Peace is a national good, let’s protect it

General news for Sunday, November 29, 2020

Source: GNA

2020-11-29

The Most Reverend Peter Kwaku Atuahene, Chairman of the Ahafo Regional Peace Council, described peace as a national asset and called on Ghanaians to preserve it, as the 2020 elections gather momentum.

Peace, he emphasized, remains an invaluable commodity, not to be trifled with, and called on political parties and their supporters to show true commitment and leadership to protect it in the highest interest of the nation.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Ahafo Regional Peace Council held in Goaso, the regional capital, Mt. Reverend Atuahene said he was unhappy “people are very attached and are taking positions rooted in party politics “

This, according to him, threatens national peace because “they are determined to do whatever is necessary for their political party to gain power.”

Mt Rev Atuahene, also a Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Goaso, identified unemployment as a key factor that attracted many young people to political violence saying “they do it so that if their political party comes to power, they can also find work for their survival “.

He condemned the recurring acts of political violence in parts of the Ahafo Region and called on stakeholders to collaborate with the new council to help prevent potential violent activities that could spoil the beauty of the general elections in the Region.

Mt Rev Atuahene pointed out that it would cause much to the nation, if the citizenry did not protect the prevailing national peace, and implored all Ghanaians to do their part to sensitize each other to embrace peace by protecting themselves from trends that could disturb the peace of the country. country before, during and after the December 7 elections.

He stressed that while the Council fulfilled its mandate, the supporters of the various political parties also had a responsibility to maintain tolerance, understand each other and carry out peaceful electoral campaigns.

Nana Dufie I, Mamponhemaa and a member of the Board of the National Peace Council, noted that despite international recognition of Ghana, as a relatively peaceful nation, the country had a myriad of perennial conflicts, which had at times erupted into violent clashes, and if not contained, it had the potential to destabilize the nation.

“There are a number of critical conflict drivers, such as long-standing ethnic hatred, leadership disputes, violent youth extremism that will continue to erode national cohesion and economic growth,” he noted.

Nana Dufie I expressed the APN’s appreciation to UNDP, the Danish Embassy, ​​the Commonwealth Secretariat, USAID, and the European Union for their support in establishing the peace architecture, as well as the Council’s efforts to resolve various conflicts in the country.

Judge Charles K. Acheampong, a circuit court judge, took the council through oaths of office, loyalty, and secrecy.

The 13-member Ahafo Regional Peace Council is made up of representatives from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Pentecostal Council of Ghana, the Regional House of Chiefs, identifiable groups, the Ahafo Regional Coordinating Council and the Muslim community.