‘Ghanaians must show commitment to peace ‘

 
From Sebastian R. Freiku, Kumasi
Okomfo Anokye, a renowned fetish priest of Abenkyim near Bekwai in the Ashanti Region has called on Ghanaians to show a commitment to the peace the country is yearning for.

He said the focus of Ghanaians now should be the setting of a peace agenda to avoid election violence, saying peace is crucial to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.

He has, therefore, called on all Ghanaians to see themselves as peace ambassadors and complement the efforts of government, security agents and political parties to achieve peace and stability in Ghana.

According to him, peace and stability are all geared towards proper development.

He said, after five peaceful elections in Ghana, which boasts of 25 years of stability since 1992, the country has achieved significantly larger and more rapid increases in its human development index than any other country south of the Sahara, and advised that efforts must be made to sustain it towards the development we all crave for.

He noted that violence does not only claim lives, but also destroys the very fabric of society, leaving schools and hospitals destroyed, while a devastated population suffers the physical and psychological toll.

He said while armed violence and conflict continue to take lives, destroy infrastructure and deplete employment opportunities, the state and society are derailed from their long-term development goals and prospects for a better future.

Okomfo Anokye said investing in peace, stability and transparent and accountable governance is fundamental to long-term development and prosperity, and called on party leaders to work to prevent conflict towards achieving violent free elections.

“It is proper that political parties work to decrease tension on the political front,” he said.

The fetish priest has, therefore, called on the political parties to educate the electorate on voting and the correct use of the ballot to make informed choices.

He said the political parties should educate their supporters on the use of the ballot, and not merely traverse the length and breadth of the country canvassing for votes.

The lack of understanding of the electoral process on the part of the electorate could scatter the very votes they laboriously go globe-trotting to canvass for.

The popular fetish priest indicated that losing the elections will depend on a particular party’s failure and inability to educate supporters and voters on the proper way of exercising their franchise.

He said it would be more meaningful if the political parties educate their supporters to maximise votes, instead of engaging themselves in hostilities, while the voters are left to their fate.

Okomfo Anokye has also called on Ghanaians and all stakeholders to disabuse their minds that the elections could be rigged to the advantage of any particular political party.

According to him, this year's elections would be peaceful, and, therefore, there is no cause for alarm whatsoever.

He cautioned Ghanaians not to pay attention to election prophecies by some pastors, because they are merely prosecuting an agenda of their pay-masters and for cheap popularity.

Pix: Okomfo Anokye