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Elections 2020: Govt. Urged to implement the Vigilantism Law

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Government of Ghana has been called upon to swiftly implement the Vigilantism and Related Offences laws in country.

This call by CSOs Platform on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sub-platform for goal 16 is to prevent the occurance of political violence as a matter of urgency.

Believing that, implementation of the law will disband political party vigilante groups and forbid acts of vigilantism in the country, following the continuous violence that has characterised the country’s by-elections.

Speaking at a press briefing in Accra to commemorate the One Year Anniversary of the Ayawaso West Wuogon By-Election violence, Madam Faustina Djabatey, the Communications Officer, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) acknowledged the President’s good decision of setting up the Commission of Enquiry to investigate the violence and the good work by the Commission.

However, noted that, “our worry has to do with the implementation of the recommendations made by the Emile Short Commission”.

Stressing that, not much has been heard of the implementation after government issued its white paper on the Commission of Inquiry’s report.

The law when fully implemented, Madam Faustina Djabatey opined it will stand the test of time, deepen Ghana’s democracy and ensure that acts of violence and any other actions of that nature is dealt with according to the law.

“The culture of impunity related to electoral violence persists because culprits are not made to face the full rigours of the law”, she asserted.

As a result of the above, the peace and security of Ghana, a country touted as a beacon of democracy in Africa is continuously being threatened by partisan vigilantism, which rears its ugly head particularly during elections.

Therefore, reiterated the CSOs position hence, used the opportunity to remind the political parties that the peace and stability of this country is bigger than ideological and personal ambitions.

Madam Djabatey, also seized the opportunity to advise political parties not to incite their supporters to be violent but rather support the state institutions to do their work and channel complaints and grievances to the appropriate quarters for redress.

“Allow the state security agencies with responsibilities during elections to undertake their duties without influence,” she reiterated.

The Ayawaso West Wougon by-election was to elect a member of parliament after the death of the then sitting Member of Parliament Mr Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko, but was suddenly disrupted by a group of uniformed men from the National Security, which ended in violence and bloodshed on January 31, 2019.

Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com/ Ishmael Barfi/ senghana@gmail.com