The Knights and Ladies of Marshall have added their voice to the call for peace before, during and after the General Elections on 7^th December, 2016.

The group in a statement expressed concern at what they described as the heightening political intolerance in the country which have led to clashes.

The Knights and Ladies of Marshall is a Catholic Friendly Society which is dedicated to service to country and Church with over 12,000 members.

Attached is the full statement

Concerns and Recommendations

We are particularly concerned about recent events that point to political intolerance, especially the recent clashes between supporters of NPP and NDC as well as fanning of ethnic and religious differences, which have the potential of degenerating into violent conflicts. We condemn such acts and urge all political parties and indeed all citizens to exercise decorum, tolerance, and civility in their campaigns and canvassing for votes.

While we pray and work for peace in our country, we do recognize that peace is grounded in justice. We, therefore, urge the key actors like the Electoral Commission and the Security Agencies to discharge their duties in a transparent and just manner without fear or favour. In this regard, we also urge the Government to ensure that these Agencies receive adequate resources and logistics in time to undertake their task more effectively.

Democratic elections are not only essential practice of good governance but also a mechanism for citizens' participation in the National development process. The choices we make and the peaceful management of these elections can either enhance or retard our National development agenda. We, therefore, call on all eligible voters to exercise this patriotic duty by turning out on the polling day to cast their vote in a manner that is based on their own conviction about what would promote their wellbeing. Additionally, the electorate must abide by the regulations guiding these elections as defined by the Electoral Commission. Discipline and self-comportment are required by all to ensure peaceful elections.

The media is critical to national peace and security.  In this regard, we call upon the media to uphold the highest journalistic values and ethics in their reportage of the electoral process.  It is desirable that before the media publishes any information related to the election, such information should not be based on hearsay, but should first be verified to be the truth. Patriotism should be at the centre of journalistic commentary on the elections. With specific reference to these elections, we wish to persuade the media to only publish official results declared by the EC at the various levels.

Ensuring peaceful elections is everybody's business and therefore each individual, organization or group must first think about their role in this regard rather than finding blame in others. Various institutions, structures and individuals must work diligently towards peaceful elections. The utterances, actions or inactions of just one group, body or individual can mar the peace and setback the development process.