LET'S GUARD AGAINST NEGATIVE CAMPAIGN (D/G August 28, 2008 PAGE 17)

The wife of the Vice-President, Hajia Ramatu Mahama, has called on parents, especially women, to use their natural gift as symbols of peace to encourage their husbands and children to uphold peace in their families and communities.
She said there was the need for the youth to collaborate with politicians to guard against campaigns of insults and other negative practices that could mar the success of the December elections.
She pointed out that Ghanaians needed to appreciate the relative peace and stability, as well as the freedom being enjoyed in the country and also strive hard to maintain them as the nation approached a general election.
Hajia Ramatu Mahama was addressing the 15th National Executive Meeting of the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Ghana (FOMWAG) in Bolgatanga.
The meeting, which brought together all heads of FOMWAG from all over the country, was on the theme, “Peaceful elections, the concern of the Muslim woman.”
“The Zongo community should not be avenues for the recruitment of persons for acts of violence. We as Muslim women must serve as ambassadors of peace and also advise our husbands and children on the importance of peace,” she said.
She underscored the need for Muslim women to invest in the education of their children and reiterated the need for parents to give their children the best of education to help them realise their dreams.
The National President of FOMWAG, Dr Rabiatu Amaah, called on women to stand up and make their mark in society by helping to rid it of social vices, especially among the youth.
According to her, since its inauguration, FOMWAG has made modest gains, adding that through the activities of the federation, Muslim women had been recognised and given recognition at various levels of national development.
The Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Hajia Alima Mahama, in an address read on her behalf by the Deputy East Regional Minister, Agnes Asangalisah Chigabatia, advised Muslim women to take proper care of their husbands and children, and urged them on the need to embrace peace.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Alhassan Samari, appealed to all politicians to approach their campaign with decorum.
“We have embraced multi-party democracy as our system of governance, and that demands that we ensure that the tenets of our democracy, which are still growing are really deepened,” he said, adding that, “Unity and good governance are prerequisites for development, and there can be no development without peace.”
Earlier in her welcoming address, the Upper East Regional Head of FOMWAG, Hajia Sheitu Tahiru, said education and the development of the capacity of women were the best way to give women a voice in decision-making.