By Robert Tachie Menson
Wamfie, (B/R), Nov. 20, GNA-Mr Emmanuel Hinneh, Dormaa East District Director of National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has expressed worry about Parliamentary Candidates (PC) of New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) inability to participate in a parliamentary debate.
Describing the situation as unfortunate, inimical to the growth of democracy, he told the ‘dissatisfied audience’ that the Commission officially wrote letters to all candidates and followed up with the NPP and NDC constituency offices, but the PCs failed to attend the debate organised at Wamfie, the District capital.
Mr Hinneh said Mr Paul Twum Barimah and Madam Rachael Amma Owusu, the NPP and the NDC PCs respectively, as well as the constituency offices did not give reasons for their absence.
However, Mr Emmanuel Twih Gyabaah, an Independent PC attended the debate, which was meant to create a common platform for the PCs to highlight their visions that would enable the electorates to make informed decisions on December 7.
He said the failure of the two PCs to attend the debate did not augur well in nurturing the country’s growing democracy, saying, “PCs must understand that they represented the interest of their constituents in parliament and not their personal interests”.
“In fact, in every election year, the NCCE conducts research into matters of concerns of the constituents and the findings are always used to organise debates, and so if the PCs failed to attend then it’s rather unfortunate,” Mr Hinneh stated.
He said the debates were always centered on education, health and roads and infrastructure development, economy, and agriculture.
Mr Peter Gyesi, the Deputy Bono Regional Director NCCE, reminded that only people, 18 years and above were eligible to register and vote in the General Election, saying all registered eligible voters were expected to cast their ballots as civic right.
“Ghana is a multi-party democratic state, and our diverse political inclination should therefore trigger political violence for us to fight ourselves,” he stated.
He urged the electorates and the various political parties to demonstrate high sense of tolerance to facilitate peaceful Election 2024 and consolidate the gains of the nation’s fledgling democracy.
Answering a question on how to stem growing teenage pregnancy in the area, Mr Gyabaah, the Independent PC said it required concerted efforts to do so and called for effective collaboration between stakeholders including religious leaders, parents, and teachers in that regard.
Mr Gyabaah also expressed worry that most of the people engaged in illegal mining activities in the area were Senior High School graduates, and stressed the need for create more job opportunities for the youth in the area.
GNA