The Ghanaian Journal

… NCCE appeals to all

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

THE ACTING Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in charge of the Volta Region, Mr. Fedelis Attoh, has called on Ghanaians to be vigilant on election day, as a civic right, and a measure to prevent conflicts.

This, he said, would supplement and complement efforts of the security services in preventing conflict, and also sustain Ghana’s fledgling democracy, “that we have been nurturing, upholding and defending for the past years, against all forms of subversion, violation or abuse.”

He said, often, electoral conflicts occur because Ghanaians especially, the active segments of the population, who are mostly party youth activists, take the law into their hands. “This sub-culture of impunity, that is creeping gradually into the fabric of the Ghanaian society, where acts of omission and commission are beginning to take center stage, does not augur well for healthy, democratic growth,” he observed.

The NCCE official was speaking at a two-day workshop organised for security personnel, by the Ministry of the Interior, with support from the Konrad Adenuer Stiftung (KAS), at Ho recently.

It was on the theme “Sensitisation of the electorate to prevent electoral conflicts in the Volta Region: The Role of the security services before, during and after December 7.”

According to him, the security services, are to all intents and purposes of Election 2008, a mobilised group of Ghanaians, committed to beefing up security to ensure the keeping of peace, before, during, and after the December 7 polls, adding, “They are determined to promote a violent-free, fair, transparent, credible, acceptable and incontrovertible poll.”

In spite of this, he said, the security services would now have to consider more than just the traditional, daily routine roles of the Armed Forces, including operations of the Navy, the Air Force and the infantry, in defending the geographical or territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ghana, as far as her sea, air and land spaces are concerned.

He noted that Ghana’s land and sea boarders, which are dotted with numerous entry and exit points, ought to be manned more thoroughly.

He stressed, “this time around, and more than before, they should be manned by para-military personnel of the Customs Exercise and Preventive Service (CEPS), and Immigration Service in charge of the flow of human and vehicular traffic, goods and services that come and go out of Ghana, as a factor of external security measures against external encroachment or violation, especially on December 7, 2008.”

Furthermore, other security service providers like the Police, Prisons and the Fire Service, must also take greater care of the internal security situation of Ghana.

This, he pointed out, must be supplemented and complemented by the efforts of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).

Mr. Attoh indicated that in view of the previous records that Ghana had set in elections, and the fact that “the mere mention of the name Ghana speaks volumes in international circles in Africa and beyond,” it was essential that collective efforts be made by all peace-loving Ghanaians, to galvanize the role of the security services to ensure peaceful elections.

On his part, the Minister for the Interior, Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor, said Ghanaians must recognise the important role elections play in the lives of nations in general, and Africa in particular.

He said emerging from the colonial era, and witnessing many coup d’etats and dictatorial regimes, the new culture in Africa was relatively new, fragile, and challenging, hence, “the power and ability of the conduct of elections to make or destroy a nation is undisputable.”

According to him, Ghana’s elections had always not been incident-free, and there was also ominous signs characterising the forthcoming elections, which should be of worry to all.

“Against this background, let us share ideas and be proactive to ensure peaceful elections.

“It is my hope that the security agencies would adopt appropriate strategies to ensure that we have peaceful elections in December,” he said, and added that the government was committed to sustaining peace and stability in Ghana, through peaceful elections.

Also, the Programme Manager of KAS, Mr. Isaac Owusu-Mensah, appealed to all to take up their roles in ensuring safety of the citizenry, in the run up to the Sunday polls, emphasising, “the citizenry have a crucial role to play, by supporting the security services with the requisite information and the needed comportment.”

He said with just some few days to go to the polls, all stakeholders must conduct their activities with respect for the rights of other citizens, while the security services must demonstrate the mature security manners needed most, at this point in time.