2016 Elections will be peaceful : Prez
President John Dramani Mahama has declared that this year's presidential and parliamentary elections will be peaceful so that it would deepen the country's credential as a beacon of peace and democracy in Africa.
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He said the six elections held in the country after the return to democratic rule in 1992 were not violent, and stated that the seventh elections this year would be a repeat of such feat.
Speaking in Accra last Saturday night at the commemoration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Maulid) at Fadama, President Mahama pledged that he would not be the cause of violence in the country, and expressed the hope that all politicians would adopt that pledge to guarantee peace during the elections.
He said Ghanaians must be allowed to make their choice in the elections, and stressed the need for all to respect the choice of the people.
"Nobody, none of us, politicians, is greater than Ghana. We will come and go but Ghana will survive. And so none of us has the right to wreak violence on this country. We must let the people make their choice and whatever their choice is, we must all respect that choice.
"And I want to pledge to the Ghanaian people that I will not be the cause of any violence in this country. It is not my nature; it is not my belief. And there will not be violence in this country because of me.
"And I hope that it is a pledge that all of us in the political arena will adopt so that we can go and vote in peace and see our country continue to develop," President Mahama said.
Maulid
The Maulid is organised yearly to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and to remind Muslims of the Prophet’s sterling qualities of peace, tolerance, patience and empathy.
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Organised by the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, the Maulid attracts Muslims across the country and those from neighbouring countries.
This year's Maulid was held on the theme:"Democracy in a Peaceful Atmosphere".
Radicalisation
President Mahama said all the development projects that the government was executing would not be sustained if the country was thrown into violence.
He said the news of recruitment of some youth by the Islamic State was worrying, and indicated that such people used the Internet for their radicalisation.
The President therefore urged parents to monitor how their children used the Internet to save them from the influence of such bad characters.
President Mahama also said the terrorist groups killed people while proclaiming the name of God, and indicated that such people did not understand the true teachings of the Qur'an.
He said it was Islamic scholars such as Sheikh Sharubutu who gave the true interpretation of the Qur'an by emphasising the essence of peace and harmonious coexistence.
The President added that Ghana was blessed with peace, mainly due to the peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians and asked Ghanaians to be grateful to God for the prevailing peace.
National Chief Imam
In a speech read on his behalf, Sheikh Sharubutu said Prophet Muhammad exhibited sterling qualities such as peace, empathy and generosity during his lifetime. He also said all creation, including mankind, were at the mercy of Prophet Muhammad, as confirmed in Qur'an 21 verse 106: "We have sent you as a mercy to all creations."
Touching on the elections, the National Chief Imam urged Muslim youth not to allow politicians to use them to perpetuate violence during the elections.
Sheikh Sharubutu appealed to all the other religious leaders to educate their followers on the need to observe peace before, during and after the elections.
True meaning of Islam
The United Nations’ Resident Coordinator, Ms Christine Evans-Klock, said Muslims in Ghana exhibited the true qualities of Islam, which had peace as its foundation.
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She added that Ghana enjoyed the peaceful coexistence exhibited by people of different religious faiths and pledged that the UN would continue to support the National Peace Council and other institutions to guarantee peace in this year's elections.
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