Vigilance bill is useless – Sammy Gyamfi

Policy of Friday, April 12, 2019

Source: asempanews.com

2019-04-12

Sammy Gyamfi, national communications officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said the Ghanaian Attorney General's Vigilance Bill was intended to dissolve party supporters' groups as "useless".

The bill proposes a sentence of 10 to 25 years in jail for anyone participating in the activities of a group of supporters of political parties with an offensive weapon.

Section 3 of the legislation known as the Vigilance and Related Offenses Act, 2019, prohibits the training, organization, operation or promotion of training, organization , operation or activities of a group of supporters of political parties.

The clause further prohibits membership of a party's self-defense group and its participation in the activities of a self-defense party of a political party.

This bill was tabled and read for the first time in Parliament on Thursday, April 11, 2019.

The Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Gloria Akufo, introduced the bill on behalf of the Government. The Chairman of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee referred it to the Committee on the Constitution, Laws and Parliamentary Affairs for consideration of its urgency or otherwise and to report back to the plenary for examination.

The sole purpose of the bill is to dissolve the vigilante groups of political parties and to outlaw acts of vigilance in the country.

This decision was in line with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's commitment and commitment to dissolve party supporters' groups in the country.

However, the tabling of the bill has drawn mixed views from both sides (majority and minority) of the House.

The minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, argued that the emergency certificate under which the bill had been introduced in Parliament was useless, insisting that it should instead go through the processes normal for the adoption of a law.

Deputy Leader of the Majority, Sarah Adwoa Safo, said that determining the urgency of a bill was not the responsibility of the Speaker or the Leader of the Minority, but of the Committee.

But in an exclusive interview with Daniel Kaku, attorney Sammy Gyamfi said the bill did not address the issue of members of the NPP self-defense political groups that were incorporated into the law. national security apparatus and other security services.

He stressed that "any anti-vigilance law that does not purge our security services elements of vigilance is useless".

He added: "… It all boils down to the application of the law. What matters is the political will and the courage to enforce the law "and not the mere pbadage of laws".

Therefore, he stated that "the definition of self-defense group and self-defense group on page 10 is very problematic. It can be a way of escape for those who engage in acts of brutality of political parties.

He continued, "But most importantly, this bill does not address the issue of members of NPP self-defense political groups who have been integrated into the national security apparatus and others. security services ".

Sammy Gyamfi explained that "Because then all the ruling political parties will do it, they will put on their national security clothing / equipment thugs to terrorize their political opponents, as we saw at the time of the war. 39, partial election of Ayawaso West Wuogon ".