Accra, July 29, GNA - Brigadier-General Richard Baiden, Commissioner of Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), on Thursday urged public relations practitioners to endeavour to foster peace in the performance of their duties to enhance the country's young democracy especially during this election year.

He said as public relations practitioners they had a responsibility to be truthful, transparent and decent in order to bring about unity. The CEPS Commissioner was speaking at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) Ghana held in Accra on the theme: "Public Relations and National Stability."

Brigadier-General Baiden said his experience as peacekeeper had deepened his horizon about the effects of war, which was mostly caused by unguarded utterances.

"The need to build a prosperous nation must be done in a stable environment, which could only come about through dignity and good language in communication especially in the media," he said. Brigadier-General Baiden said the public relations practitioner owed it a duty to society to help sanitize the forms of communication to build a prosperous state.

"Without public relations we cannot portray the good image of our country."

Mr Kojo Yankah, President of IPR Ghana, said any abuse of the freedom of speech and pollution of airwaves could endanger the stability of the country, which stood supreme.

"Our business whether in the private or public sector would be properly jeopardized if we allowed the unguarded expressions of a few individuals to destroy the peace of this nation." Mr Yankah said tensions were bound to rise during this election year generated by rhetoric geared towards winning the hearts of the people but what politicians say must be founded on truth, honesty and diligence.

He called on the public to use their language to eliminate insecurity, injustice and poverty.

Mr Yankah appealed to politicians, who mount political platform, to talk about how to find solution to the humiliating conditions under which some of the people live.