We were all witnesses to the recent elections in America, where Donald trump defiled all the odds to emerge as the nation’s next president.
This is what transparency of a system can throw up, even though there have been some protests against the man’s meteoric electoral success.
In the run-up to the American elections, we never heard of the emergence of any peace industry. The reason is that the system there is not only rife with all the requisite checks and balances, but also ensures those who man them carry out their work in a manner that ensures fairness and justice for all, irrespective of their political affiliations.
In our case here in Ghana, general elections have now become inextricably linked to massive eruptions of peace enterprises. Surprisingly, players in this industry consciously go to bed after each election, totally hibernate for solid years, only to wake up from their slumber and take up the holier-than-thou mantle of peace advocacy when elections are around.
And even here, they don’t carry out their work in a manner that shows they are sincere about the peace they claim to be advocating.
Indeed, the bedrock of every peaceful contest where contestants remain calm with whichever way the tide turns is nothing but fairness.
As the various presidential aspirants intensify their campaign in readiness for the December 7 election, the issue of fairness by the Electoral Commission has been the clarion call of many Ghanaians, especially the majority who are determined to send President John Mahama and his governing National Democratic Congress out of the corridors of power.
But strangely, this is something those in the peace industry, not even the National Peace Council, appear to be interested in, even though a level playing field is the most important factor that will engender peaceful elections. Yet, we hear them going about preaching the need for peace, as if peace can be achieved by merely preaching it. What kind of hypocrisy is this?
Again, assigns of the governing NDC appear to have been strengthened by the inaction of the Police to continue unleashing unprovoked attacks on the members of the main opposition New Patriotic Party.
They keep making inflammatory statements, which can potentially result in outbreak of confusion, but the security agencies look on unconcerned. They, however, find it prudent to take action if same is done by members of the NPP. This is not how we engender peace, yet players in the peace industry don’t seem to appreciate this reality.
We have had instances where agents of the ruling government have attacked NPP supporters in Suhum, allegedly through the indirect machinations of the Chief of Staff and the NDC parliamentary candidate for the area, who doubles as the Municipal Chief Executive.
A brother of Collins Dauda, a cabinet minister, only last week was on air boisterously shouting over the roof tops that “I have killed so many people.” Yet, the Police fear to take action against this man who is known by all as the major ‘executioner’ of all the violent activities of the NDC in the Asutifi district of the Brong-Ahafo Region. He is untouchable simply because he carries out his attacks for and on behalf of his brother and the NDC.
It is the failure of the Police to take action against such NDC hooligans that encouraged members of the party to launch yesterday’s unprovoked attacks on the residence of Nana Akufo-Addo, NPP Presidential Candidate.
In all these, many of those preaching peace, including members of the National Peace Council, have sadly not found it worthwhile to raise a voice of condemnation.
The president, whose responsibility it is to ensure there is peace and tranquility in the system as we go into this year’s epic elections, has equally been loudly silent over these worrying developments.
Yet, people think those who are under attack should necessarily allow peace to prevail just because some people have constituted themselves into an industry of peace ambassadors and are preaching the need for peace, without raising a voice where it matters most. This is the kind of hypocrisy that portends trouble for the nation.
Source: The New Statesman
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