YESTERDAY'S EDITION of the DAILY GRAPHIC carried an advice by the Acting President of the Ga Traditional Council to all residents living in the Ga state to do well to abide by this year's ban on drumming which begins on May 6.

According to the Graphic report, the traditional leader made the announcement at a post-independence reception and awards ceremony organized by the Regional Co-ordinating Council in Accra.

Other statements made by Nii Adote Obuor II suggested that those who are not ready to obey the ban will have themselves to blame.

The Chronicle would not discuss the merits or demerits of this subtle threat since the statement was made at a public function at which highly-placed government officials were present.

So much water has passed under the bridge since traditionalists and a section of the Christian community took the law into their own hands during last year's ban.

Every ardent student of religious history knows that conflicts between sects or faiths have sometimes been more venomous, carrying far-reaching implications than civil or political strife.

Fortunately for this nation, we are essentially a religious people. This, however, has not taken away the fact that we are gradually becoming a violent people.

And since religion touches the nerve centre of the average person, any attempt to toy with or ridicule a particular faith is usually met with a sense of resistance and repugnance.

As far as our research goes, no definitive statement had come from either party pledging un-conditional commitment to peace in terms of the ban.

The church appear to be depending on a constitutional ruling or executive directive to inform itself of what steps to take in relation to the ban. The traditionalists on the other hand are demanding that whoever is not ready to comply with the ban should relocate till the ban is lifted.

According to the regional minister who was at the function in an official capacity, it would be in the national interest if all parties accepted the recommendations of the committee and compromised for the good of the society.

Whilst the paper understands the government's position of neutrality, it also faults the executive branch of government for creating a caveat situation which both parties - traditionalists and Christians - could take advantage of to their own hurt or that of the larger section of the society.

The situation we have on our hands is akin to a serious marital conflict where neither party is working to compromise, merely talking to both parties or allowing them to sort themselves out would be like giving each of them a license to destroy themselves.

What this paper believes must happen is for the executive to appoint a committee to get into the case and come out with its own findings and recommendations which will be binding on both parties. As far as this paper is concerned, a compromise would be difficult to reach since both religions appear diametrically opposed to each other.

In the absence of any constitutional ruling, therefore, the government must be made to bell the cat.