Be Vigilant-Catholic Bishops Urge EC

The Ghana Catholic Bishops� Conference has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to remain vigilant and ensure that all relevant resources are deployed towards the successful conduct of the general elections in December. �Unnecessary delays or late delivery of human and material resources for the elections, creating unduly long queues and causing frustrations should be avoided at all cost,� it stressed. This was contained in a communiqu� released at the end of its Annual Plenary Assembly held in Koforidua in the Eastern Region last week. The one-week conference was on the theme: �The Church, Family of God in Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace�. The Communiqu� said the application of justice, transparency and good management of the electoral process were very critical for sustaining the peace prevailing in the country. �We owe it to ourselves, as one big family, to safeguard the electoral process for the peace we all cherish and that all Ghanaians, especially politicians, need to be reminded that politics, like religion, is devoted to the service of personal and social vocation of the same human being,� it stressed. The communiqu� noted that politics should promote the integral development of the citizenry as one family instead of dividing the nation to derail national cohesion. It called on the government, the EC and other stakeholders in the electoral process to exhibit a high sense of professionalism in the discharge of their duties, since all Ghanaians had a stake and should protect it. The communiqu� encouraged all registered voters to be vigilant as they exercise their franchise and cautioned that to decide not to vote was to neglect one�s duty and run the risk of leaving others to decide their future for them. �In the name of peace, parents and guardians are reminded that they have a God given responsibility to discourage their underage children and wards from voting and we appeal to non Ghanaians who registered, for one reason or the other to refrain from voting,� it said. The communiqu� pointed out that while an election, in and by itself, could not guarantee good governance it could facilitate or hinder development, depending on how it was managed and reminded aggrieved persons to show openness to dialogue.