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The Christian Council of Ghana (OCG) and the Office of the National Chief Imam today launched an inter-faith youth sensitisation programme on ensuring peace in this year’s elections.
Dubbed “Say Yes to Peace,” the programme is being supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Danish Development Agency (DANIDA).
At the programme, the spokesperson of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Arimiyao Shuaib, said the formation of vigilante groups, mostly made up of the youth, was not good for the country’s democratic practice .
He said the country could be plunged into violence if events leading to the elections were not properly managed.
Interfaith
Sheikh Shuaib said peace and harmony were basic conditions for human survival and called on faith-based leaders to ensure that they sensitised the youth in their various organisations to embrace peace.
“As Muslims and Christians, we are taking the centre stage to dominate and ensure that in spite of political diversity, we will still remain peaceful and will not allow politicians to take centre stage”, he added.
An Executive Committee Member of the Christian Council of Ghana, Pastor Emmanuel Okai, in an address, also called on religious leaders to teach the youth the cost of not doing things right.
He also called on religious leaders to let the youth in their various organisations know that being in competition with their peers did not mean that they were enemies but only that they had divergent views.
“We are different as far as our orientation is concerned but we are still one people as humans”, he added.
Peaceful elections
The General Secretary of the CCG, Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, in an address, said as religious leaders, they had a role to play in ensuring that the country came out of this year’s elections peacefully.
The Head of Co-operations of the Danish Embassy, Mr Lasse Moller, also noted that religious tolerance for the coherence of the country was significant and could not be overlooked.
He said it was important to educate the youth on the need to embrace peace for the benefit of the country and posterity.
Writer’s email: rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh
