Editorial
Enforce road safety regulations to protect lives
Dear Editor,
I write this letter to bring to your notice, the increasing rate at which motorists and pedestrians alike totally disregard road safety regulations in the country.
This form of disregard involves drivers of both private and commercial vehicles as well as motor riders ignoring traffic lights and pedestrians crossing roads at unapproved points, especially on highways.
It is sad to say that these acts by both motorists and pedestrians has led to accidents that had claimed so many lives.
However, as a country, we seem not to learn from them.
You only see motorists and pedestrians obey road safety regulations when they see a police officer.
But the question I keep asking myself is, do we need to see these officers before we comply with road safety regulations? Definitely not.
As much as I will like to commend road safety regulators such as the National Road Safety Commission and the police service for ensuring that road safety regulations are adhered to, I would urge them to enforce the regulations to the latter to address this issue.
Of greater concern is the alarming rate of recklessness on the Kasoa highway by young commercial vehicle drivers.
Their attitude have often resulted in altercations with passengers that do the right thing by asking these recalcitrant drivers to drive with caution.
Unfortunately some of the police men (emphasis on some) don not help the situation as they prefer to punish these wayward drivers by demanding monies from them.
I believe that because they are no examples to guide them, they think road traffic regulation can be broken and paid for but what they fail to understand is that there are lives at stake.
Pedestrians that cross highways at unapproved places should be made to face that aspect of the law, if it exists.
I would urge the motorists and pedestrians to have a change of attitude and stop the disregard of road safety regulations to protect human lives.
Ghana must be saved from its current level of degeneration. There seems to be lawlessness everywhere and only the poor seems to be facing the consequences.
Editorial
Let’s vote peacefully today
Dear Editor,
Today is December 7 and Ghanaians would be required to participate heavily in the presidential and parliamentary elections.
The aim is to give a new term to whichever party triumphs in the exercise.
Parties and their representatives have been busy in the buildup to today’s exercise with the two main political parties, ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) very confident of undoing each other.
Other political parties would also be involved in the exercise.
What I am calling for ahead of the exercise is peace. It is the responsibility of every Ghana to accept the fact that we have only one Ghana and maintaining the peace and tranquility we have enjoyed remains in our own hands.
The period to determine which group of people governs the nation is the same period for us to ensure that the peace we enjoy remains intact.
The campaigns have been very intensive with a few unfortunate comments coming from over enthusiastic politicians.
There also appears to be a mistrust in the system as every decision or move by the Electoral Commission have been fiercely questioned or rejected.
The Commission that is also supposed to be the ‘referee’ has not helped in the tension diffusion with the errors with election papers from particular regions.
All these notwithstanding, I wish to urge Ghanaians to have confidence in the institutions and vote in our numbers in a peaceful manner. No one should attempt to disrupt the process. If we go about it lawfully, we’ll have another peaceful and successful election. Yes, we can!
Mark Osae,
Accra
Editorial
Let’s make peace priority as we vote on December 7
The long-awaited presidential and parliamentary elections are finally here, and the most crucial thing we require is peace during and after the elections.
It is a must for Ghanaians to uphold peace, a state of tranquility devoid of conflict or disruption in this election.
In order to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections, a number of institutions and organisations, including the Peace Council, the media, non-governmental organisations, and religious groups, have sent out messages of peace in the run-up to the polls.
The Spectator continues to spread the message of peace as we urge the electorate to make peace a priority in the electoral process to elect a President and Members of Parliament (MPs).
Every voter should be able to exercise their right to vote without any form of compulsion, as Ghanaians are members of multiple political parties and are free to select the candidate of their choice.
After all, voting is about exercising your right to vote, which should be done quietly and peacefully, not about insulting and fighting. We should therefore be mindful of the fact that Ghana belongs to all of us.
Remember your vote is secret and to prevent any confrontation after exercising your franchise go home and pray. Do not post anything on social media that will cause people to react negatively.
Ghana has long been a peaceful nation and a symbol of democracy in Africa; we must preserve this stability and peace.
We must be careful with what we say to avoid provoking anger that could turn violent.
The Spectator urges the security agencies to be tolerant and professional as they discharge their duties. In the same vein, officials of the Electoral Commission should do effective monitoring of the electoral process and swiftly provide the necessary logistics required to enable voting.
We urge all political parties and their supporters to adhere to the nation’s laws and regulations. The media should be circumspect in their reportage and provide accurate and balanced reporting.
Our prayer is that Ghana will emerge victorious at the end of the elections. To achieve this let us endeavour to uphold peace.
God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong.
