Political parties charged to educate followers on party ideologies

Madam Cynthia Anima Boadu, Tano South District Director of the National Commission of Civic Education, has appealed to political parties to educate their followers on the ideologies and philosophies upon which the parties were formed.

She said majority of political party activists especially the youth were not acquainted with the ideas behind the formation of parties.

Mad. Boadu made the call at a seminar the Commission organized for some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the district.

The seminar was one in the series that the Commission in the district has organized to draw the attention of political parties to their functions as enshrined in the 1992 national constitution.

She said “most of the party followers are not conversant with the laws governing their operations” and tended to conduct themselves “irresponsibly” especially on the airwaves.

Madam Anima suggested the need for political parties to make copies of the political parties law 2000 (Act 574) available to their members to serve as a guide to them during the electioneering campaign.

“If they become abreast with these rules and regulations, they will be more decorous and shun attitudes that can lead them into avoidable problems”, she said.

Madam Boadu advised political parties to guard against insults and inflammatory statements in order to promote peace before, during and after the general election.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Baah, District Police Commander, said for the purposes of peace and national stability, all political parties should ensure that non-Ghanaians and minors were not registered in the biometric registration exercise.

He advised them to use the challenge forms provided at the registration centers for their grievances to be solved rather than physically preventing eligible voters from participating in the exercise.

He advised supporters of the parties to tolerate each other’s views, even in the face of extreme provocation, and to regard themselves as one people with the same agenda for national development.

DSP Baah said, the police would not deal leniently with political party activists whose conduct could spark confusion and violence during the electioneering campaigns.

He gave the assurance that neutrality would continue to be the hallmark of the police in the course of their duties.**