One of the chaotic scenes from the Ablekuma North election rerun
The ongoing parliamentary election rerun in Ablekuma North has once again exposed a deep and troubling fault line in our democratic culture. Reports of violence, including the unacceptable assault of a journalist by a police officer and clashes between political party supporters, threaten the very essence of our maturing democracy.
As the Mindset Transformation Initiative (MTI), we are compelled to raise a red flag and extend a heartfelt appeal to all stakeholders — political actors, duty bearers, civil society, the media, and the general citizenry. What we are witnessing is not just a breach of electoral peace, but a reflection of a national mindset that must urgently shift.
We are a country that has long held the enviable position of being the beacon of democracy and the only true island of peace in a turbulent sub-region. This is not by accident, but by the collective commitment of past generations to choose dialogue over destruction, and ballots over bullets. It is, therefore, disheartening that during what should be a routine democratic process, fear, aggression, and lawlessness are being allowed to take root.
The President’s call to “reset the country” should not remain a political soundbite or a distant vision. It must be a call to action now that permeates every facet of national life. This reset must start with a transformation of our national mindset — how we approach governance, elections, public service, citizenship, and political engagement.
We at MTI believe that this rerun election should serve as a powerful moment of reflection for us all. The era of politics as warfare, elections as battlegrounds, and power as a prize to be won at all costs must give way to a new consciousness rooted in peace, responsibility, and national progress.
We call on:
1. Political Parties and Their Supporters:
Tone down the rhetoric, disband the vigilante instincts, and inspire your followers to see politics as a platform to serve, not to fight. Leadership is not proven in chaos but in the capacity to inspire peace even when tensions run high.
2. Security Services:
Your role is to protect, not provoke. The assault on a journalist — a custodian of democracy — is unacceptable. There must be swift accountability and retraining in crowd and media engagement to uphold professionalism at all times. Happily, the Police Service has shown a swift response and we should commend the IGP for that.
3. The Electoral Commission and Institutions of State:
Fairness and transparency must not be mere slogans but lived realities. Confidence in state institutions reduces tension. Communication, accessibility, and neutrality must be consistent and visible.
4. Media and Civil Society:
As opinion shapers, you hold the power to calm or inflame. Let us use our platforms to promote civility, provide accurate information, and denounce violence in all forms, regardless of where it originates.
5. The Ghanaian Citizenry:
We must collectively reject violence and the normalization of fear during elections. Democracy only thrives where citizens insist on peace, accountability, and truth.
Let us not betray the legacy we’ve inherited. Let us not squander the peace we have enjoyed. Let this rerun — though marred by troubling incidents — become the turning point where we as a nation resolve to do better.
The Mindset Transformation Initiative urges every Ghanaian to embrace the “reset” — a renewal of thought, behaviour, and engagement — because transformation begins not in policy, but in people. And when people change, the nation follows.
Let’s protect our democracy. Let’s protect our peace.
Let’s change our mindset.
