Avoid ethnocentric and inflammatory speeches during campaigns - Presby Moderator

Abetifi (E/R), Aug 19, GNA - Right Reverend Professor Emmanuel Martey, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, has called on political parties to avoid ethnocentric and inflammatory speeches as the December elections approaches.

“We should all ensure that the elections were held under the atmosphere of peace and tranquility devoid of any form of violence” he said.

Rev Prof Martey made the call at the opening of this year's General Assembly of the Church at Abetifi on Saturday.

He said considering what has happened in other countries as a result of political unrest, Ghanaians could not afford to lose the prevailing peace they are enjoying.

He appealed to leadership of all the political parties to press upon their followers to be circumspect in their utterances in order not to inflame passions and called on the Christian community to pray for peace for the country at all times.

The Moderator advised Christian politicians to let the presence of Jesus Christ who is the King of Peace be felt in all their political activities.

He said the Church would at all times seek to maintain the integrity of the ballot as a means of choosing legitimate leaders for the country.

The Moderator congratulated all political parties for the sense of democratic maturity that they displayed during the demise and funeral of the late President John Evans Atta Mills.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Victor Smith, said there was the need for Ghanaians to protect the prevailing peace.

“Ghana has had relative peace for quite sometime now and it would undoubtedly be in the interest of our dear nation if this relative peace is sustained” he maintained.

He said for Ghana to continue to enjoy peace, there was the need for every Ghanaian to respect the laws of the land, have high sense of patriotism, respect for each other's views, resolve to dialogue, determination to avoid offensive and abusive language and desire to live peaceful with all people.

Mr Owusu Afriyie, General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who led a delegation of the party to the Assembly, pledged that the NPP would collaborate with all stakeholders to make this year's election peaceful.

He said it was through the collective tolerance and maturity of all that Ghana had been able to hold five successive elections without tearing the country apart and that the same success story would be told in December.

The Flagbearer of the Convention Peoples' Party (CPP), Dr Abu Sakara, said the CPP was committed to peaceful elections and that it was unfortunate that today the Ghanaian's sense of commonality had been destroyed by disunity, extreme political partisanship, provocative language and ethnocentrism.

Dr Abu Sakara called on all Ghanaians to join the campaign against politics of insults and the use of inflammatory utterances on the airwaves.

He said the CPP had the values, principles, policies and people that are needed to chart a new way forward for Ghana.

The CPP flagbearer said Ghanaians had tried both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for a number of years and asked them to try the CPP this time for the economic transformation they wanted.

He said his government would focus on job creation for the youth through skill building for industrialization and patriotic service.

GNA