Tolerance key ingredient in democracy – NCCE
Mr Zac Katugu, Principal Civic Education Officer of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has said tolerance was the key ingredient in multi-party democracy.
He said citizens of any country practicing multi-party democracy must be prepared to tolerate the views of people from their political opponents.
Mr Katugu was addressing a forum organized by the Birim South District Directorate of the NCCE in collaboration with the Star-Ghana, a non-governmental organization, to sensitise the public on the need to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court on the 2012 Election petition and to desist from actions and utterances which could create chaos in the country.
He expressed regret that many Ghanaians were ignorant about the laws of the country and did things that favoured them.
He said it was for that reason that the NCCE had embarked on educating the citizens on the 1992 Constitution that “is the axle around which the laws of Ghana revolve.”
Mr Katugu said healthy rivalry was the beauty in multi-party democracy and urged Ghanaians not to see their political rivals as enemies.
The District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police Cornelius Abotsi said; “Ghana is a sweet country” and that Ghanaians are living in an atmosphere of peace and this should be maintained.
DSP Abotsi advised Ghanaians to join hands in celebrating the ruling of the Supreme Court, saying that at the end of everything Ghana is the winner.
He said no Ghanaian was prepared to be a refugee in another country or a slave in his or her own country and added that the Police were fully prepared to crush any attempt to cause disturbances after the judgement.
Mr Stephen Adjei Yeboah, Birim South NCCE Director, called on the government to solve the unemployment facing the country, adding that it was the unemployed who could be easily influenced to disturb peace “as the devil finds job for the idle hand.”
Mr Yeboah appealed to the youth to reject any offer of money or alcoholic beverages from anybody to disturb the peace.
He said; “peace can never be bought from anywhere and that it is the action and inactions of the individual citizens that can bring peace.”
Source: GNA