Top stories from the Newspapers for 26th April, 2012 are as follows;
1. IGP poised to maintain peace
2. Police, workers urged to maintain peace
3. National Chief Imam cautions Ghanaians against violence
4. IEA stages 3 Presidential
5. NDC takes a swipe at the NPP
6. Ken Agyepong Sent to ICC
News making the headlines today indicates that the Inspector General of Police yesterday read the riot act and stressed that the police will deal with anyone or group that attempts to breach any law of the country before, during and after the December general elections. The Ghanaian Times reports this under the headline 'IGP warns trouble makers: WE'LL DEAL WITH THEM' and added that he therefore, urged Ghanaians to respect and use the existing police structures in addressing all grievances. The Daily Graphic quotes the IGP, Mr. Paul Tawiah Quaye as saying "We in the police will do everything within our power to jealously and religiously to protect this peace by effectively and efficiently discharging our duties under the constitution without fear or favour". The paper reports this with the headline Police will deal with troublemakers. The Chronicle under the headline We'll deal with troublemakers and the Crusading Guide under the headline IGP Awakened that the Inspector General of Police, Paul Tawiah Quaye, has served notice the police will not treat anyone beating war drums in Ghana with kids' gloves, because they want to "jealously guard" the prevailing peace. The paper further adds on another page with the headline No acts of impunity, saying that the Ghana Police Service has warned that it will not tolerate any act of impunity before, during, and after the December general elections, and that it would discharge its duty without fear or favour. The Daily Guide however takes a completely different angle to this issue as it uses the caption IGP Defends Police explaining that the Inspector General of Police, Paul Tawiah Quaye has assured Ghanaians that the country is not in tatters as some people want to portray. Mr. Quaye cautioned that critics should not take the calmness of the police as weakness as their comments would not in any way daunt their resolve to stay committed to ensuring that they enforce the law fairly and passionately without regard to position, power, religion social or political status.
In a related story, the Daily Guide informs readers that The National Enforcement Body of the 2012 Political Parties Code of Conduct has urged the Ghana Police Service to act independently without fear or favour in the discharge of its duties. With its headline Police Urged to be Independent, it further states that as the general elections draw closer, it noted that it is important for the police are seen as fair tactical and firm in arresting and prosecuting offenders irrespective of political party affiliation.
Police must enforce laws firmly to avert acrimony is what the Daily Graphic says on the front page, elaborating that the anticipated violence and acrimonies threatening to overshadow the biometric voter's registrations and the December elections could be averted if the security services enforce the laws fairly and firmly, a former Supreme Court Judge, Professor Justice A.K.P. Kludze, has stated. "If fairness and firmness are exhibited by the law enforcement agencies, the population will have confidence in the system. The electorate can then be expected to express its will in an atmosphere devoid of intimidation".
Still on maintaining the peace in the nation the paper tells us that Organized Labour has called on workers across the country to be advocates of peace before, during and after the December 2012 general election. Under its caption, be advocates of Peace – Workers Urged, the paper adds that it said the political affiliation of workers should not break their resolve as=t ensuring that the country remained peaceful after the elections.
The Daily Graphic also reports that EC official dies in boat accident. A member of the biometric voters' registration team serving communities in the Jomoro District in the Western Region died last Tuesday when the canoe in which he was travelling with his colleagues capsized on River Tano. The incident occurred between Alebuale and Mpasem when the outboard motor. Powered canoe rammed into a rock, causing it to overturn.
An interesting development in the Ghanaian Times reveals that Children 'arrest' dad for registering twice. The desire to acquire a new National Health Insurance card has landed Mr. Commey Larteh, 88,in trouble as he joined the wrong queue at Tema New Town and ended up being registered the second time for the biometric voter's identity card. Rejoicing that he had obtained a new card, Mr. Larteh, on getting, proudly waved it to his children.
CODEO says registration exercise has been peaceful. An interim observation report on the ongoing Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise released by the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) in Accra on Tuesday, has described the exercise as quite peaceful. It said there were, however, a few registration centres, particularly in Urban areas, where some violent incidents were recorded but over all violence had not been widespread, the Ghanaian Times reports.
The paper further reports on page 6 that the National Chief Imam cautions Ghanaians against violence. Dr. Shiekh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, National Chief Imam, has called on Ghanaians to refrain from violence and the use of intemperate language in the media .He has also appealed to politicians to lead exemplary lives as role models for their supporters.
The Daily Graphic also states that NCCE, EC must work against electoral violence. The Member of Parliament for Manhyia, Dr. Matthew Prempeh, has said the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Electoral Commission will share the blame if they fail to educate citizen on how to avert violence in the December election. He has therefore cautioned the two institutions to be mindful of their responsibilities as bodies enjoined by the constitution of the Republic of to reduce the populace on their civic end electoral rights as well as their responsibilities.
We are told on page 6 of the Daily Graphic that IEA will stage 3 Presidential Debates. The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has revealed that it will be organizing three presidential debates for presidential candidates of the four political parties with representation in parliament. The debates will be held in Accra, Takoradi and Tamale before the general elections in December 7.
In relation to the use of intemperate language, it further reports on page 17 with the headline NDC, NPP blamed for use of intemperate language that speaker at a forum to depend in the country have condemned the use of foul language that has characterised the country's political discourse. The speakers who blamed members of the two leading political parties – National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party – for the rising political tension asked the leadership of the parties to lead lives that would serve as role models for their followers rather than inciting them to engage in violence acts.
The National Democratic Congress has condemned what it describes as politics of ethnicity by the opposition New Patriotic Party. According to the NDC, recent comments by leading members of the NPP, rallying the youth of that party to resort to the use of pestle, stones and guns, coupled with the latest rampage resulting from fallouts of Mr. Kennedy Agyepong's arrest clearly point to the implementation of an orchestrated and well rehearsed agenda, meant throw the nation into chaos. The Daily Graphic reports this under its banner NDC condemns politics of ethnicity. The Chronicle similarly reports this with the headline NPP has dirty record – NDC adding that according to the NDC, all the ills that have characterised the ongoing biometric registration exercise, ranging from intemperate language, and violence to ethnic politics, could comfortably be laid at the doorsteps of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). The Daily Guide in reporting this uses the caption NDC Hacks NPP. The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu-Nketia has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of looking for triggers in the ongoing biometric registration exercise to unleash the terror it has planned on innocent citizens. He said where those triggers didn't exist; the NPP sought to manufacture them with the active connivance of some media houses.
We draw the curtains on today's review with a report from the Daily Graphic that Ken Agyepong Sent to ICC. The Ghana Coalition for the International Crime Court (ICC) has petitioned the court to investigate the genocide statements and ethnic-cleansing pronouncement of the Member of Parliament for Assin North, Mr. Kennedy Agyepong. The petition was presented by three members of the coalition, Mr. Francis Kojo Arthur, Mr. Eric Akomayi and Mr. Fortune Sase.
This daily news review is compiled by African Elections Project (AEP) Media Monitoring Centre, Accra, Ghana.
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