NDC’s demand for Short report in anti-vigilantism roadmap hypocritical – Awuku
The National Organizer for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammy Awuku, has said it is hypocritical of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to demand the inclusion of the Emile short commission’s findings in the anti-vigilantism roadmap.
According to him, the NDC threatened to boycott the commission when it was set up but now wants the findings to be incorporated in the anti-vigilantism roadmap.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Tuesday he said the NDC is impeding the work of the committee working on the roadmap.
“They did raise the matter but we find it very hypocritical, this was the political party that openly and officially said they were boycotting the Emile short commission. The NDC said they didn’t want to have anything to do with the Emile Short Commission. The subsequently issued a statement asking its members not to cooperate with the Emile short commission but today the NDC wants to the Emile Short report a prerequisite before moving forward,” he said.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is sceptical over the success of the dialogue between the NDC, New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Peace Council aimed at finding ways to end political vigilantism in the country.
This follows the postponement of the adoption of a roadmap drawn by the Peace Council to help end the practice.
Addressing the press after the fourth session of the dialogue series, General Secretary of the NDC, Asiedu Nketia, said excerpts of the roadmap vindicate the NDC’s position on the dialogue.
“This is a big problem which needs the engagement of all stakeholders who have a role to play in eliminating vigilantism. Two political parties alone cannot eliminate vigilantism. It needs everybody on board. So if we are able to determine if it is the work of the police which hasn’t gone down well that is why the canker is not being addressed, then the police leadership needs to commit to doing their work better. That is how you draw a roadmap for implementation. How can we be sitting down here and be drawing roadmaps for issues that we don’t have control over.”
Road map after four weeks?
About a month ago, the National Peace Council said the two main political parties have agreed to allow the council to develop a roadmap to help stop the activities of political vigilante groups in the country.
It said the two sides were supposed to make input into the roadmap.
The Peace Council is currently spearheading the mediation process between the two factions to table a number of proposals and modalities for disbanding vigilante groups.
Meanwhile, legislation which has been prepared by the Attorney General upon the instruction of the President has also been laid in parliament for consideration.