and Non-state Actors.’
According to Dr Boateng, “it is about time politicians set aside their party lenses and put the nation first by deliberating on issues as patriotic citizens instead of putting party interest at the expense of national development.
“Politicians should also desist from trading the country’s peace, unity, stability and tranquility but be guarded by the unpleasant experiences of war ravaged nations, they should not incite their followers to be agent of violence but work towards obtaining a good name instead of being vessels of destruction in the country,” he advised.
Dr Boateng urged governments to stop initiating vote buying policies and programmes and implement a set of transformative policies and programmes to build one of the most business-friendly and people-centred economy capable of bringing prosperity to all.
“This is the way to unleash the creative potentials of the Ghanaian private sector to lead the country’s transformation agenda,” he observed.
Delivering the keynote address, Professor Kwabena Barimah-Antwi, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, UCC, entreated the citizenry to abide by the principles and values that had sustained an atmosphere of peace, unity, stability and national cohesion in the country, which was the pre-requisite for the growth and development of multi-party democracy and investments.
“We must resolve to do everything possible and necessary to lend our support and assistance to the growth and development of our nation and avoid using violence to settle issues,” he stressed. –GNA
