ENOUGH OF THE WAR DRUMS

REPORTS that some unknown persons have fired gunshots in Tamale in the Northern Region during a rally by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the Jubilee Park have sent shivers down the spine of peace-loving Ghanaians that the situation in Tamale is still volatile.
That the gunshots scuttled the rally being addressed by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the running mate of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, besides the burning of motorbikes, is also very worrying.
Again, the burning down of the old regional office of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), as well as that of the NPP in Tamale, and the destruction of some wares belonging to traders in the metropolis are equally disturbing.
With just about 96 days to Election 2008, which has been described differently by observers as the “Champion of Champions” or a “Do or Die Affair,” every Ghanaian who wishes Ghana well must be sitting on tenterhooks, with many things playing in their minds as to what the outcome of the December polls will be.
The Daily Graphic appeals to supporters of the NPP and the NDC to stop beating the war drums, particularly in Tamale, and give peace a chance, for after all, the decision as to who becomes President on January 7, 2009 will be determined by all eligible voters who will cast their ballot on December 7, 2008.
The resort to violence in Tamale at the least provocation must be condemned by all, particularly during the run-up to December 7, when the contest for the leadership of the country is likely to be keener, thereby creating anxiety and tension among the people.
The Daily Graphic appeals to our brothers and sisters in northern Ghana who have a phobia for tolerance to learn from their peace-loving brothers and sisters in other parts of the country, where the political parties have already campaigned.
Just last week, Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP and Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills of the NDC were both in the Central Region canvassing for votes from the electorate but that did not degenerate into violence.
So long as partisan politics and, indeed, democracy is about the contest of ideas or choices, Ghanaians will be divided along partisan lines but that should not be a source of conflict; rather it should strengthen our unity in diversity.
Indeed, in some homes in Ghana, fathers and sons and brothers are divided along partisan lines, but the bond of unity remains the same. The late NPP stalwart, Peter Ala Adjetey and his son, Larry Adjetey, as well as NPP’s Yaw Osafo-Maafo and his brother, Dr I. K. Adjei-Maafo, belong to different political camps; but they were never seen at each other’s throat.
Our brothers and sisters who treat their colleagues with scorn and disdain just because they belong to different political camps must take a trip to Parliament House and observe Members of Parliament (MPs) from the opposite ends of the political divide dine and wine in the spirit of comradeship instead of the hatred some of us show to one another in our communities, just because we profess different political philosophies.
The Daily Graphic calls for calm during the run-up to the December polls. We advise those who are easily prone to violence when they hear things they consider unpalatable to stay away from the venues where their political opponents are organising their rallies. However, those who breached any law during the latest violence in Tamale must be fished out and dealt with accordingly, to serve as a deterrent to others bent on disrupting our legitimate struggle to move our democracy forward.
It is also about time we reminded all Ghanaians that our greatest enemies are poverty, ignorance and disease and not those who disagree with us along ideological lines.
For, together we can resolve the challenges of our under-development. Our common battle cry should, therefore, be against poverty, disease and ignorance, and not war. Ghanaians treasure the relative peace they have enjoyed all these years and we cannot allow a few bad nuts in the society to destroy the solid foundations we have laid.