The National Democratic Congress (NDC) say President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s response to their call for stakeholder participation in finding a solution to political vigilantism is unfortunate.
President Akufo-Addo earlier tasked the two major political parties in the country to meet and deliberate on finding a solution to the political vigilante menace in the country.
Following this request, the NDC wrote to the president stating that they are willing to co-operate with the NPP in dealing with the issue.
They, however, made a request for stakeholders and other parties to also be involved in the conversation.
But in his response back to the NDC, President Akufo-Addo said he was shocked by their request and that the two parties should hold the dialogue without involving other parties.
In a response back to the President, Chairman of the NDC Samuel Ofosu Ampofo noted that they still remain adamant in the request for stakeholder involvement.
According to them, the issue of political vigilantism affects a larger group of people; hence all persons involved in peace building in one way or the other ought to be brought onboard for a more holistic approach to the matter.
The NDC noted that the president’s response to their call for stakeholder engagement is in bad faith.
“Your Excellency, in the interest of constructive dialogue, we will not respectfully dwell on the preliminary remarks in your letter and your unfortunate characterization of our expressed concerns.”
The NDC further stated that stakeholder involvement in matter of this calibre is what is regarded as best practices the world over; hence government ought to welcome the idea of involving other stakeholders beside the two major parties.
“Our position on participation is actually quite simple; a lasting solution to the crisis of political violence requires that we involve all stakeholders. This is generally accepted as good practice.
“The stakeholders in the struggle against political violence cannot reasonably be limited to the two largest political parties,” the NDC noted.
In the letter to the president, the NDC also made mention of a recent documentary which shows a group alleged to be a pro-NPP militia group carrying out their activities at the Osu Castle in Accra.
The NDC, therefore, noted that the revelation as was seen in the documentary further highlights how alarming the issue of vigilantism is.
They said the documentary alarmed many Ghanaians, and calls for swift measures in putting an end to political vigilantism in the country.
According to the party, there is the need for broader consultation, and they tasked the president to involve international organizations like the UN and others in dealing with the issue, and that political vigilantism is of serious concern to all.
“Your Excellency, there is more to be done in order to get started officially. I believe that the people of Ghana deserve a more serious approach to this serious matter than a mere encouragement to the Chairman of our respective parties to engage in telephone conversations.”
The NDC expressed readiness and willingness to kick-start conversations on the matter.
Source: 3news.com|Ghana