Political parties have been entreated to refrain from attempts to interfere with state institutions but rather allow them to carry out their duties diligently.
The Paramount Chief of Domeabra in the Ashanti Region, Nana Baffour Owusu Bediako, who made the call mentioned the elite’s desire to undermine state institutions, sensational media coverage, and chieftaincy disputes.
“It is unsurprising that Ghana’s ranking on the most recent Global Peace Index dropped from 40th to 51st, but it still holds the second spot in West Africa as the most peaceful,” he stated.
According to the Paramount Chief, the importance of peace in nation-building could not be understated “because, without it, all of our efforts as a nation will be for naught…peace is the only prerequisite for growth.”
Speaking at the National Peace Council symposium 2023 to mark the International Peace Day celebration in Kumasi, he stated that, since the establishment of institutionalised peace-making entities, traditional leaders had acted as promoters and producers of peace.
Noting that with laws like the NPC Act 2011 (Act 818) that created the National Peace Council (NPC), “Ghana continues to be one of the few nations in Africa with a well-developed national infrastructure for peace”.
He noted that the NPC was required by the Act to facilitate and create methods for conflict prevention, management, and resolution as well as for establishing a lasting peace in the nation.
This, he said, placed a heavy burden on every Ghanaian to contribute to the maintenance of peace and serve as its ambassador.
He said the goal of the celebration was to acknowledge the collective duty of people to promote peace in the context of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to strengthen the fundamentals of international peace for all nations and people.
According to him, increasing public awareness of problems like religious divisions, racial disparities, and political silos that made it difficult to live in harmony with variety was also crucial.
Nana Baffour stressed that the need for peace in the country had never been more urgent “than it is right now when our sociopolitical structures do not appear to be able to handle new conflicts very well.”
Observing that the lack of opportunities and the current economic challenges were making the youths more and more irate, he said “the country is becoming more and more disrespectful of cultural norms, customs, and moral degeneration as impunity eats away the fundamental foundation of our society and the specter of extremism hangs over the West African sub-region.”
On the ongoing limited voter registration, Nana Baffour encouraged everyone who had reached the voting age to register in the Electoral Commission (EC)’s exercise to cast their ballots in the upcoming Unit Committee and District Assembly Elections.
FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI
