NPP, NDC MUST SOFTEN STANCE ON BAWKU CRISIS — TESCON (PAGE 16, NOV 13)

THE Wa campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS) branch of the Tertiary Students Confederacy Network (TESCON), of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on the two major political parties, the NDC and the NPP, to soften their stance on the Bawku crisis.
It said it was a known fact that the conflict in Bawku had taken a political dimension and therefore, there could only be peace if the two parties acted in a manner that would make the factions appreciate the need to live in peace with each other. The President of the Network, Mr Mohammed Abdul-Hakam, in an interview in Wa, said the approach to solving the conflict must change.
“For Bawku to see lasting peace, there is the need for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the NPP to do the right thing and give up certain things for the sake of peace in Bawku and the entire country,” he stated.
He suggested that the time had come for the National House of Chiefs and other conflict resolution institutions to handle the crisis without any political interference.
Mr Abdul-Hakam also said President Atta Mills must reassign the current Minister of the Interior, Mr Cletus Avoka, since his position could be a setback to the peace process.
On the peace initiative which was launched recently in Wa by a Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, Mr Abdul-Hakam stressed the readiness of members of the TESCON to work with the Tertiary Educational Institution Network (TEIN) of the NDC to complement efforts at bringing lasting peace to Bawku.
The TESCON president further appealed to the people of Bawku, especially the youth, to expose all those who come to lure them to ferment trouble.
He said as future leaders of the country, there was a lot more ahead of them than fighting one another, pointing out, that “We have to lay down the arms and rather concentrate on our education”.
He also appealed to the security agencies to remain as neutral as possible and prosecute all offenders without fear or favour.
This, Mr Abdul-Hakam, believed would send the right signals to troublemakers to desist from causing further troubles.