RESPECT YOUR CODE

Page 7: Daily Graphic, April 20, 2012. EVEN before we get close to the homestretch of this year’s general election, Ghanaians and civil society organisations are alarmed by the recent events in our politics. We often hail ourselves as the beacon of democracy on the continent but we fail to accept that electoral violence is not an inherent part of any democracy in the world, neither can differences in political ideology be resolved through violence. The preamble of the 2012 Ghana Political Parties Code of Conduct reminds us that “The roots of a thriving democracy are to be found in peace, stability, law and order, as well as compliance by all stakeholders with well-defined electoral laws and codes”. The beauty of this code lies not only in its broad-based nature and a provision of an enforcement body, but the fact that it was crafted by the political parties themselves. The enforcement body itself has representatives from the political parties. We believe the current developments in the country could have been avoided or could have been stemmed if the political parties had adhered to the code, which they had put together with the help of other stakeholders. We recall that political party representatives signed a similar code of conduct before the 2008 general election but was by and large breached. It is interesting that when the 2012 National Enforcement Body issued its maiden statement condemning acts of violence by supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the ongoing Biometric Voters Registration exercise, sections of supporters of the NDC and the NPP attacked the integrity of members of the enforcement body for their bias. This is in spite of the fact that their leaders not only agreed to put in place the code but were part of the body that issued the statement condemning the acts of violence. The Daily Graphic agrees that codes are not enforceable by law but serve as a set of guidelines to dictate the norms of a group of people to check deviance. But we believe our political party leaders admit that the institution of such a code will help our burgeoning democracy to flourish. The irony of the situation is that while we are quick to condemn our opponents, we are unwilling to acknowledge our faults. We cannot continue to play the ostrich. We believe the current fouled political atmosphere can be addressed if we decide to adhere to the code of conduct instituted by our political leaders. The Daily Graphic, therefore, calls on leaders of the political parties to lead the way by being decorous in their utterances. Many a time, we tend to hide under the clock of politics to say and do things which hurt the larger society. Although some of our political leaders have often instigated the tension and conflict in our society, they turn around to acknowledge the role of peace and stability when brought under one roof. Yet, they leave the venues of such interactions only to go and preach violence. Political leaders who suffer from verbal diarrhoea must avoid speaking on every subject especially when they know they have nothing to talk about. Our political parties must also be mindful of who they choose to speak on their behalf. The Daily Graphic also implores media owners and managers to recruit qualified and professional staff to lead or host programmes especially on radio. Such a measure will ensure that such hosts will lead political discussions to help enhance a better understanding of the values of political diversity, conflict sensitivity, tolerance, confidence building, dialogue and reconciliation in our body politic.