Editorial
COMMENT: Let’s give peace chance
The United Nations observed the International Day of Families on Thursday, May 15, and the International Day of Living Together in Peace last Friday, May 16.
The good news is that both festivities call for an action-driven strategy to resolve disputes and advance harmony in order to foster peace, understanding, and unity.
The International Day of Families is a celebration of all kinds of families with the goal of fostering closer ties between them. That the United Nations (UN) plans and encourages a range of events to honour the Day on this unique day is inspiring.
More encouraging is the fact that the celebration contributes to increasing awareness of the various family-related and family-affecting issues, such as gender inequality, healthcare, education, violence, and prejudice.
It is a public holiday in other countries, and the intention is for parents to spend an additional day with their children and extended family, which surely strengthens the bonds within the family. This bolsters the theme for this year’s International Day of Families, “Family-Oriented Policies for Sustainable Development.”
Since living together as a family offers its members warmth, love, friendship, emotional support, and security – especially amongst couples and their children – the celebration should be encouraged.
In a similar vein, the International Day of Living Together in Peace is observed to consistently mobilise the global community’s efforts to advance tolerance, peace, inclusion, understanding, and solidarity.
Every year, May 16 is celebrated globally to support the goal of living and acting as one, unified in variety and differences, in order to create a sustainable world of harmony, peace, and solidarity.
Around the world, people observe a minute of silence at noon on this day. Peace conferences and workshops are arranged to commemorate the day, and others participate in intercultural dialogue.
Saying no to violence, embracing diversity, understanding one another even during disagreements or conflicts, avoiding discrimination, appreciating others, and treating everyone with decency and respect are all necessary for living in peace.
Since unresolved disagreements result in strained relationships, stress, and even mental health difficulties that eventually influence productivity, creativity, and general well-being, every effort must be made to coexist peacefully.
The Spectator believes that an act of compassion, forgiveness, and tolerance that results in the cessation of conflicts is necessary for peace to reign.
Therefore, in order to facilitate the work of the National Peace Council, we implore families, communities, ethnic groups, religious organisations, government representatives, and other parties involved in conflicts to give peace a chance and encourage reconciliation.
A more peaceful and successful society will result from our acceptance of peace since it will encourage collaboration, economic expansion, social stability, improved well-being, less conflict, and trust.
Dear Editor,
It is often said that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. However, this saying becomes worrying when the health of citizens is threatened by the conditions under which the food they consume daily is sold.
In Ghana, the conditions under which food is sold is quite disturbing. Over the years, I have observed that the environments where food is prepared and sold are often unhygienic.
In many cases, containers holding food such as rice and waakye are left uncovered or not properly covered, exposing them to contamination.
While many Ghanaians paid little attention in the past to the conditions under which food was sold, the narrative seems to be changing in recent years.
I recall an incident during my days in Senior High School (S.H.S.) when my friends and I went out to buy food. At one location, some of us chose not to buy because we assumed the food would be expensive due to how neat the place looked.
Unfortunately, we ended up purchasing food from a different place that was somewhat unhygienic. We overlooked the poor conditions because we believed the quantity offered was better than at the cleaner location.
However, I am certain that my friends and I would not repeat such a mistake today, as we now understand the health implications of that decision.
While public education is important in addressing this issue, I believe it is time for regulatory and law enforcement agencies, such as the Food and Drug Authority (FDA), to crack the whip on food sellers and vendors who operate in unhygienic environments and conditions.
As citizens, we must also be mindful of where we buy our food to protect ourselves and our families from diseases and illnesses. We should choose ‘quality’ over ‘quantity’ and prioritize our health.
From Syram
Oyarifa
Dear Editor,
I write to express concern and call for improved security measures before and after every football match.
The recent robbery attack that led to the tragic death of a player, on their return from a Match day 29 game against Samartex, is both shocking and heartbreaking.
The incident, which reportedly occurred around 10:30 p.m., highlights the growing risks faced by players and team officials while traveling.
Football is meant to unite and entertain, not to expose lives to danger. It is therefore imperative that authorities, the Ghana Football Association, and security agencies put in place adequate protection for teams, especially during late-night travels.
I strongly urge all stakeholders to treat this matter with urgency to prevent such unfortunate incidents from recurring.
From Eugene Ampiaw
Accra
