Amansie queens walk for peace

Queens in Amansie Traditional Area of the Ashanti Region have organized a peace walk at Asante-Bekwai to highlight the need for more political accommodation and tolerance in this year's elections.

The event brought together supporters of the various political parties, students, assembly members, traders and youth groups.

They held placards that carried messages such as “We want peace”, “Avoid political violence”, “Peace for development”, "Women and children suffer when war breaks out” and “Ghana needs you.”

Nana Adwoa Pinamang III, Queen of Asante-Bekwai and Chairperson of the Amansie Queens Association, appealed to political leaders and their supporters to climb down from what she said was their overly aggressive and antagonistic postures.

She called on them to be measured in their pronouncements and to stop behaving desperately as if their very survival was tied to the electoral fortunes of their parties.

She said she saw absolutely no basis for Ghanaians to be at each other’s throat just because of differences in political opinion.

"It is important for all to draw useful lessons from political conflicts elsewhere in Africa and avoid pitfalls", she said.

Nana Pinamang urged the youth to refuse to be part of any evil scheme to undermine the peace and security of the society.

She admonished parents, especially mothers, to counsel their children from engaging in acts of violence.

Nana Opoku Ababio, Adontenhene of Asante-Bekwai, asked every Ghanaian to share in the responsibility of helping to make this year’s general election violence-free.

They should also insist that all played by the rules of decency, fairness and transparency.**