Peace is in fact, never the absence of war but rather the presence of a just. Absence of violence is merely one aspect of peace. Sustainable or positive peace entails renewed relationship building and strengthening of dialogue structures.
This relates to the need of a strong, well co-coordinated civil society as well as to thoroughly look into an attempt to address the root causes of the problems. No wonder the whole world is fighting for peace yet there is war, terror and anarchy all over the world. It is high time we placed patriotism ahead of partisan politics so we could uphold the legacies bequeath to us by generations.
As Ghana's landmark election petition comes to a head, battered emotions appear to be spilling over uncontrollably at the Supreme Court. Strong language and shocking actions have been exhibited in the past few days in full glare of the public. But in all these, what is more important is what unites us but not that which divides us. Our common identity as Ghanaian and the desire to safeguard our society must inspire us to do justice to one another.
Attaining peace and stability in a country does not come by sudden flight, but rather the desire of people to maintain peace by having confidence in such institutions tasked to safeguard the peace of the state. Ghana has steadily increased in respect for the rule of law over the fifteen years.
The Judiciary has enjoyed a considerable level of independence and the law is generally obeyed by all. Ghana has enjoyed quite a relative peace and stable institutions in a region marred in political turmoil and social unrest. The case before the Supreme Court is a test of our democracy, justice and peace.
What kind of "Peace" do we mean? What kind of "Peace" do we seek? Not the peace of the grave yard, there is peace in the grave yard because the bones are rotten or the security of the Slave. We are talking about genuine "Peace", the kind of "Peace" that makes life on earth worth living, the kind of peace that enables men and nations to grow and aspire and build a better a life for children.
We seek not merely peace for politicians but for all men and women, not merely peace in our time. We must examine our attitude toward peace itself. Too many of us think it is unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that chaos is inevitable.
That we are gripped by forces we cannot control. We need not accept that view. Our problems are man-made. Therefore, they can be solved by man and that is by seeking justice. There is single, simple key to peace and no grand or magic formula to be adopted to attain it.
Genuine peace must be the product of a just system. It must be dynamic not static, changing to meet the challenge of each individual and groups. For peace is a process, a way of solving problems.
We must conduct our affairs in such a way that it becomes in everyone's interest to agree on a genuine peace. Our interest converge, however, not only in defending the frontiers of peace, but in pursuing the paths of justice. "When a man's ways please the Lord," the scriptures tell us, "He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him."
We must do our part to build a society where the weak are safe and the strong are just. If there is one failure that stands out since independence up to now, it is the ability to place the sanctity of human life, fairness and justice, at the center of everything we do as a nation. The yearning for freedom and justice eventually manifests itself. The Bible tells the thrilling story of how Moses stood in Pharaoh's centuries ago and cried, "Let my people go." This is a kind of opening chapter in a continuing story. The present struggle of "Let my vote count" The cry for justice.
As the Legendary Peter Mackintosh put it in a lyrics 'everyone is crying for peace but none is crying out for justice, I want no peace, I want equal right and justice.' It is undeniable fact that whenever justice takes a center stage, peace would automatically have a breeding ground to sustain.
In its narrower sense, justice is fairness. The principles of justice and fairness can be thought of as rules of "fair play" for issues of social justice. "Social justice requires both that the rules be fair, and also that people play by the rules.
That is the recipe for the peace we all yearn for and what we calling for. It may seem to be a simple matter of common sense that justice and fairness point to fair treatment and "fair play" that should govern all modes of exchange and interaction in a society. They serve as guidelines for carrying out justice.
Such are supposed to ensure procedures that generate unbiased, consistent, and reliable decisions. Here the focus is on carrying out set rules in a fair manner so that a just outcome might be reached. Fair procedures are central to the legitimacy of decisions reached and individual's acceptance of those decisions.
If we keep on tolerate a system which lends the lateral abuse, malpractice and cheating definitely one day peace will give way. After the Supreme Court case if the electoral system remain the same and not transform our Quist for peace will be elusive.
We the TRUTHFORUM of NPP wish to appeal to the JUDGES That they play the role as a referee in the ongoing case therefore don�t want �referee no ase3 agroo no� to wit the referee spoil the game.
Ghanaians should continue to pray for the judges and also God should help them (judges) to listen to His voice
This more inclusive understanding of justice is particularly important to building sustainable peace. Peace that is built equity and fairness. We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody that is far superior to the discords of war. If we keep on tolerating fraud, cheating, malpractices, definitely one day peace will give way.
Definitely, after the Supreme Court hearing, if the electoral system is not changed or transformed, than our quiet for peace will be elusive.
As is mostly said by we the football supporters at a stadium, 'the referee has spoil the game' We therefore pray for the judges that, the Lord speaks through them and also make them hear Him in their decision making on the final verdict.
PRO: MR. RICHARD ABOAGYE: 0242002511MR. M.I.A JINJIWA: 0244537339MR.KWADJO OWUSU: 0246154000
<<Print>>