WE have lost count of the number of times we have drawn attention to the essence of free, fair and peaceful elections as a prerequisite to the country’s development.
We are also aware that sometimes our readers get bored with the constant reminders of imminent danger or chaos, if certain measures are not put in place before December 7.
With this impression created in the minds of some people, such characters, with the support of a section of the media, managed to poison the atmosphere with the looming Armageddon, if the outcome of the polls did not favour them.
Ghana is on the threshold of a fifth democratic election and on previous occasions, the tension was not that high to compel a section of foreigners to compile a register of their nationals in the country. This was done apparently in anticipation of election-related violence.
And to aggravate the situation, a section of the media also put out information to the effect that some prominent citizens had left the country with their families to escape from the anticipated violence on Election Day.
With the events in Kenya and Zimbabwe very fresh in our minds, the doomsday prophets lost no opportunity to make reference to those countries and warned that should they lose the polls, Ghana would go the way of these two countries.
Even the persistent assurances from the Electoral Commission (EC) to all the political players that it will conduct peaceful polls will not allay their fears as they continue to undermine the credibility of the EC and other governance institutions with their unsubstantiated claims.
The Daily Graphic believes that all genuine concerns should be put on the table for discussion with the view to arriving at a consensus.
It is very dangerous to sweep people’s concerns under the carpet because that attitude has the tendency to bottle up grievances and the consequences can be disastrous.
The Daily Graphic heaves a sigh of relief that almost about a week to the elections next week Sunday, the electorate is beginning to have faith in the security agencies to be in firm control of the situation.
The appeal from the National Security Co-ordinator, Dr Sam G. Amoo, to all Ghanaians to go out and vote as their security is guaranteed is quite refreshing and we urge the security agencies to walk the talk by ensuring the safety of all on Election Day.
The contest for power on December 7 is not about war, so all Ghanaians should approach the event in the same spirit that we went about the four previous polls.
The Daily Graphic warns those who are beating the war drums to desist from such unpatriotic acts and confront the reality of our times by simply engaging the electorate in dialogue by prescribing their visions to the people.
We salute the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) for consistently engaging journalists in round-table discussions to remind them of the need to apply professional and ethical standards to their reportage during the run-up to the polls.
The GJA is not teaching journalists any new ethical values but reinforcing what is already in their professional code and the guidelines drawn up by the National Media Commission (NMC).
At a workshop for political reporters in Accra yesterday, the Charge d’Affaires of the Canadian High Commission in Accra said "the whole world is asking if there is a future for democracy in Africa. Ghana is able to provide the answer."
With responsible reportage and the facilitating role of the media, our democracy will be on course and become an example to the rest of the continent.
Consequently, the Daily Graphic urges the GJA to purge journalists of the tendency to descend into the gutter and smear the profession with irresponsible reportage that would bring the elections into disrepute and destroy our fledgling democracy.
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