Immediate past Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), Most Rev. Professor Emmanuel Asante has entreated young people of Ghana ahead of the December 7, 2020, general election to rise up and stand for peace and for the nation.
According to him, the young people should look beyond being foot soldiers for political parties who are being used to do all sorts things which are untoward and rather position themselves and aspire to ride V8 as the older the politicians.
Addressing the various youth groups as part of this year’s African Youth Day Celebration organized by the National Youth Authority to accomplish a section of the local theme “A Peaceful Ghana: Rhetoric, Realities and the Youth Factor” at Bank of Ghana Hall, Most Rev. Asante told the teaming young people during the Youth Peace Dialogue and Signing of Peace Charter to engage the future now.
He reminded the young people at the Bank of Ghana Hall that they cannot inherit the future as has widely been mentioned if they do not have today; thus, if today is destroyed, there will be no tomorrow, urging the youth to channel the future in the present.
“There is something that you keep saying that the future is for the young people but I don’t buy that; if you do not have today, you don’t have tomorrow. Destroy today and there will be no tomorrow and so you channel the future in the present; the future will only be yours if you are able to hold on to the present and ensure that we do not destroy the present”, he charged.
He further entreated the youth to refrain from using social media negatively as the kind of junks that are generated there can set the nation on fire; urging them to rather use social media to promote the peace the country needs to develop.
“I am taking you to the social media, the kinds of junks that are generated there that can set this nation on fire. Use social media to promote the peace we are talking about today. Go back and use social media to promote what you are doing here today so that other young people would learn from that”, he stated.
Highlighting some of the peace charter agreed by the various youth groups to end violence in the election, Most Rev. Professor Emmanuel Asante said that the youth have called for the need to strengthen systems and institutions to deal firmly with the rules of conflicts and violence.
He called on the Executive Secretary of National Peace Council to work hand-in-hand with the National Youth Authority (NYA) as this is where the institution can get the young people to engage in activities which will not expose to the youth into violence.
“We accordingly agreed to the following as necessary to contain activities which predispose the youth into violence. The first thing is systematic policies to be laid down by the NYA, empowering the youth since youth empowerment promotes stability and democracy and development”.
“In furtherance of this objective, the NYA must be non-partisan, independent and adequately resourced to discharge its duties. I am saying this because, Ghana, we are fond of creating institutions but not providing them with the wherewithal for them to work with and the young people are saying that they need that”, he quoted from the peace charter.