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By Benjamin Mensah / Christopher Arko , RNG
Accra, May 23, GNA – Stakeholders in a
public forum on the Vigilance Bill called for efforts to
threat of vigilance in the egg to ensure peace before, during and after
the general elections of 2020.
The forum warned the nation not to live
under the illusion that there had been peace in the previous elections, underlining
that militancy was gradually becoming a chancre in the political life of the nation
environment.
Citing the recent events of self-defense that
Ayawaso West Wuogon's parliamentary election, and others in the
Talensi, Chereponi, Atiwa, Akwatia and Amenfi West in the recent
past, as well as terrorist threats in neighboring Burkina Faso, the forum
asked all stakeholders on the bridge to prevent the problem from getting bigger.
The forum, organized by Parliament
Special Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, held at
Parliament, sought to solicit the views of stakeholders on the vigilance and
2019 Related Offenses Bill, for which the Chamber was recalled in the course of
leave for an emergency session, but for which the allocation has been deferred
other consultations.
The Stakeholder Conference precedes the
the resumption of the House, next Tuesday, June 28, 2019.
The purpose of the bill is to dissolve
self-defense groups of political parties and prohibit acts of vigilance in the
country.
Vigilance has been defined as the act of
take the law into his own hands and try to deliver justice according to
to his own understanding of good and evil.
It is seen as an action taken by a volunteer
badociation of people who organize themselves to protect a
common interest such as freedom, property or personal security.
It is also "an action taken by an individual or
group to protest the existing law; action taken by an individual or group for
apply a law superior to that adopted by the legislative bodies designated by the company.
the institutions; private application of legal norms in the absence of a
repressive, effective and efficient. "
Political vigilance has gained popularity in
Ghana in recent years, particularly as a result of previous political activities,
during and after the elections and became a security threat, for which
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, last February, made a statement to end
this phenomenon.
Ms. Gloria Akufo, Attorney General and
Minister of Justice, on April 11, 2019, the bill was submitted to Parliament,
should be treated under the certificate of urgency to deal with political issues
the vigilance of the parties and its notoriety in Ghana.
Aaron Michael Oquaye, President of
Parliament, referred the matter to the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs to determine whether or not it was an emergency, but
the Committee indicated that the bill, despite its urgency, still needed
go through consultations for further work on this.
During a stakeholder engagement, speakers from
Academies, civil society groups, the National Peace Council, the
Episcopal Conference, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE),
political parties and the media, among others, argued for the strength and
concerted efforts to deal with the growing canker of vigilance.
Ms. Josephine Nkrumah, Chair of the Committee
NCCE, said the recent terrorist attacks in neighboring Burkina Faso were a
strong signal for vigilantism, since it has received support from
terrorism.
She said that the political parties that sponsored or
engaged in activism should be prohibited from taking part in elections.
Ms. Nkrumah identified a growing youth
unemployment as a cause of vigilance, adding that bodybuilding groups have
become sources of recruitment of political activists.
She called for national security
apparatus to effectively control the influx of small arms and light weapons into the
County, with a call for funds for the Commission to carry out its civic education activities
activities because donor funding has not been announced recently.
Security Analyst Dr. Vladmir Antwi-Danso
argues that militancy was supported by the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, but
has become a bad phenomenon as a result of its use for violence and
crime.
"Vigilance in itself is not a bad thing and
the constitution allows vigilantism. In 1979, the late President Liman asked all
to form vigilance groups in our small areas to help governance. But it has
taken a very bad turn that is why we are all in hysteria. It's this hysteria
This led the president to call for the dissolution of the vigilance system, "he said.
I said.
He said Act 29 of the 1960 Penal Code
sufficient laws to deal with any act of illegality, and emphasized the need for
strengthen and enforce laws to deal with all kinds of people who have acted
against them.
"Do we really need an invoice or can we rather
strengthen the bottom of these laws so that we can tackle the
crime?
"Because I think the Criminal Code is
so complete that all of this can be encompbaded. That's the lack
the institutional capacity or the will that makes activism flourish ".
"Can we make institutionalism work in Ghana?
Institutionalism and constitutionalism are the platforms upon which good
prosperous governance … "
Mr Alex Sebgefia, former Minister of
Health, representing the National Democratic Congress, called on the government
to publish the report on the findings of the Emile Short Commission that probed
the Ayawaso West Wuogon By-elections.
Mr. Sammi Awuku, National Organizer of
New Patriotic Party, congratulated President Nana Akufo-Addo for her role in the
the fight against vigilance.
Speakers from other groups asked
non-political interference in the treatment of thugs and political thugs.
GNA
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