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Opinions of Tuesday, 24 November 2020

Columnist: Ntim Gyyakari

Election 2020: The peace we cannot risk

Ghanaians have been advised to prioritize peace Ghanaians have been advised to prioritize peace

Ghana has made great efforts in ensuring peace and sustaining it over the years, a lot has gone into our peacebuilding than mathematics can calculate. The nation has paid enough dividends for those years of political instability, from the loss of properties to the loss of lives. That alone costs us much to be careful for, then the nation reasoned to bring all those boiling and tensed political environment under control.

From the very beginning of putting all guns to rest, military takeovers went far, and then we spent billions of resources to reshape the Ghana we see today. We incurred a lot in clearing all the messes from the military juntas that created fear in the hearts of people.

Nations appeased, perpetrators confessed, forgiveness gifted and victims reconciled, those who needed payment in whatever form were settled in order to ensure that we get a congenial atmosphere for our future and the world.

It is therefore imperative that we continue to work out our peace together, with fear and trembling, and never disregard the sacrifices which have brought us this far. We must not waste the investments made for the peace we see and the privilege to enjoy harmony in our walls for decades, it is an invaluable treasure we cannot afford to lose.

If we ever forget the manifold grace bestowed, if we ignore the precious lives of our people, most especially the aged, women, and children then the country is likely to fall off soon. The lives of our people must be the core of this election. Peace must be on everybody’s agenda, am talking of preventive agenda and not curative.

The future of Ghana takes precedence over the selfish interest of any political party. We need peace not only during the elections but in the days after tomorrow. Our cardinal responsibility as a people is to ensure peace during and after the elections. We need an all-inclusive society free from fear and violence and this is the more reason to continue the walk of peace together. When we come to the cognizance of the value of lives and the peaceful atmosphere enjoyed over years, we can’t but stand up for peace in election 2020.

Moreover, our peace in this election is a great gain for the globe and not us alone. Many countries rely on our nation, the country is not ours alone, we are just custodians of the land and the rest of the world needs her alive. The nation satisfies exclusive socio-economic needs on the globe and we must not in any way cut short the expectations of the world.

No nation lives in autarky, as they say, that means nations are interdependent in their international and economic administrations, we must know that nations depend on Ghana for livelihood; we must know we are serving a peculiar need someway somehow. Let’s imagine a week without Choco.

That means our existence is not a game of chance but with a purpose. Besides, nations have run to our safe havens and we must not breach the trust reposed in our people and nation. When we begin to see that our absence affects the world, we will begin to appreciate the need for peaceful election comes December 7th. A lot more countries are also looking up to Ghana in this election, to shape their political regimes and so we cannot afford to lose it here on a silver platter.

Ghana is a model economy for most countries on the globe as far as peace and stability are concerned and we must not engage in any activity that will tarnish our political image on the international frontier. We have to rally all-out for a peaceful election since that is the only road to the promised paradise by politicians, without peace, nothing can work for any leader despite the competence, this is why peace in election 2020 is a necessity, not an option.

By communal efforts, let's record another history with a common vocabulary irrespective of the origin, the vocabulary of ‘’Peace’’. We must look at the bigger picture; the world needs Ghana in good shape in and after the election. The agonies of war are far too evil to think of, we have built the Ghana we see and we must maintain it peacefully. It is wiser to build on than it is to start all over again, so let’s wield our efforts together to make this election as peaceful as never.