ACP Awuni urges political parties to sensitize supporters on election code

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Agwubutoge Awuni, the Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), has appealed to political parties to disseminate the Code of Conduct for Election 2012 to their supporters at the grassroots level to enhance peaceful elections.   He said party foot soldiers were often the problem that the police had to deal with before, during and after elections and called on political parties to design clear sensitization programmes to educate their members on the Code of Conduct for this year's election.    This, ACP Awuni said, would keep the foot soldiers better informed on how to conduct their campaigns without going contrary to the rules and regulations contained in the document bearing in mind sanctions associated with breaking any of the laws.    ACP Awuni was speaking at an awareness creation campaign on the 2012 Political Parties Code of Conduct organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) in Wa.   The Political Parties Code of Conduct for Election 2012 sets the guidelines by which all political parties agree to be bound in the course of their campaigning and electioneering.     The two- page document was signed by eight registered political parties as well as the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the IEA and the Director of Literature and Material Development, Mrs. Fanny Judith Kumah. ACP Awuni said the Police Administration, with the support of DFID, had put in place a programme to train all security personnel that would be involved in safeguarding the elections on how to behave professionally to help make the election a peaceful one.     Mrs. Hilary Gbedemah, Rector of the Law Institute, said the code was only applicable to political parties, independent political candidates as well as Groups/Associations aligned to political parties.   She said it was not applicable to District Assemblies and other non-partisan public and private institutions.   Mrs. Gbedemah said the NCCE was supposed to monitor and ensure that all political parties implemented the Code of Conduct and published all their findings including political parties that go contrary to the provisions of the Code.     She appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) to come out with checklist for political parties to sensitise party agents to prevent electoral malpractices on the day of the elections.     Brigadier-General Francis Agyemfra, who made a presentation on ensuring a peaceful election 2012 with case studies from conflict prone countries, stated that it was very easy to start violence but very difficult to stop it because it spread like a wild harmattan bush fire. He cited Kenya, Somalia, Ivory Coast, and Liberia among others as some of the conflict prone countries, adding that Ghana had since passed the test in holding five successful elections since 1992 and had come a long way by becoming the beacon of democracy in Africa.    He said conscious efforts should be made on the part of every Ghanaian to defend, protect and sustain such a glory and not throw it to the dogs just because of an individual or group of person's quest for political power.

GNA