An Inter-Party Dialouge Committee inaugurated in Yendi

A thirty-seven member Inter-Party Dialogue Committee has been inaugurated in the Yendi Municipality of Northern Region. The Committee Members are made up of selected executive members of registered political parties, faith-based bodies, Municipal Coordinating Director and his Deputy of the Assembly, security personnel, and women groups among others. In his inaugural address, the Yendi Catholic Bishop Vincent Sowah Boi-Nai appealed to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), NGOs and other benevolent societies to provide funds to the Inter-Party Dialogue Committees to work effectively towards free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections in 2012. Bishop Boi-Nai stated that Yendi, being one of the flash points in the country, there is the need for the committee to work hard to ensure that the peace in the area is sustained before during and after the 2012 elections. According to the Catholic Bishop, the Committee will thus serve as a unifying body which could promote peace and resolve conflicts before, during and after the 2012 general elections to enhance political, economic and social progress and stability. He called on the Committee members to provide an effective platform for key stakeholders to engage with political parties in their areas. Bishop Boi-Nai reminded them that Ghana is among the few countries in Africa which have made some significant progress with regards to free and fair elections. He noted that as a result, Ghana has been internationally acclaimed as the beacon of democratic governance not only in West Africa but also on the African Continent as a whole. He observed that Ghana’s 2012 elections will be a significant test for growth and sustainability of her democracy. The Yendi Municipal Director of National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Alhaji Sulemana Alhassan Iddi called on the Electoral Commission to engage political neutral persons as Presiding Officers, Returning Officers and Polling Assistant at the various polling stations. According to Alhaji Sulemana, the Inter-Party Dialogue Committee shall help monitor and report cases of breach of the code of conduct for political parties. He called on the Electoral Commission to ensure the availability of election materials on the election day so that every registered voter will have the chance of voting to avoid suspicion. Alhaji Sulemana, who is also the Convener, said similar Inter-Party Dialogue Committees will be formed in the Mion Constituency and other areas of Yendi Municipality. He stated that this is because the Yendi members of the committee cannot cover the entire Municipality. The Yendi Municipal Police Commander, DSP Andrew George Kuma, is the chairman of the committee.