“FRIENDS FROM THE MEDIA”: May the will of the majority prevail in polls

BY EDITORIAL TEAM

After heated campaigns and massive final rallies, Ghanaian voters now wield their four-year power to decide who becomes their next president or MP.

The Sikaman Times believes that Saturday’s contest will once again be a straight, two-horse race between the ruling NPP and the NDC.

Despite the comprehensiveness, practicality, and achievability of the numerous pledges by the political parties and their candidates, we hold the view that the ultimate deciders are Ghanaians.

We wish to state, however, that Ghanaians must be prepared to enjoy the blessings and endure any burdens resulting from their decision come Saturday.

The new leader must inspire hope among Ghanaians by addressing fundamental issues such as lack of patriotism, corruption, lack of accountability, poor maintenance culture, weak work ethics, an inordinate desire for foreign goods and services, and the absence of a coherent national development plan.

The pledges will amount to naught if there is no conscious effort by the people to renew their psyche. As the good book asserts, love is the greatest commandment; true love for our country will enable us to solve most of the problems we face.

We envision a Ghana where our road infrastructure is significantly developed, corrupt public officers are prosecuted with conscious efforts to retrieve losses, an effective transport system is in place, creative solutions are employed to reduce unemployment, and public servants, including politicians, truly live by their ‘servanthood’ designation.

We call on relevant institutions, including the Electoral Commission and the National Elections Security Taskforce, to ensure professionalism in the organisation of the polls and the handling of security matters.

A major concern shared by many is the issue of disinformation and misinformation, which is commonplace on social media. We urge the Coalition of Fact-Checking Groups to work closely with traditional media and security agencies to provide real-time rebuttals to false information.

We also encourage Ghanaians to embrace peace as they go out to exercise their franchise. Restraint and level-headedness, especially on social media, are essential to prevent the escalation of accusations, counteraccusations, and trolling.

May the will of the majority prevail.

Shalom.