As the 2024 General Election approaches, politicians, political parties, and the general public are being sensitized to engage in politics that maintains peace and calm in the nation. While different ways of maintaining peace have been preached severally, the focus now is maintaining peace through appropriate language usage.
Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante, Political Scientist and lecturer at the University of Ghana, noted that the use of intemperate language is not good in any civil society. He indicated that communication should be done in a peaceful way and devoid of any damaging or problematic language.
He advised politicians and the general public to desist from using intemperate language in the lead to and during the elections in December, indicating that rather than getting the desired message across, unrestrained language gets people angered and disinterested.
Furthermore, Dr. Asah-Asante noted that intemperate language denigrates democracy, stating that it creates disaffection while it takes away the content of any message being delivered to an audience.
“It polarizes the political society to the extent that it does not help people to look and read meanings into what is expected of them from their language and then, in other words, we don’t get the best in terms of what the politicians want to put across”.
Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante
The Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mr. Mustapha Gbande, also stated that irrespective of one’s political standing, it is imperative to use language that seeks to unify Ghanaians as one people with common developmental and societal goals.
He indicated that the use of unhealthy language by politicians or institutions that seek to degenerate each other eats into Ghana’s communal unity and democracy which is unreflective of the peace and coherence the country has enjoyed over the years.
The NDC Deputy General Secretary further stated that Ghanaians must cultivate the use of respectful language to build peace rather than using words to tear down each other as is the case in Ghana’s neighboring countries where elections become overly violent due to the inappropriate use of language.
Campaigns, Exchange of Ideas
The Head of Communication for the NPP campaign team, Miracle Aboagye also indicated that political campaigns are an exchange of political ideologies and competing and alternative ideas aimed at solving the collective national problem and should not be used as an avenue to create disaffection through the use of abusive languages.
“Share your views and make your point as forcefully as you want but ensure that it is measured and civil. Our values as a people do not support the use of unwarranted language against each other. For us as a campaign team and a party, we’ve already started aligning our political communicators across all the regions and the constituencies to ensure that we stick to the policies that we believe will take Ghana to the next level”.
Miracle Aboagye
He indicated that the political parties must ensure that their members are not too invested in their emotions and sentiments that will make them use abusive words that are alien to Ghanaian values and culture.
The NDC Deputy General Secretary, Mustapha Gbande assured that the NDC is already conscientious about the use of language, indicating that the NDC’s flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama is a tolerant and amiable person who is not likely to use abusive language in an attempt to send his message across.
He indicated that the leaders and officials of the NDC are people of principle and value who will not endorse such behavior from any member of the party. He noted that the NDC has always dissociated itself from members who use intemperate language by taking full responsibility for the actions of its members.
He stated that he hopes the NPP as well, will have the fortitude to be able to hold its officers responsible for using unwarranted language. He, however, accused the NPP of engaging in the use of intemperate language citing the recent attack on the NDC running mate by NPP’s Bernard Antwi Bosiako.
He indicated that the silence of the NPP leadership concerning the issue is an endorsement of the Ashanti Regional Chairman’s behavior.
Conclusively, Mustapha Gbande advised that it is the collective responsibility of Ghanaians, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and other entities to ensure peace and calm by sensitizing people against the use of intemperate language.
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