Nothing should destroy our peace
Ever since the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2012 elections, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and two others went to the Supreme Court to challenge the declaration of Mr John Dramani Mahama as the winner of the presidential election, Ghanaians have been waiting with bated breath for the outcome of the petition.
After weeks of submissions by the petitioners and the respondents, cross-examination and re-examination, lawyers for the parties have finally filed their written addresses and are expected to give oral advocacy for their various positions on the case on August 7.
From the look of things, and judging from the historic nature of the case, it is expected that the Supreme Court may not take too long after listening to the oral addresses to deliver their decision.
While we wait, many have expressed the fear that whatever decision is reached by the court may lead to some disturbance of the peace by the party that will be the loser.
In the run-up to the December 2012 elections, a similar atmosphere of insecurity was in the air, leading to calls on the electorate and the public to ensure peaceful elections.
Thankfully, the elections passed without violence.
Many individuals, religious leaders, governance institutions, non-governmental organisations, as well as the political party leadership, have called for the need to maintain peace after the declaration of the verdict by the court.
The National Peace Council, the Civic Forum, the Institute for Democratic Governance and the Manhyia Palace set the pace when it brought together various interested parties to plan a way to maintain the peace and stability of the country.
Various church leaders have followed and called on their members to fast and pray to ensure that peace and tranquillity is sustained after the Supreme Court verdict on the petition.
This comes after various Muslim leaders had made similar calls on Ghanaians.
The latest to call for unity after the delivery of the verdict are three traditional rulers from Essikado in the Western Region, Kyebi in the Eastern Region and Eguafo in the Central Region.
We believe that the calls from various angles for calm after the ruling is an indication of the desire for peace, considering the fact that we all know the effects any disturbance after the ruling could have on the country and its people.
The Daily Graphic notes that both President Mahama and Nana Akufo-Addo, the two personalities at the centre of the dispute, have pledged to respect the decision of the court. Indeed, this is what any politician who touts himself/herself as a democrat should do.
This pledge by the two leaders should not stop there, since it is known that party leaders are sometimes far removed from the actions of their grass-roots supporters. It needs to be impressed on party supporters that it will serve no useful purpose if they take the law into their own hands and cause mayhem.
While it must be accepted that as humans, we have instincts that naturally stimulate certain reactions, we must also bear in mind that any disturbance of the peace has the tendency to destroy what we have all laboured to build after the return to constitutional rule in 1992.
The court case is surely one of the best things that has happened to Ghana’s democracy, because wherever the decision goes, the country will be strengthened in its quest to build strong institutions which will help define our national character.
Ghana’s democracy has been touted as an example in Africa and we should not do anything to destroy that image.
Let us all suppress any violent emotions after the verdict and live together as one Ghana, for it is only when we do this that we can continue to pride ourselves as the pacesetters in Africa.
Daily Graphic/graphic.com.gh/Ghana
