Reducing political tension: Political scientists call for decent communications

Two political scientists have called for timeliness and clarity of communication to address information gaps in the country’s political space.

Aside from that, they also stressed the need for inclusiveness in various aspects in the conduct of elections. The two, the head of the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Seidu Alidu, and the Teams Lead for Elections CDD-Ghana, Gilfred Asiamah, were speaking in separate interviews on the need to de-escalate the political tension in the run-up to the December 7, 2024 polls.

Suspicions

Prof. Alidu said they would help remove doubts and suspicions among stakeholders to reduce political tensions and also prevent the spread of misinformation in the digital space.

He said all the stakeholders including the security agencies, the Electoral Commission (EC) and political parties must also learn to be accountable and transparent in all their dealings including the deployment of personnel and procurement related matters.

He said whatever action is taking should ensure stability and national development.

Stability

Prof. Alidu said political parties and other stakeholders must take initiatives to create an atmosphere of stability and eschew greed and unnecessary tensions. He explained that the core role of the political parties was to prosecute development hence there was the need for all stakeholders to dialogue and seek consensus building to address issues.

He said elections were about competition to get elected into government and not about fighting. “The peace of this country should be paramount. We must look beyond the elections, govern and bring development to the people,” he said.

Inclusiveness

For his part, Mr Asiamah said the tension could be addressed by providing more information and ensuring inclusiveness in various aspects of elections. “We need to do more to create an atmosphere for effective and decent communication,” he said.

“The EC must share information promptly and be responsive to concerns of the opposition party. The commission must stop using pejorative remarks against a political party.” “It pays to say that the opposition must focus on issues of concern and reduce personal attacks on the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission,” he added.