ELECTORATE MUST BE DISCIPLINED — NCCE (PAGE 17)

Story: Rose Hayford Darko, Tema

The Tema Metropolitan Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education has called on the electorate in the Kpone-Katamanso Constituency to desist from acts that will create indiscipline in the country during the general election this year.
Addressing a forum of chiefs, traditionalists, aspirants, representatives of political parties, youth and the public from the Kpone-Katamanso Constituency at Kpone, the Metropolitan Director of the NCCE, Mr E. A. Tetteh-Wayo, observed that voting for leaders of the country come once in four years and therefore urged the electorate to take advantage of the period to exercise their franchise to vote for their choices.
Mr Tetteh-Wayo was speaking on the theme: “The Sovereign will of the People — Ensuring Free and Fair Election 2008, the way forward”.
He said voting on Sunday was one of the challenges and therefore urged the electorate to view their involvement in the decision as very crucial.
He said the commission had taken steps to allow the leadership of various groups to express their views as to what could lead to peaceful elections.
The commission, he said, had instituted measures to ensure that traditional, religious and youth leaders and political parties played meaningful roles during the period.
Mr Tetteh-Wayo also stated that the commission lacked funds to go out extensively and therefore appealed to the section of the electorate present to brainstorm to ensure that they conveyed a positive message to their kinsmen.
The forum was attended by aspirants of the NDC, the NPP, and the CPP, representatives of the Muslim community, churches, traditionalists, association of garages, assembly members and various youth associations in the Kpone-Katamanso Constituency.
Mr Tetteh-Wayo noted that the Constitution placed Ghana in the hands of the people for whose welfare the power of government was exercised within the limits laid down in it.
He stated that it was important national leaders and representatives were chosen in a free, fair, transparent and peaceful process with the aim of attaining political stability and constitutional development for the country.
Mr Tetteh-Wayo said the NCCE was of the conviction that all major players in the country’s democratic process including the electoral commission, security agencies, political parties, traditional authorities, religious leaders, the media, the judiciary, governance institutions and all ordinary people had roles to play to strengthen the democratic process.
This, he noted, brought freedom, transparency and probity to ensure stability and national unity.