PEACE and Violence-Free Advocacy Foundation International (PAVFAF), a Sunyani-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), has described as worrying the conflicts associated with parliamentary primaries across the country.
The foundation has, therefore, called on the various political parties to find an antidote to the phenomenon, which has the potential to destroy the beauty of the country’s democracy.
Three officials of the foundation, Messrs Frank Opoku Adjapong, Edem Quao Yewoenao and Baba Gausu, expressed their sentiments in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Sunyani.
They described the trend as a disturbing spectacle, which if not checked, would undermine the country’s peace and democratic credential.
According to them, one of the ways through which the various political parties could stem primary-related violence is to allow all card-bearing members to vote to select parliamentary candidates.
That, they observed, would make it difficult for people vying for parliamentary slots of the various parties to influence delegates, by camping them at a particular place prior to the primaries.
The officials of PAVFAF said if all card-bearing members were allowed to vote, it would be practically impossible for aspiring parliamentarians to influence them.
“If we are not careful,these little, little things would endanger the democracy of the country and destroy the relative peace we are enjoying,” they stressed.
“Who thought Cote d’ Ivoire would ever be a war zone today? They added that things started on a small scale such as who is eligible to vote and be voted for.
They continued that the political quagmire in Cote d’Ivoire was as a result of the inaction of the various political actors in that country.
Touching on conflicts in the country, Messrs Adjapong, Yewoenao and Gausu called on ‘the big men’ to stop buying arms and ammunition for factions involved in conflicts.
They expressed regret that many of ‘the big men’ talk about peace, but the message was not from their hearts, adding that peace was a priceless commodity that could not be bought with money.
The officials of PAVFAF appealed to the people of Bawku and Buipe, as well as other parts of the country where there are conflicts to give peace a chance
They also stressed the need for school authorities to impress on the youth not to allow themselves to be used by troublemakers.
On the Zimbabwean political crisis, Messrs Adjapong, Yewoenao and Gausu urged African leaders to be proactive in resolving the conflict before it degenerate into a war.
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