Let’s respect opposing views to ensure peace -Prof. Gyampo

 Ransford Gyampo, a Political Science Professor at the University of Ghana, Legon has emphasised the importance of political tolerance and the need to embrace diverse perspectives among all parties involved in or­der to promote peace and security within the nation.

He said fostering an envi­ronment where opposing views were respected through peaceful dialogue and interaction was fundamental to upholding the principle of political tolerance.

Prof. Gyampo was speaking at a forum organised by Groupstand for Peace, Growth and Develop­ment, a civil society organisation (CSO) on Saturday at the Uni­versity of Professional Studies, Accra.

“Accommodation goes beyond mere tolerance. You may, for instance, tolerate someone by simply not accepting the fact of his or her existence yet having nothing to do with such a person. This kind of tolerance may be contributing to the drive of any country towards democratic maturity. This is why I want to argue that our politics ought to be characterised not by mere tolerance but by accommodation between different political par­ties,” he said.

He said the 1992 Constitution had provided the framework for political tolerance and accommo­dation by guaranteeing a multipar­ty democratic system of gover­nance, universal adult suffrage, and presidential term limits.

That framework, he said should be the guiding principle of how governance should be conducted.

Prof. Gyampo described as worrying what he said was the aversion of the NDC and the NPP to cope with criticism and urged persons who have been recruited as “social media guards” to attack whoever disagrees with their ideologies to be mindful and not allow themselves to be used by political parties as tools to foment electoral violence.

The Deputy Director in charge of Conflict Management and Resolution at the National Peace Council, Frank Wilson Bodza, pledged the Council’s support in sustaining the peace of the country.

The General Secretary of the Groupstand for Peace, Growth and Development, Mr Maxwell K. Addae Mununkum, said it planned to organise similar forums across the country and also urged political parties to be mindful of their actions so as not to plunge the country into chaos.

The forum, which was on the theme, “Maintaining peace in Ghana before, during and after Election 2024: The case of polit­ical tolerance,” was aimed at safe­guarding the peace of the country ahead of the general elections.

It was attended by representa­tives of the security services, of­fice of the National Chief Imam and students.

BY CECILIA LAGBA

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