GHANA WON'T BURN

The impressive turnout at the registration centres, especially by the youth, to register and be on the Electoral Roll demonstrates the growing recognition of the power of the ballot box.
All over the country, the youth who have attained the age of 18, have been queuing to register since the exercise began on July 31, 2008, and we can say that areas that have recorded disturbances represent isolated cases rather than the general trend across the 5,000 registration centres.
The Electoral Commission (EC) has said time and time again that all stakeholders, including the political parties, the electorate, security agencies and the EC itself, have a responsibility for the conduct of any election.
True, the registration exercise applies not to all but to only certain categories of the populace. But it would be naive for anybody to suggest that the challenges thus facing the voter registration exercise is a foretaste of what is to come during the general election. That position can only be a figment of the imagination of those who wish the downfall of the country.
So, in this case, the political parties have a crucial role to play in the EC’s desire to come out with a credible register. The political parties must therefore not undermine the exercise by encouraging minors and other unqualified people to register.
Indeed, the ugly noises being made by some political activists that certain people are bent on undermining the process in order to gain advantage in the December elections must not be encouraged.
The EC has clear-cut regulations governing the registration exercise and it is incumbent on political parties to adhere strictly to the laid-down rules.
They simply cannot claim to be unaware of the processes of registering their grievances at the registration centres. The blame game particularly between the ruling party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and the biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), only inflames passion rather than build the culture of healthy rivalry in the political contest.
The EC has made available Challenge Forms at all registration centres to facilitate protests or challenges by those who feel that people who are ineligible are being encouraged to register. There should not be violence at the centres if the political parties have accordingly educated their polling agents and advised them to fill out the Challenge Forms to enable them to protest against the ineligibility of a potential voter.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is saddened that the incidents reported in the Tamale metropolis at the weekend have been trumpeted to create the impression that Tamale was engulfed in violence, and that a bloodbath was in the offing.
We appeal to all to stop demonising our brothers and sisters in the northern part of the country and encourage them to take advantage of the strengths inherent in our diversity instead of allowing self-seekers to exploit our political differences.
The DAILY GRAPHIC does not want to believe that somebody has an agenda to create the impression that the country cannot conduct peaceful elections in December. If someone harbours that notion, then that person should revise his or her notes because the good people of Ghana are determined to use the ballot box to change their government rather than through violence or the bullet.
Ghana will not burn at the instigation of anybody, not even the agent provocateur.