PREACH PEACE, RECONCILLIATION DURING CAMPAIGN (PAGE15)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

WITH the dust settling on Ghana 2008 and the commencement of political campaigns for this year’s general elections in December, the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, has entreated the leadership of the various parties to preach peace and reconciliation to their followers during their rounds.
He said it was equally important for them to advise their supporters to ensure moderation and decency in their campaigns, particularly in the Northern Region, in order to sustain the prevailing harmony in the area after the intermittent chieftaincy conflicts in recent times.
‘‘Peace, reconciliation and unity are even more pressing as we move closer and closer to the 2008 December presidential and parliamentary elections’’, the minister said and stressed, ‘‘let all of us be vigilant; let all of us preach peace and moderation. After all, if you are prepared to win, you must also be prepared to lose.’’
He noted that if people have begun issuing threats now and beating the war drums even at the beginning of the year, ‘‘then we can imagine the magnitude of our division and disunity, come December.’’
Alhaji Idris was speaking at a New Year reception for a cross-section of the general public and representatives of various ministries, departments and agencies in Tamale at the weekend.
He used the occasion to solicit the advice and support of individuals and organisations to ensure that the region and the nation came out of the elections ‘‘unscathed so that Ghana can continue to be the star and gateway to Africa.’’
Touching on the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis, the minister expressed concern over the actions and utterances of some ‘‘enemies of peace’’ that had the tendency of inflaming passions, barely a week after the Cup of Nations.
‘‘I want to use this forum to assure all people resident in Tamale, Dagbon and the Northern Region in general to continue to go about their duties without fear as the security agencies have been put on the alert to respond swiftly to such threat,’’ he added.
Alhaji Idris reminded the people that the government could only assist in the accelerated development of the area when there was an atmosphere of peace and tranquility and, therefore, urged them to embrace issues that brought them together than matters that put them asunder.
He enumerated the many development projects undertaken by the present government in region and said more of such laudable programmes were in the pipeline to improve the living conditions of the people and asked for their cooperation.
The minister also expressed appreciation to all security agencies, individuals and organisations that had contributed enormously to the successful hosting of the Nations Cup tournament, for which Tamale was one of the four venues.