By Lawrencia Akoto Frempong
Prampram, Dec. 06, GNA – The Greater Accra Regional Peace Council (GARPC), together with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has held a sensitisation workshop for electorate in the Ningo-Prampram constituency.
The workshop is aimed at educating the electorate on violent extremism in some selected hotspots within the country.
The theme for the workshop “Preventing Violent Extremism in Hotspots in the Context of the General Elections,” is to ensure that the issue of violent extremism and the threats it could pose to the elections was brought to the knowledge of the constituents.
Mr Mawuli Agbenu, the Greater Accra Regional Director of the NCCE, explained violent extremism as the use of violence to promote political, religious, or social ideologies among people.
Mr Agbenu noted that democracy was the exchange of ideas; therefore, anyone who did not tolerate the ideas and philosophies of others resorted to violence.
He said that a violent extremist ended up in violence and chaos when correcting any issues; therefore, the need to sensitise and caution the electorate was important, as it served as caution against such persons.
He cited countries such as Burkina Faso, Togo, and Ivory Coast, which surrounded the country and had been involved in violent extremism activities, noting that since the commission did not want such things to happen in Ghana, they were preparing the minds of the people to ensure that there was no violence in the country.
Mr Agbenu also stated that the commission had sensitised the electorates in the northern parts of the country as research had shown that activities that lead to violent extremism were already present in the country.
He listed economic hardship, high youth unemployment, unequal development, and lack of opportunities for the young people in the country as some factors that led to violent extremism, especially among the youths.
“Democracy is a better way; we may have problems now, but with democracy, there is an opportunity to solve your problems. Peace is not only about the absence of violence but a situation where everyone is able to pursue their aspirations and flourish,” he said.
He added that the NCCE had done its best to promote and ensure a peaceful election but might not have reached its target due to resource constraints, adding that the commission was, however, relying on the trainees and the media in the promotion of peace in the various communities.
He urged the constituents to prevent money from taking centre stage in their decision-making process and advised them to peacefully cast their votes because elections are peaceful processes of collective decision-making.
Mr George Okoe Mensa, the Principal Administrative Manager of the GARPC, noted that the mandate of the peace council was to facilitate and develop mechanisms for conflict prevention, conflict management, and conflict resolution to build sustainable peace in the country.
Mr Mensa said that one way to sustain peace in the country was to have constructive engagement with the various stakeholders and educate the communities about violent extremism and vigilantism-related issues.
He noted, “Aside from Ghanaians being from different ethnic backgrounds and having different preferences, they should know that they are one people and have one country.”
He urged political parties to be magnanimous enough not to provoke the other parties during their celebration when they win the elections, as that might lead to conflicts.
Mr Mensa reiterated the advice to electorates to vote peacefully without engaging in provocative words that might escalate into misunderstanding and create chaos.
He also called on security personnel, media, and the electoral officials to be professional and impartial in discharging their duties during the elections.
GNA