Politics of Friday, 3 June 2016
Source: Graphic.com.gh
Prof Edmond Delle
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Mr Emmanuel Gallo, has challenged the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to stop their hypocritical approach to peace and refrain from acts that undermine the security and unity of the state.
He explained that political violence in the country in recent times had been perpetrated by supporters and agents of these two parties with the support of some of their leading members who usually turn round and blame each other.
Mr Gallo, who was speaking to the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, noted that it was surprising that the two politics parties were also always at each other’s throats, accusing other of being behind vile attacks, insults, assassination of character, name calling and even ethnocentric comments that have the potential of leading to ethic clashes all in the name of winning elections.
He challenged the leadership of the NDC and the NPP to start publicly rebuking and disassociating themselves from their members who indulged in such acts and even assist the police to arrest them.
This, he explained, would be a clear indication of their abhorrence for such negative tendencies, and would send a strong signal to the youth that they would not be supported in such acts and also that they were committed to real peace and unity of this country.
“The leadership of these two parties should not support their members to destroy this country. When someone commits a crime they must assist the police to apprehend the member for him to be prosecuted. This would send a strong signal about their commitment to peace and clean campaign,” Mr Gallo said.
He pleaded with the politicians to allow the police to always do their professional work and stop all kinds of influences and threats.
Regarding the police, he said they were partially to blame for the political impunity because not many people have been arrested and successfully prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others, a situation that emboldens some recalcitrant young people to take the law into their own hands and subject people to insults, threats and molestation.
He said he believed that when the police were ruthless with people who broke the law under political party activities, majority of the problem would have been done away with.
He appealed to the youth to always consider any politician who would use them for any violent political activity as a destroyer who had no good intention for them.
“If insults, ethnocentric comments and attacks were good, why would the politicians not use their children but would send them to good schools abroad and even send their families abroad when elections are approaching?”
He pleaded with the courts to always fast-track such cases but ensure swift justice that would also serve as a deterrent.