We don’t need to shut down social media

The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has to make a resolute decision with the political parties to educate Ghanaians not to take social media reports seriously on Election Day on November 7, 2016. 

If the general Ghanaian public is made to understand that social media reports will not be taken seriously, the few bad nuts among us will not waste their time being mischievous or malicious on social media on Election Day. 

The police service should be prepared to monitor social media activities and strengthen its presence ahead and during the general election. This will help a lot in countering any potential threats or any attempt by social media abusers to mislead the public with election happenings during that day. 

It is or it may be almost an infringement or suppression of freedom of speech and will put our country's democratic record in doubt, and questions of transparency will be raised if these platforms are shut down on Election Day.

The international business community in Ghana who make good use of social media to boost or transact their businesses with their foreign counterparts will lose out a great deal if they have to compromise with this decision on our election day. 

Shutting it down, to me, again means that transparency and free and fairness in the elections do not matter much to us, otherwise why shut it down, when we claim to be consummate democrats or aspiring to be? 

We need the national security or police service to seriously admonish Ghanaians to be circumspect about what they put on their social media timelines on this very day, or face the full wrath of the law. 

Those who will fake accounts to cause mayhem will be tracked down by the police and dealt with severely, since it will only be our traditional media that will be relevant in election matters on this day, but not social media. 

If enough education is given to the people by both the EC and stakeholders, it will help to reduce the risk of any violence during the elections and even after the elections. 

Most social media addicts who are discerning people will not take anything on social media about the elections seriously, because they all know the magnitude of deceits on some of these social platforms.

We don't need to shut it down, all the police need to do is to educate people and warn them to be careful, because if the law catches them trying to cause mayhem on this day through social media, they'll pay the price.

Those who intend to create or use fake accounts to cause problems, will be dealt with by the police. 

The elections will be held successfully without the shutting down of social media if stakeholders play their cards well, especially the Ghana Police service. 

I think we are above that level of shutting down social media because of our elections.

Majority of our citizens who are eligible voters are illiterate and have no business with social media, and many people are aware of the lies some people put out there on such platforms to mislead the general public.

Let us call a spade a spade and not a big spoon, we know that social media is the least of threats to our peace and security in relation to the elections in this country. 

I think the police’ commitment towards these elections and their concern about what people put on social media will help reduce any possible risk of violence. 

Their promise of punishing those who will be found culpable of making malicious comments about the elections on social media on Election Day will make an impact.

We must begin as a people to instill discipline in ourselves, let us begin to teach each other the culture of discipline. That is not to mean that we take this particular subject for granted, no; we do not, but we want to live in a country where majority of the people are discerning, unfortunately the literate ones among us mostly cause the problems. 

What business does the illiterate have with social media, and they are even in the majority.

 What are the indicators or risk analysis of the impact of social media in relation to previous elections we have had in this country? 

I suggest we do some more thinking about the subject, I believe the elections will hold successfully without any violent activities on the day of our general election. 

Social media is just a modicum of the risk factors likely to have a threat on us on that day.

The writer is a Playwright/Poet