Use Traditional Means To Settle Disputes
Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Kumasi, the Most Rev. Peter Kwasi Sarpong has advocated the use of traditional systems alongside civil law in the settlement of ethnic disputes and succession related issues.
He explained that the traditional system had the tendency of ensuring total reconciliation among feuding factions while the civil law system, created division as well as hatred among the factions.
Most Rev. Sarpong was speaking at the eighth Theology Week celebration of St Peters' Regional Seminary in Cape Coast.
The celebration was on the theme, 'Priestly formation and the promotion of reconciliation and peace: challenges and perspectives'.
Speaking on the topic, 'Traditional Ghanaian means of promoting and re-establishing peace: Strengths and weaknesses in contemporary Ghana', Archbishop Sarpong said that the traditional ways of reconciliation involved the use of moral, religious, mystical, psychological and physical means.
"Some of these are irrelevant in a society in which people are losing the sense of God but precisely by this fact, the achievement of peace in contemporary society in many instances is almost impossible," he added.
Archbishop Sarpong said that the country seemed to be relying on civil law to solve such problems which was unable to either wipe away the crime or heal the wounds.
The strength in the traditional system permeated the root of the matter while the contemporary world considered violence in terms of physical violation of the social order.
In the traditional systems of reconciliation, he said, the offending person was forgiven while the offence was also forgotten, adding that the reconciliation put an end to all forms of rancour, bigotry, bitterness and bad blood.
Most Rev. Sarpong underscored the need for the offender not to repeat the offence committed since such an act would not ensure total reconciliation.
People should therefore treat each other with respect and learn to be at peace with each other.
He urged Ghanaians to desist from increasing tension in volatile areas in the course of reconciliation since it affected national development.