The Executive Secretary of the National Pecae Council, George Amoh, says political parties are key contributors of hate speech in Ghana.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in partnership with stakeholders including the National Peace Council in July held a public forum on combating hate speech and polarization, aimed at promoting the consolidation of democracy ahead of the 2024 election.
The forum brought together stakeholders to discuss and build national consensus against hate speech and toxic narratives.
The executive director of the MFWA, Sulemana Braimah, said the forum was part of ongoing efforts to address mis/disinformation, hate speech, and polarizing narratives that can be detrimental to Ghana’s democracy.
He noted that Ghana, with a population of 32 million, has more radio stations than Nigeria, which has over 200 million people.
He explained that while this may be good in terms of pluralism, it poses a challenge in terms of regulation.
Speaking on hate speech in an exclusive interview with host of Atinka AM Drive, Nana Yaw Fianko, Goerge Amoh said some of the words used by some of the members of the political parties can be avoided.
“Some of their (Political Parties) words can be avoided and that;s what we want to draw the attention of the country to. Sometimes, the banters do not resolve issues. Civil Society has a role to play to ensure that we keep our country together. We cannot afford to allow our country to degenerate into a place we do not want to live. We have a duty to ensure that we keep our country safe,” George Amoh added.
George Amoh said the key drivers of violence in the region are hate speech, hate language and divisive comments, adding that these issues are confronting our democracy and hindering the realization of its dividends.
As part of efforts to ensure peaceful elections in Ghana, the MFWA also launched a National Multi-Stakeholder Coalition Against Hate Speech and Other Polarizing Narratives.
The ‘National Multi-Stakeholder Coalition against Hate Speech and Polarizing Toxic Narratives’ comprises reputable national organizations.
The Coalition will, from time to time, issue joint statements on emerging issues of hate speech and polarizing narratives, using the reports from the language monitoring exercises, and call for moderation and decent political and election-related discourses to foster peaceful campaigning before, during, and after the elections.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com
