BY the close of work today the filing of nominations for the December 7 general election would have ended. Then the flag bearers of the various political parties who have been criss-crossing the length and breadth of this country soliciting for votes from the electorate will be certified by the Electoral Commission (EC) to contest the polls.
According to reports, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP); Professor John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) have concluded the formalities and filed their papers with the EC to contest the December presidential election.
The exercise continues this morning with other presidential and parliamentary aspirants expected to file their papers for the December polls. By the end of this important exercise, the various flag bearers and aspiring parliamentarians will be given the necessary recognition to become the candidates of their respective political parties.
The Daily Graphic hopes that all the presidential aspirants who have gone through the process of certification by the EC will, together with their teeming supporters and accredited agents, tackle the issues that confront this nation objectively and without malice.
We are all aware of the gloomy economic reports that have engulfed the world and have signalled a global economic recession. Unemployment is said to have soared and markets plummeted further yesterday as economists forecast terrible times ahead.
This and the many peculiar issues that confront Ghanaians should be of prime concern to those seeking the highest office of the land. Certainly, issues that are high on the agenda for every Ghanaian include the economy, housing, food security, health, education, employment creation, improved standard of living, poverty reduction and the disease burden.
The Daily Graphic urges politicians to make these issues the basis of their campaign messages and the pragmatic ways they are going to adopt to address these problems and offer hope to Ghanaians. Whatever they say on their campaign trail must be decorous and civil for the electorate to make informed choices. The leadership of the political parties must object to hate speech that could inflame passions.
It is also the expectation of the Daily Graphic that the meticulous way of campaigning, devoid of insults and impunity, will guide the presidential aspirants on how to present and package their messages when they mount the podium during the two presidential debates.
Our politicians need not be reminded that sarcastic comments, like any other communication content which tend to inflame passions or incite other people to be reckless and violent, need to be avoided.
It is no wonder that, among other issues, James 1:19 advises us to be slow to speak. Let us beware of what we say and if we have nothing honourable to say, let us keep mute because sometimes silence is golden.
Focusing on the issues will, to a large extent, ensure peaceful elections on December 7. And we all owe it a duty to ourselves and posterity to promote whatever is honourable, whatever is true and whatever is right.
God bless our homeland Ghana.
No comments:
Post a Comment