Accra, Ghana - Calls by President John Evans Atta Mills for the preservation of peace as Ghana approaches another election, assurance that prisoners would be allowed to vote as pronounced by the Supreme Court and a judgement by former president Jerry John Rawlings that he is the best ever Ghanaian leader were some of the stories highlighted by the Ghanaian media this week. “Safeguard country’s peace' was the lead story in the state-owned Graphic on Friday.

The newspaper said President had inaugurated a 13-member National Peace Council (NPC) Board with a call on members to work without fear of intimidation in order to maintain and sustain the peace the country currently enjoys.

“Let’s at all times maintain and sustain peace. Whether or not it is the government, the President, traditional leaders or political leaders who are the obstacle, you have the right, under the law, to bring us to order,” the President said. It said President Mills cautioned against the use of intemperate language and acts that were likely to disturb the peace, stressing that most conflicts were generated by people who wanted to achieve their personal parochial interests. The state-owned Ghanaian Times had the headline “Prez urges Ghanaians to preserve the peace.” The story said President Mills urged Ghanaians to be united in preserving the nation’s peace and stability.

“Let’s preserve our country,” he said. He bemoaned the pockets of instability and misunderstanding across the various sections of society, particularly in the political, chieftaincy and labour environments.

“Stop beating war drums, president warns rabble-rousers,” was the headline of another call by the president for peace.

President Mills told a durbar of chiefs at a festival in the Volta Region that he would not allow anybody or group of persons to subvert the peace currently being enjoyed by the country.

'I hear people have started beating war drums. We will not allow anybody to subvert the peace we have enjoyed,' he said.

'We will apply the law to the letter; we do not want violence or bloodshed before, during and after the elections,' the President added.

“Prez Mills calls for coexistence among various religious faiths,” was another story by the Graphic on the need peace.

In a speech read on his behalf by Foreign Minister Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, President Mills proposed the institution of a mechanism to enhance cooperation, understanding and peaceful coexistence among the various religious faiths in the country.

He acknowledged that there is peaceful coexistence among the various religious faiths but indicated the need for Ghanaians not to take the peace for granted but rather fashion ways to protect it.

President Mills said Ghana was a good example of a peaceful country in the West African sub-region but expressed worry about a creeping political intolerance and asked Muslims to strive to maintain peace and harmony in the country and also support other members of society to maintain peace.

“Ensure prisoners vote – Prez,” was headline of a story by the Graphic on the president’s directive to the Electoral Commission (EC).

The story said President Mills had asked the EC to take the necessary steps to comply with the Supreme Court ruling which had given prisoners the right to vote.

Inaugurating the first phase of the 2,000-inmate capacity maximum security prison at Ankaful, near Cape Coast, President Mills said the government would not stand in the way of the Electoral Commission (EC) in complying with the Supreme Court ruling to ensure that convicts exercised their franchise.

The story of the Ghanaian Times on the subject had the headline “Govt will facilitate prisoners’ voting – President.”

It said President Mills had announced that the government would provide the EC with the needed resources to enable prisoners to vote. That, he said, would ensure that a recent Supreme Court ruling with mandated inmates to vote in general elections was complied with. He was of the view that enabling prisoners to vote would add to the nation’s democratic credentials.

“Convicts to vote,” was the headline of another story by the Graphic quoting the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan, who gave the assurance that prisoners would be allowed to vote in the 2012 general election. He said prisoners would be registered just like any other Ghanaian during the biometric registration process next year.

Dr Afari-Gyan said all but persons who had committed electoral offences would be allowed to register and vote. “Even those in condemned cells will be allowed to register and vote so far as they have not committed electoral fraud because they are also Ghanaians,” he stated. “My 20 year rule, best in Ghana – Rawlings,” was former president Rawlings’ assessment of his performance as both a military ruler from 1982-1993 and a civilian ruler from 1993 to 2001.

The former President, who is also an AU envoy to Somalia, in an interview with a South Africa-based television station, eTV, said the strengthening of institutions like the judiciary and empowerment of Ghanaians qualified him as the best Ghanaian leader. He said all these were done with a conviction that when Ghanaians are united with a sense of vision, and with a sense of purpose, “no one can take them for a ride”. An Accra-based radio station, Joy, had another story “Kufuor replies ‘boastful’ Rawlings” in which it quoted former President John Agyekum Kufuor (2001 to 2008), as saying former president Rawlings’ comments smacked of arrogance and he should have allowed Ghanaians to rate him. Ex-president Kufuor said: “Let the people of Ghana say so otherwise it becomes a boastful statement.” But Rawlings’ National Democratic Congress (NDC) has sprung to his defence with the Propaganda Secretary Richard Quashigah taking a swipe at Kufuor.

In a press release issued on Friday Quashigah said Kufuor’s take on former President Rawlings was nothing but “double standards and sheer envy of his predecessor”. “For him to now describe as ‘boastful’ President Rawlings’ assessment of his regime's performance smacks of double standards, envy and hypocrisy. It is not lost on us that President Kufuor is the only Ghanaian leader who has so far conferred on himself the highest award of the land while still President; an awards category he himself created. “In fairness, if there is any former leader apart from Nkrumah, worth applauding, then it must be Jerry Rawlings,” Quashigah said.

Pana 13/11/2011