All over the world, especially in the developing democracies in Africa, Asia, Latin America, etc, electioneering and the aftermath of most elections have been the immediate cause and trigger of violence. The hardest hit by this is Africa, which is undergoing the Western democratic experiment. A lot of people have attempted to explain the prevalence of political violence in Africa. The Africanist perspective claims that African states are artificial creations of colonialism rather than naturally evolved states. Thus military or potential military nationalities have been forced to live together. Western-style democracy and its manifestations are alien to Africa's traditional systems of government, which are devoid of the existence of visible opposition and open criticism - their kings and chiefs, as well as elders, are perceived as sacred beings. The non-Africanist school blames the political violence on Africa's political leadership and its style of governance. That school attributes the level of political violence to greedy and corrupt leadership, stage management of elections in favour of ruling parties (Obasanjo of Nigeria, Kibaki of Kenya, Eyadema of Togo, etc), competing parties’ disregard for due process, as well as high levels of poverty and illiteracy. Others see Africa's elections as do-or-die affairs, since the winner takes all. This has resulted in the politics of patronage rather than the equitable distribution of state resources (that is, supporters of political parties are ready to 'die' for them). These are fuelled by weak or teleguided political institutions. These and many others remind us of the overwhelming need to do everything . within our. might to secure disciplined political campaigning for violence-free December 2008 elections and a more united nation. We cannot afford to let go our flag bearership of Africa's democracy on the basis of the greed and power-hungry ambitions of some politicians or political parties. This, therefore, calls for the exercise of political discipline to guarantee peaceful and violence-free elections this year. In furtherance of this, we expect all political parties and their agents, other political actors (the Electoral Commission, the National Commission for Civic Education, etc) to conduct themselves according to the rules and regulations set out in the Political Parties Act and IPAC agreements. There is also the need for all players in our political scene to exercise utmost discipline to ensure violence-free elections. Multi-party democracy is about varying perspectives in seeing the social issues (problems) and how they can be addressed based on their respective orientations and philosophies. Whether it is party ‘A’ or 'B' which is in power, the goal of politics is to improve the living conditions of Ghanaians. Violence-free elections will bring about: The realisation of the ultimate aim of politics - improving the well-being of the people, saving lives and property, building investor confidence in the economy, enhancing patriotism and national unity, despite the different political persuasions, as well as boosting Ghana's international integrity and credibility among the comity of nations. What, then, can we, as Ghanaians, do to ensure peaceful and violence-free December 2008 elections? We must engage in issues based electioneering. There should also be regular IPAC meetings to enable aggrieved and frustrated parties to seek redress and also serve as a platform for the cross fertilisation of ideas. Political party leaderships should desist from using inflammatory language and inciting their rank and file against their political opponents. They should also admonish their followers to remain calm, even in the face of any provocation. Presidential and parliamentary candidates should avoid wild and troublesome campaign promises (especially concerning issues of chieftaincy and land disputes). The media should be entreated to be mindful of their reportage. Also the media commission, the GJA and other appellate bodies should monitor and, if need be, sanction journalists who may fall out of line. Again, the leaders of our mosques, churches and other religious bodies should shy away from partisan politics and also advise their members against engaging in potential or actual violent acts. The EC, the judiciary, the police and other security agencies should discharge their duties in a professional and neutral manner to inspire the trust and confidence of all Ghanaians. In conclusion, we should be reminded that in violent and conflict situations, the youth, who are hardest hit, may not even be the beneficiaries in the end. Let's be on our guard. Let's not be tools in the hands of political bigwigs to enable them to achieve their parochial interests. Again, as we exercise our democratic right to freedom of speech, expression, to be voted for and to gain support for our parties or candidates as enshrined in Article 21, Clause 1 of the 1992 Constitution, we should not forget that where our freedom ends is where another's begins. This calls for utmost restraint and the need to play by the rules of electioneering - political discipline. The PNC is appealing to all political parties, independent candidates, other political actors, political gatekeepers and other state institutions with the obligation to ensure free, fair, firm, credible and ultimately violence-free elections should rise to the occasion. Source: Emmanuel Wilson Jnr./Daily Graphic