ON Thursday, no less a personality than our President himself expressed serious concern about the trading of insults in the body politic to the neglect of national development, reconstruction and renewal of the society.
Relatedly, the Ghana Bar Association, in a 25-point resolution released yesterday, also called on Ghanaians to respect the dignity of the office of the President, the Vice-President, the Speaker of Parliament, the Chief Justice and chiefs.
Similarly, many individuals have also added their voice to calls on Ghanaians not to add more to the current political tensions, acrimony and insults, which are doing the nation no good but undermining national development efforts.
Indeed, the DAILY GRAPHIC is equally worried about the increasing rate of intolerance permeating the fabric of the Ghanaian political landscape. We are disturbed because abusive or intemperate language in political discourse is not part of the country’s value system.
Unfortunately, the trend where many newspapers focus on sensational issues, scandal mongering and gory pictures to shore up circulation figures has caught on in our society. Regrettably, it is those issues which are reviewed on the airwaves, while issues about health, education and the economy are relegated to the background.
Currently, our children who have been admitted to senior high schools this year are going through challenging moments, with some not even knowing where to lay their heads. Yet, the issues being discussed on the airwaves and in the newspapers are not about those challenges in our education sector but sadly about which political party is better than the other or who can insult more than the other.
The debate in our media is also devoid of alternatives to policy decisions or measures initiated by the government to move this country forward or accelerate the pace of progress.
Indeed, our President made reference to detractors but we think political insults cut across the political divide and we should all resolve to use temperate language on the airwaves and political platforms, and be courteous to one another.
We are in a democracy with political parties of different persuasion and ideologies contending for political power in order to govern the country. Certainly, we are not enemies but one people with a common destiny.
That is why it behoves all of us to treat our leaders, especially our President and his appointees, as well as those who lead the other arms of government, including their functionaries, with respect because they represent the face of this nation.
But if it is also an acceptable principle that all powers of government spring from the sovereign will of the people, then those in leadership positions must desist from engaging in verbal assault that further divides our ranks.
As a nation, we need to maintain a united and stable front, even in the face of extreme provocation, and demonstrate tolerance and commitment to nation building.
We know that the blame game can sometimes be placed at the door of the media for publishing issues that divide our ranks. It is in this connection that the DAILY GRAPHIC would like to encourage the media to play its watch-dog role in a more responsible manner.
The media has no choice but to help in this crusade initiated by our President and reinforced by the Ghana Bar Association and other bodies and individuals by making sure that they give voice to the people whose contributions promote knowledge, enlightenment and the unity of our society.
Anything short of that should not be encouraged for it has the potential to disrupt our democratic dispensation just as in the case of Rwanda, where a reckless statement on a radio station caused the genocide in that country.
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