Desist from comments that incite violence - Baffour

Page 17: Daily Graphic, May 9, 2012. Story: Albert K. Salia THE Supreme Knight of the Knights of Marshall, Sir Knight Victor Derx Baffour, has called on Ghanaians to desist from justifying comments that seek to incite violence and conflict in the country. He reminded Ghanaians that the road to the present stable democratic dispensation had been long and difficult hence the need for a greater determination and tenacity of purpose to create and sustain the peace in the country today. He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to work towards the maintenance of peace in the country and ensure that everything that does not promote peace, especially conflict and violence, was put to an end. Sir Knight Baffour made the call in a speech to commemorate the feast of the Knights of Marshall at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Winneba on Sunday. Present at the ceremony were the Deputy Supreme Knight, Worthy Brother Ekow Paintsil, the Executive Secretary at the Supreme Secretariat, Sir Knight John Abraham, and the Supreme Master of Ceremonies, Worthy Brother Mark Taylor. The Knights of Marshall is a Catholic friendly society seeking to promote charity, unity and fraternity in the Catholic Church. Members of the Noble Order, drawn from Saltpond and Agona Swedru joined their counterparts in Winneba to celebrate the feast of Sir James Marshall, through whose efforts the Catholic Church was re-established in Ghana in 1880. Sir Knight Baffour said the practice of democracy was a call to respect divergent opinions and help the people to harness the differences for the total development of the people. He said the existence of different political parties were essential for any true democracy to be practiced, stressing that “The differences in political ideology should, however, not divide us.” Sir Knight Baffour, therefore, admonished that rancour and acrimony needed not to characterise politics in the country since the goal of each political persuasion was to achieve good and peaceful governance. He said any elections in the country should, therefore, be seen as providing an arena for the healthy contest of ideas and not about inciting people against each other. He expressed regret about the violence that characterised the recent biometric voters registration exercise in the country. Sir Knight Baffour urged Christians, particularly Marshallans, not to look on unconcerned since the cost of any civil strife would be too much for Ghanaians to bear. “To avert this looming and disturbing image, it must be the duty of every Marshallan to double his/her efforts towards deepening democratic rule in Ghana and the sub-region,” he said. In line with that, he said, the Knights of Marshall would mount a crusade to caution Ghanaians “against acts, omissions, hate speeches and inflammatory utterances that threaten the peace and stability of our country.” “As we commemorate this year’s feast day, lets us reflect on our roles as Marshallans in the promotion of peace and the entrenchment of democratic rule in Ghana and the West-African sub-region,” he said. Sir Knight Baffour said peace could only be certain when the citizen’s personal freedom was evidently assured because he or she was governed by the rule of law, stressing that “such a milieu exists when democratic rule is entrenched.”