THE ROLE OF THE GHANAIAN YOUTH IN A PEACEFUL 2012 GENERAL ELECTIONS

In a country of about 24 million population, Ghana is made up of about 60 percent youth. The youth can be defined in a broad sense as people between the ages of 15 and 35. However, the United Nations also gives a vivid definition of the youth as people from 10 to 24 years of age. In Ghana, democratic elections are held every four years, on December 7, to change government or to reinstate an incumbent one, and the youth play a pivotal role in the electioneering process. The youth,which mostly forms part of the active population in the country, plays diverse roles when it comes to the development of the country. The youth are often seen organising clean-up exercises and taking part in other productive and educational activities. In the same way, the enthusiasm and potentials of the youth can be employed in ensuring a peaceful general election this year.

Many would have thought that it is mainly the youth that are involved in violent and destructive acts throughout the country in times of election but the fact cannot be played down that it is the majority of the youth that can be mobilised to promote long lasting peace before, during and after the 2012 general elections. In this article, we would look at some of the vital roles that the youth can play in promoting a peaceful election this year.

One influential venture the youth can take is to educate the people on the need to observe a peaceful elections. This can be done by organising seminars, workshops and community gatherings at towns and villages on the need for a peaceful general election. This education can be done by the youth through various means like writing articles to the various newspapers, creating awareness on the other media like the television, radio and the internet as well as the production and distribution of handouts, booklets and flyers to preach about the need for peace in our country.

The youth can also become ambassadors of peace to prevent chaos before, during and after the elections. Football stars, musicians, actors and actresses, who mainly are youth, can take the initiative of pledging and making declarations to promote a conflict- free elections. Football matches involving these celebrities can also be organised to campaign for a peaceful elections.

In another way, the youth can volunteer to take effective part in electoral processes. They can do this by willingly helping the Electoral Commission at the various polling stations especially those at the rural areas. At these areas, the youth can serve as polling agents and security personnel who would help in one way or the other by supervising and ensuring that the electorates would have a successful voting process. They can also assist the electorates who may be ignorant of the electoral procedures.

Campaign messages of the various political parties especially those involving the youth should be strictly devoid of insults and unwholesome comments. Since the essence of most campaigns is to draw votes for the party, the political heads, who would aspire for peace to prevail, should warn their spokes personnel who usually go on TV and radio, to desist from the use of vulgar languages in campaign messages.

Youthful card-bearing members of the various political parties should be made to sign bonds which would restrict them from involving themselves in violent acts which in turn may result in conflict. In relation, the polling agents should be made to sign bonds which would prevent them from engaging in any act which seeks to favour a group of people or a political party during the election.

The youth in the security service who are assigned to the various polling stations around the country should be made to take bonds. These bonds when taken would make them more committed and would restrict them from taking part in some unscrupulous activities which may include assaulting and maltreating voters of some political parties and also from taking bribes. These documented, signed bonds, endorsed by higher authorities could come with their own consequencies when defaulted. These consequencies may include dismissal from their jobs and imprisonment.

Comportment by all youth at the various polling stations would serve as a very vital role in the 2012 general elections. The youth should try as much as possible to obey all rules and regulations governing the elections. The youth should also co-operate with the polling agents and the security personnel in order to make their work more easy and efficient. When these have been ensured, it would prevent the emergence of election malpractices and hence would help to bring about the much desired peaceful elections.

The much anticipated results of the 2012 general elections should be accepted in good faith by Ghanaians especially our young people. Since the youth forms part of the active population and plays a vital role in active politics, most political leaders may sometimes use them for illegal activities. The youth should accept whoever emerges the as the victor in good faith. Then there would be long lasting peace after December 7, since most of the political leaders may not get the chance to use the youth to satisfy their parochial interest in the elections.

In conclusion, the Ghanaian youth should not underestimate themselves but rather see themselves as an influential part of the nation’s population who can largely maintain the international reputation of Ghana as a peaceful and democratic country even as we yearn to observe another crucial moment of peaceful elections coming December 7.

It is undoubtedly the hope of all that Ghana would not take after some African countries who have experienced situations of war and conflicts following the declaration of election results. We therefore entreat all citizens especially the young Ghanaian to play all roles expected of him or her to ensure a violent free 2012 general elections.

                                                                      By: Addai Thomas, Eva Kuupoolo and Codjoe Prince

                                                                                             Ghana Institute of Journalism

                                                                                                       Level 100A

OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

In the world today are so many personalities who have impacted and are still changing lives and altering situations around the globe for the better with their everyday activities, aiming to make the world a better place to live in.

In another corner of the world we find another band- a different section of people with a different sort of aim. Their daily activities carried out have given them away as people who are pleased with life circumstances, no matter how it looks(whether bad or worse) and are still hoping for a life-changing moment which they presume to be coming  “soon” , without pinning their butts down to think and also ask themselves: “what am I doing about my situation?”.

Some people today are just hoping “someone” from “somewhere” would help them “someday” to become “somebody” in life. What they have failed to come to is that, each and every individual in this world has got personal matters to deal with.

 Have you ever heard this statement: “Life is how you make it”? I believe strongly that you have. Now, how true does this sound to you? Maybe you’ve heard it and never thought about it. Life is how you make it. Do you believe it? Sure you do?

For me, it is true. Life is really how you make it. Like I said in the beginning, there are people in the world impacting into other lives with their activities. There are others who are just there, refusing to enlarge their thinking capacity, refusing to make a change with their lives – their talents, their minds and most opportunities that come their way. These people just feel okay with whatever they have and whoever they seem to be. They think neither of how to better their lives nor how to be different and extraordinary. They just love to live by the status quo. We all do hope that “one day” we would become “great people” in our world, with prominent positions, luxurious mansions, posh cars and high social class identity. Wouldn’t you also want to be great someday?  Owning houses, cars and enjoy life?

The fact is that everyone wants to be great in life, but how many are ready to stand against all odds for it? All these dreams we have of the future cannot fall like manna from heaven! We have to work for them. No matter where we may have reached in the journey of life, we have to work towards them because they would never fall like manna from heaven.

My father once said “To be an extraordinary person in life, you ought to do extraordinary things”. If you want to graduate from school with extraordinary grades, you must work towards that. If you think you need to earn more than USD$10,000 in a week or month then you’ve got to work towards it. Whether you like it or not, it will never fall from heaven (That’s the truth).

Some people in life do complain about a whole lot of matters. , some do complain of their financial matters (Are you one of them?), others about their job (Are you one of them?), others about their family, education, colleagues, boss, workplace, husband, wife, children and so many other issues. What they fail to do is think!

O yes! They fail to think of what to do, to solve their problem. They fail to ask themselves certain necessary questions to get answers to their problems, to make things better. Rather, most of them go about whining (and I hope you are not one of them), elevating their problems, making it seem like they were the only sufferers of challenges in this world.

To make changes in life, one must take a step, a bold step, to do something.

  

Some people do feel that with whatever they have or possess in life, they should be satisfied and pleased. What follows is that, they strive not for other things; they desire not for other goodies and rather remain in their comfort zone. Without hesitation I wouldn’t say that is bad, but that is the choice for lazy bones. When you stay in your comfort zone, you limit yourself. The world is fast-growing with each and every second that ticks away. Let me ask you now. What are you doing with your life? Have you already joined the queue of those waiting for “someone” from “somewhere” to come and better their life or with conviction, you want to take the load and be the trailblazer and the change-agent? I urge you to come out of your comfort zone because that’s certainly not the place for you.

Would you like to see the world changing, with all the technological advancement and you being left behind? A thousand times no! God planned a beautiful life for you but you know what, it all depends on you. God Almighty has played His role; the spotlight shines on you now. He put great treasures in you to display for the whole world to benefit from. He endowed you with talent that’s different from the ones all over the world. He is looking at you now. He is counting on you. He is expecting you to do something with all that He has given you. God is expecting you to use that idea to make a change! Don’t you stay in that comfort zone anymore. Free yourself from mediocrity! You have the power so better yourself, better your life. Make that change and influence another life for the better. 

Go out to the world and do what you are born to do. 

The world is looking straight at you.

You need to make that change. 

There is duty!

MY FIRST IMPRESSION ABOUT THE GHANA INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISM (GIJ)

It was a joyous moment for me when I received my admission letter from the Ghana Institute of Journalism to pursue a Degree in Communications studies. It was the only tertiary institution I had dreamt of as a teen and now here I am, in GIJ.

Prior to my admission, I have had some funny preconceptions about this institute and now that I am part of the student community I do have some impressions about GIJ.

For an institution like the Ghana Institute of Journalism, I begin to wonder how small the student populace is. But even now, with over six hundred first years, the institute says this has been the highest number of admissions in the history of GIJ.

Following admission was lectures and I must say that the first week of it was disorganized. After copying the time table which was pasted on the notice board, first year students, for that matter Level 100s, have had to move around like a sheepfold without a shepherd, just trying to locate the right lecture rooms assigned us. I never thought lecture rooms could be as small as normal classrooms back at high school until I stepped into GIJ. The lecture rooms are smaller than those in other universities and amazingly could not contain all Level 100s.

After observations, I’ve come to realize that lecturers at the institute are committed, but I am a little worried about the abuse of time allocated to lectures. Students have to wait sometimes for twenty minutes or more before a lecturer comes to class.

Prior to my application for admission, I had also held the notion that GIJ was a big place only to find out that it is not so. The campus is not very large and I think it does save our legs from long treks inside the institute.

“Keteke “ is another club in the institute which I am pleased to have encountered. I like to write and thanks to “Keteke”, I would always have the opportunity to share my write-ups.

Students on campus are friendly and easy-going. It is quite stunning for me, to see a vast number of them make friends even on the first day of lectures. For me, I think I am yet to make one that would be committed.

The library, another facility on campus is one place I cherish and so far I can say that I am comfortable with it, not withstanding its small size.

I love to be in GIJ and irrespective of what takes place here, my main focus is to study as “students equal studies”.

BETRAYED

    How does it feel like to be betrayed by a friend? I mean ignored by a friend you know mutually. How does it feel when you are betrayed by an online friend? (I mean a friend you made online) how would you feel anyway when you get ignored by a Facebook friend? Shocking, isn’t it?

    I have seen and come across, even looked into an online friend’s face several times and still have conducted myself like I never knew her even to have a chat with her. I met her the first time when I was with one of my cousins, Prince Ankrah. We were both at the roadside and I was with him to board a van back home. Her name was Cecilia. Prince told me she was his mate back at high school. Days later I “added” her on Facebook, after seeing a picture of her on Prince’s page. From then on, much hasn’t happened between us, as friends on Facebook. I remember once sending her a “hi” message while she was online but she never replied. Initially, I thought she was really grown enough- due to the way she looked in her pictures, until I saw her on the side of the road one blessed evening. I was surprised. I thought she was so short. Let’s say she was about four feet or four point five feet tall. I really got surprised. I caught sight of her on the roadside as she passed by me, on the way home. I began to think I was so tall then. Since that time thereon, I think I’ve met her about five more times without bothering to communicate with her.  Some days ago, I was at an internet café and there she was too, I recognized her instantly. Then she also stole a glance at me. Then I began to think that she could recognize me as one of her friends on Facebook. Unfortunately for me, I met her today (this is about the sixth time) in the same internet café. And this time our eyes met again (it wasn’t for any special reason). We recognized each other again and still no communication, despite the fact that we’re friends on the social network site, Facebook.

   Sometimes I wonder why we even continue being friends on Facebook. I wonder why we still keep our friendship on Facebook. It’s like making friends and denying them later on (just like Judas Iscariot denied Jesus Christ in the Holy Bible). That’s how I feel like now. I just want to be a good friend to her. I want to talk friendly to her next time but I don’t want to at the same time (for another reason). I begin to wonder what would happen when I begin to meet more online friends in the real world just like I did meet Cecilia face to face. I’m I going to ignore them too?   And are they going to equally ignore me? I don’t think that should happen (for we are real friends). I don’t think you should ignore your friends either.

   But come to think of it, that Cecilia (she now has a different username on Facebook) wasn’t she the one rather ignoring me? Anyway, it should be over now. I learnt enough from the experience.

POWER

Out of a bold man i come with confidence

Placing my orders to be with good sense

For anything i can yell

And to my subjects,terror i can spell

In an eye's twinkle,my wishes can be done

And to every mile i can

I can take hold of dictators

No wonder i do wonders

Do you remember?Jesus used me

So did the Pharisees in Israel

Men of wicked hearts

Thieves,rogues have access to me

I can give myself to even YOU!

But you need to be bold

Just like Dr Kwame Nkrumah

George Bush and Bin Laden Osama

Out of people i come with different voices

With me, be careful of your choices

Because i can invoke trouble!

And spell DOOM!

YES! I can let a hot one drizzle

Even if you have me forever

I can make you suffer

So BEWARE!

Lives have been lost through me

And lives have bee saved

Have you noticed?

I can take you from rags to riches

I am so strong

My strength can cause chaos

And for sure i can get you applause

I can even make you a killer!

But know how to handle me

You soothing saviours

Don't cause disasters

BEWARE!

For my name is POWER!

BE HAPPY

Sometimes when you feel bad
Things may have happened,which made you sad
But then,you have to let go
Cos you're expected to do so
Would you allow yourself to rage?
In the end you'll receive a bitter wage
Why not forget it
And substitute joy with it
Take this to make you happy
"A woman was once busy
In her house she heard an uproar
Curious,she ran with vigour
To see for herself the incident
But in mid-air,she met a flying bucket"
That was the result of her curiosity
Now try to relieve yourself from this animosity
Cos no one will make you happy
Until you do so wholeheartedly
Be happy at all times
And let me see the smiles

AND I ASKED:"WHY?"

The atmosphere was seized with anxiety

Were the villains calling for anarchy

Or was it a time of welcoming peace

For democracy to take its place

Some said “all is well”

But their actions forced us backwards

And i asked:why?

Why were we deceiving ourselves

When they strived selfishly for themselves

The candidates were in the mood

And they did themselves good

Some of them got secrets covered

Which were never discovered

Never did i understand

Why the state fell form its stand

And i asked:WHY?