Use established procedures to address complaints

Editorial Noticias for Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Source: Ghana Times

2020-12-15

Human beings, by nature, have different belief systems, values, opinions, needs and interests that often result in conflicts when they cannot find common ground.

Conflict has been defined in the literature as “a clash between individuals that arises from differences in the process of thought, attitudes, understanding, interests, requirements, and sometimes even perception.”

As long as human beings exist, it is inevitable that there will be conflict in society.

In particular, the conflict is driven by a sense of grievance, including inequality, cultural or moral difference, and the distribution of power.

The conflict helps to reveal the existence of problems in society to find solutions.

Political analysts have cited elections as one of the causes of violence since the rise of multi-party democracy in the West African subregion in the 1990s.

Violent conflict is a threat to peace, security and democratic governance.

In Ghana we are fortunate to have overcome another highly competitive election in a relatively peaceful manner.

However, there are pockets of horrible post-election scenarios that are a matter of concern for the security and stability of the country.

It is part of democratic governance for people to express their complaints about the electoral results, as part of the efforts to deepen and strengthen the sustainable democratic culture in the country.

In doing so, we urge the aggrieved parties to put the national interest before the need to maintain peace and stability, using established procedures to address their concerns and not resort to violent demonstrations.

There are solutions for all problems. We, as a country, are capable of solving our electoral problems through the court, which is the way for the peaceful resolution of a conflict.

Indeed, the former president and presidential candidate of the Democratic National Congress, John Dramani Mahama, has demonstrated his commitment to peace and security by using legitimate means to challenge the results of the general elections of December 7, 2020, according to the Commission. Electoral.

While we applaud him for his commitment to peace and security in the country, we also add our voice to the calls that are made to him for coldness to prevail!

We have already recorded some deaths and injuries in violent incidents across the country.

Certainly this does not speak well of a country that the international community has touted as a beacon of democracy and an oasis of peace in a troubled sub-region.

The challenge now is how to stand firm and allow due process to take its course so that we can move forward in unity and peace as we pursue our common destiny.

We wish to remind the various political actors, especially the two major political parties, the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress, of the peace pact to which they signed before the elections.

We also urge civil society organizations, the National Peace Council, traditional leaders and religious leaders to assist in peacebuilding efforts to maintain the peace and stability of Ghana after the elections.

Democracy is evolving in Ghana. We have chosen democracy as a way of development in a contemporary society. Elections are key to democratic governance. They come with challenges, but the electoral challenges are not insurmountable.

That is why we reiterate the need to use the established channels to address any electoral claim and let’s move forward in peace!