Legon SRC calls on the electorate to reject politicians who use intemperate language

The University of Ghana Students’ Representative Council (SRC), on Tuesday called on the electorate to vote against political leaders who seek to galvanise people to perpetrate violence.

"If such leaders truly love and care for the people, they will seek peace first and not their personal political advantage," it added in a statement issued in Accra by Mr Daniel Thiombiano Lompo, SRC President.

It said, state and private institutions that had the duty of maintaining peace and order must do so without prejudices and favouritism.

The statement said it was when people lost confidence in institutions that they took the law into their own hands, “the consequences of which are obvious."

"In upholding the basic laws of civility in the Ghanaian and African society in relation to speech, we the students of the University of Ghana are calling on all persons who have the opportunity of gaining audience among the Ghanaian people to be very circumspect and civil in their utterances. “

It added "This circumspection is even more critical as public commentary is subject to different interpretations by the diverse audience, and ultimately influencing their actions and inactions. Critical among these commentators are political communicators and journalists."

The SRC was reacting to the recent statements by the New Patriotic Party’s Member of Parliament for Assin North, Mr Kennedy Agyepong.

The statement said the MP’s utterance was not first in Ghana’s body politic that had the propensity to promote ethnocentrism and violence.

"But it is certainly one of a kind that has gained unparalleled currency and its gravity has dangerous tendencies of plunging the nation into the precipice of civil war."

It said the shameful politics of insults, politics of partisan tribal sentiments and the politics of incendiarism, had reached a certain threshold of almost becoming legitimized and accepted as the politics of the day.

"Political actors who tow this shameful path are hailed as heroes instead of receiving nationwide castigation without prejudice to political party inclinations, ethnic backgrounds, religious creed or gender," the statement said.**