In a bid to promote peace before, during and after the December 2020 General Elections, Caritas Ghana has provided a platform for Religious Leaders and 40 Youth Activists of the two major political parties: The New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress in Tamale.
The meeting was organised in collaboration with the Northern Regional Peace Council and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) as a practical contribution of the Religious Leaders towards ensuring that national efforts at disbanding the spate of Vigilantism are effective. It also turned out to be the first time that the two National Institutions had a collaborative programme.
Caritas Ghana, which also serves as the Coordinating Secretariat of the Interfaith platform called the Forum for Actions on Inclusion, Transparency and Harmony (FAITH) in Ghana Alliance believes that the Political Party Youth engagement will lead the youth to make firm commitment to their respective Religious Leaders to promote peace in Ghana.
According to Mr. Samuel Zan Akologo, Executive Secretary of Caritas Ghana who briefed the Media at the end of the meeting; the meeting took place on August 26, 2020. He said the project was funded by the STAR Ghana Foundation and is part of the interfaith project dubbed Educating, Training and Healing Individuals, Communities and Society (ETHICS) against Vigilantism in Ghana’s Elections.
Touching on the success of the meeting, Mr. Akologo said one of the high points of the engagement is how the two youth groups surprised them by deciding to sit together. He said: “These Political Parties’ Youth Activists (EX-VIGILANTES) surprised everyone; including the Religious Leaders when they themselves offered to sit together as a mixed group of NDC and NPP Youth Activists! As Organizers, we had put in place all sorts of risk management measures in anticipation of managing a difficult relationship but the youth proved us wrong”.
The Members of the Interfaith Alliance comprise the Office of the National Chief Imam, Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Ghana (FOWAG), Marshallan Relief and Development Services (MAREDES), Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana (AMM) and the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) which is represented by their National Catholic Secretariat.
In what turned out to be a very successful engagement, the Political Party Youths pledged their commitment to break the emerging cycle of electoral violence, tension, and apprehension before, during, and after general elections in the country. The youth representatives of the two political parties also declared their willingness to observe and maintain national peace before, during and after the December polls, promising to distance themselves from all kinds of violent activities that have the potential to destabilize their communities and the country at large.
The Religious Leaders present also took turns to give messages of exhortation to the participants to try and keep to their commitment so as to ensure that there is peace before, during and after the December general elections.
Also present at the meeting were the Chief Imams of the Central and Anbariya Mosques in Tamale
By
DEPSOCOM, NCS.