President urged to take drastic measures on vigilantism

General News of Saturday, February 2, 2019

Source: Graphic.com.gh

2019-02-02

Professor Ransford Gyampo, Director of the Center for European Studies of the University of Ghana and Governance Expert, described the violence that occurred in the West Wuogon Ayawaso by-election as a form gradual vigilance and a source of immediate concern for citizens. national peace and cohesion.

He therefore called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to intervene and take some drastic steps that must be taken to send a clear message that he will not support the operations of these self-defense groups.

According to him, it was the only way he could send a message to those who might want to retaliate to rethink their plans.

If not, he warned that "if it is not verified and in case of conflict, we will sacrifice our peace in 2020".

Speaking to the Daily Graphic about the problem of vigilance that seems to have become a regular feature of by-elections in the country, Prof. Gyampo said: "I plead with the president for it to fall on his doorstep. Recently, I congratulated him for the role he played in restoring peace in Dagbon.

This is Dagbon, but this one has the power to undermine the entire peace of the nation and, since he is a president in search of inheritance, I beg him to say that he It must also be said that it was during his administration that vigilance was stopped. "

A breach on democratic references

What happened last Thursday, he said, seriously undermined the country's democratic credentials, saying that although groups of "militia" and self-defense groups had committed acts of Violence in previous by-elections, the recent elections were different because they were perpetrated by people deceived everyone that they were also agents of the state.

"During previous violence, you could see that the people involved were hired thugs, but with this one, it is tempting to believe that they are also agents of the state," he said. -he explains.

"In my opinion, this is a gradual form of political vigilance in which vigilante groups would hide behind unorthodox clothing and be able to seize police vehicles and deceive the public, including the police. security agencies that they came from the state, and hide under this protection. as a cloak for visiting chaos at public events such as elections, "he said.

Professor Gyampo therefore felt that such a practice "is highly unacceptable and must be condemned by all".

While adding that he did not think that the action of the group was officially sanctioned by the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in power and that, therefore, he did not sanction it officially , the party should then officially dissociate itself from this party. act, condemn it and insist that the perpetrators be brought to justice.

Independence of public institutions

In the future, he said, to solve the problem of vigilance, it was necessary to rethink the independence of the country's public institutions.

Indeed, "we have created a Constitution that weakens all independent public institutions.

The police is not independent because the IGP is appointed directly by the president and must therefore dance on his air. "

In addition, he said, the Attorney General was not independent and once the perpetration of the violence would have benefited the ruling party, there would be a natural tendency not to prosecute or to bring the guilty parties to trial.

"If we do not think about how to strengthen public institutions by redefining candidates appointed by the president and whose appointment should be based on meritocracy, the president does not have a voice, people will continue to badert that they do not trust the police. will use their own security agencies, "he said.