Keep Off Mischief

Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle “Do not allow anyone to mislead you into conflict after Sunday's general elections” was the admonition given by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, the Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle to Ghanaians a few days ago.

Today we are closer to the Election Day than the day he made the call to his compatriots and we feel obliged as responsible citizens of this country to endorse it.

All Ghanaians who genuinely have the interest of their country at heart should do all they can to safeguard the integrity of the forthcoming polls.

All of us, save the mischievous few, can do this by adhering to the electoral laws and just voting if we are eligible and leaving the scene. This is simple enough.

The diabolically minded politicians intent on seeing the country burn have even gone ahead to encourage their supporters to stay put at the polling stations after casting their votes.

They are being asked to stay at the stations with a view to objecting to what they should consider anomalies and therein the source of confusion.

Are such persons in positions to determine what constitutes an electoral misdemeanour? How are such objections to be raised without disrupting the ongoing ballot casting? These are our concerns when irresponsible politicians ask people to stay put at polling stations.

Interventions by persons who have been adequately primed to create trouble at voting centres can trigger trouble between them and security agents.

Those who have stakes in such conflicts do not partake in them personally as they often take cover in the confines of their plush residences.

They convince the underdogs of the community through money and lies to undertake such mischievous missions which eventually spread across the country.

Their children and close relations are shielded from such conflicts, a fact which should provide adequate lessons for the mercenaries of trouble.

Indeed the Defence Minister said something along similar lines recently but was quoted out of context when he advised a section of the populace to shun violence as according to him in the event of trouble most politicians who start such fires manage to flee the country.

The mischief makers are mostly the affluent politicians with the means to flee the country when the heat they start gets too hot to handle.

Why should we therefore allow ourselves to be fooled by such persons?

Since the interest of Ghana is greater than the parochial of individual selfish politicians, our position is that they should not be allowed to have their way.

Another cause of worry for patriotic Ghanaians has to do with some politicians talking about Kenya or Zimbabwe style situations in the country.

We find such wishes not only irresponsible but smacking of diabolism and unbecoming of people who pretend to love this country.

The courts as the clergyman pointed out should be the place to go in the event of any electoral dispute. Fortunately a special unit has been established by the Judicial Service to manage such disputes and we pray that all good people will seek its intervention in matters of this nature.