THE Techiman Traditional Council has set up a Municipal Peace Council (MPC) to ensure peace in the Techiman Traditional Area in the run-up to and after the December 7 general election.
The MPC would use dialogue, traditional arbitration systems and co-operation to resolve conflicts and prevent them from happening as well as monitor the activities of political parties in the area.
In situations where the council suspects there is a potential conflict that is beyond it to resolve, it would swiftly invite the government to come in.
The Omanhene of Techiman Traditional Area, Oseadeeyo Akumfi Ameyaw IV, who is also a member of the National Peace Council (MPC), at his palace in the Techiman Municipality of the Brong Ahafo Region, disclosed this during an interaction with journalists on the measures adopted by the traditional council to ensure peace and violence-free polls in the traditional area.
He further disclosed that as of now, no violent clashes or conflicts had been recorded in the traditional area, and the MPC was able to intervene in matters between political parties which could have degenerated into conflicts.
Nana Ameyaw said the MPC, which was made up of representatives from the traditional council, queens, the Municipal Police Command, Fire Service, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Local Council of Churches and the Muslim Community had no representation from all the political parties.
According to him, the reason why political parties were not represented on the MPC was to prevent them from muddying the waters when there was any conflict.
He, therefore, appealed to the various political parties in the traditional area to set up an Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) to complement the work of the MPC.
He stated that the MPC was an idea mooted by Nananom as their contribution towards peace building, before and after the election in the Brong Ahafo Region and at the national level.
The Techimanhene urged leaders of the various political parties to tone down their language in the run-up to the December 7 general election in order not to heighten the political tension and make room for any conflict in the country.
He also called on the various presidential aspirants and their running mates to talk to their followers to be tolerant towards the supporters of other political parties who did not share their views and ideologies, since that was the beauty of democracy.
Nana Ameyaw noted that Ghanaians could not afford to allow politicians with selfish ambitions to plunge the country into a state of anarchy and chaos. He, therefore, appealed to all leaders of political parties to let their utterances promote peace, national unity and ignite a new sense of patriotism.
The Techimanhene, who was flanked by the Bamuhene of Techiman, Nana Apenteng Fosu Gyeabour, who is also the Hansuahene, stressed that the media had a role to play to ensure a peaceful electioneering and, therefore, appealed to media practitioners to be circumspect in their reports in order not to inflame passion.
Nana Ameyaw advised Ghanaians to commit themselves to the democratic process, exercise restraint and allow the laws and the state institutions charged with elections to work to ensure peaceful and successful elections.
Touching on the new emerging trend of power-sharing system in some countries on the African continent, Nana Ameyaw said it was anti-democratic, adding that power sharing did not present any constructive debate, and that eroded the essence of democracy, which ‘gives us . . . a choice’.
He, therefore, appealed to Ghanaians not to support the idea of power sharing, since it would erode the essence of democracy, and urged the electorate to ‘vote and vote well for their preferred party to come to power and avoid the power-sharing system, which prepares the ground for dictatorship’.
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