Don’t pay lip service to peace – Forum
The Human Rights Justice Forum- Ghana (HRJF), a non-governmental organisation, has called on Ghanaians not to pay lip service to the numerous calls for peace before and after the Supreme Court verdict on the election petition.
“Peace should be maintained by every Ghanaian from the depth of their hearts before and after the final judgement of the Supreme Court,” Mr Albert Kofi Mensah, Founder and National Chairman of HRJF said on Friday at a news conference at Gomoa Main in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region
The conference coincided with the launch of a five- year educational programme to be carried out in the district by the HRJF.
It was attended by traditional authorities and a cross section of the public on the theme: “Human Rights and Access to Justice.”
Mr Mensah said the mission of the forum is to promote, develop, sustain and protect fundamental rights and freedoms of the citizens.
He called on stakeholders to give the forum the needed support and cooperation to enable it to achieve its goals and objectives.
The Chairman urged Ghanaians to endeavour to bury their political differences after the court ruling and forge ahead to accelerate the development of the nation since “we have one nation, one people with a common destiny”.
Mr Mensah appealed to the media to be circumspect when reporting on the final verdict of the Supreme Court, in other not to incite the public for violence.
Touching on the objectives of the Forum’s five years educational programmes on “human rights and access to Justice”, he said the body would embark on massive educational campaign to enlighten the public on how to access justice.
He said the Forum would collaborate with the legal aid scheme to train paralegals through a training scheme to support mediation and other issues at the community level.
It would also tackle the issue of bribery and corruption and seek the needs of ex-convicts.
The Forum Chairman also used the occasion to appeal to Parliament to as a matter of urgency pass the Rights to Information Bill, stressing that “Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and is touchstone for all freedoms”.
Nana Ewusie Sam, Mankrado of Gomoa-Maim, listed bad roads, lack of potable water and effects of group hunting in the area as some of the problems confronting the community and called on the Forum to come the aid of the people.
Source: GNA