The Wassa Amenfi East Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NNCE) jointly with the Inter Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC), at the weekend embarked on an inter religious and inter-political party peace walk to ensure peace before, during and after the December polls.
The walk on the theme, ‘Together we can build a better and developed Ghana, So Get Involved,’ was participated in by political party representatives, the Police Service, the District Imam, traditional rulers, pastors, and a cross section of the public took them through the principal streets of the Wassa Akropong.
Addressing the participants after the walk, Mr. Daniel A. Boateng, Municipal Director of NCCE, underscored the importance of religious and political tolerance, stressing that they were the core ingredients to enhance the nation’s democracy.
He said: ‘Be reminded of the need to be tolerant in your dealings with people from
other political parties, show them respect and relate with them in a manner that you will want th
em to relate with you.’
He announced that the NCCE would soon organise a parliamentary candidates’ debate and encouraged all to fully participate in the programme to bring to their expertise which would go a long way to enhance peace before, during and after the December polls.
Nana Asare Bediako II Chief of Asunda who represented the Omanhene Tetrete Okuamoah Sakyim II, chairman of IPDC, commended the NCCE for the walk and lauded all those who participated in the exercise.
He said the IPDC was formed to ensure peaceful polls come December 7 and urged the various political parties to channel their grievances through the IPDC for redress instead of resorting to violent acts.
He called on the various political parties and their supporters to be ambassadors of peace and desist from destroying and defacing posters of their opponents.
Nana Bediako said it was illegal to deface or destroy the posters of an opponent and that the act could result in violence and disturbances.
He said what the People of the Wass
a Amenfi East needed was development and growth, so the various political parties should work towards achieving that and not to bring unnecessary division among them.
Shekh Billa Dayman leader of the Muslim community said the Muslim community in the district was poised to ensure peace across the constituency, adding that ‘since the beginning of the year all imams have been preaching peace and tolerance in the various mosque.’
He commended the NCCE for organising the peace walk and noted that it would help bring peace and unity to the municipality.
For his part, Pastor Fiifi Adams of the Assemblies of God Church who is also the representative of the Local Council of Churches, called for peaceful political campaigns and charged Christians to be peace makers as directed by Jesus Christ.
He noted that elections should be about sharing ideas for the development of the country and not divisions and violence.
Source: Ghana News Agency