PEACEFUL ELECTIONS WILL BOOST GHANA'S IMAGE — ANSAH-KOI (Daily Graphic, Friday November 28,2008. PAGE 15)

A LECTURER with the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, Dr Kumi Ansah Koi, has said Ghana stands to gain a lot if she goes through peaceful and violence-free elections in December, this year.
Presenting a paper on “The Elections and National Security—Opportunities and Challenges”, Dr Ansah-Koi said Ghana’s present attractiveness to the international business community was attributable to the democratic and peaceful atmosphere prevailing in the country.
He therefore called on Ghanaians to preserve that peace, stressing that a successful outcome of the elections in December would further boost Ghana’s image as the beacon of hope in Africa.
Dr Ansah-Koi expressed this view in Bolgatanga during the fourth workshop by the National Peace Council (NPC) on “Election Security Management, Harnessing Resources of Key Actors for Peaceful Election”.
Dr Ansah-Koi called on the electorate to reject all politicians who preach or resort to insults on the campaign platforms, in order to send a strong signal to the politicians that they are committed to peace.
He said Ghana had provided an inspirational leadership role in Africa, having held four successful elections since it embarked on the Fourth Republic in 1992, and the rest of the world was looking to her.
The overall objective of the workshop was to build trust and confidence among the principal actors in the peace and security spheres of the state.
About 40 participants made up of chiefs and opinion leaders, youth associations, religious bodies, civil society organisations, the media and security agencies from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions attended the two-day workshop.
Topics discussed included the role of the media in peaceful elections and inter-agency collaboration for peaceful elections.
Dr Ansah-Koi reiterated the fact that elections are not a “do or die affair”, emphasising that if there is violence it is the ordinary man on the street that suffers.
He pointed out that Ghana is the only country for Ghanaians and appealed to both losers and winners to graciously accept the outcome of the polls to preserve the peace.
A member of the NPC, Maulvi Wahab Adam, said the council was committed to highlighting the need for Ghanaians to live at peace through its numerous activities and interventions to enhance the development of the nation.
He encouraged Ghanaians to travel round the nation in order to identify and deal with the negative perceptions that they might have against one another.