IN GHANA;
THE PRESIDENT LIES
THE GOV'T LIES
THE OPPOSTION LIES
ACADEMIA LIES
RELIGIOUS LEADERS LIES
PEACE COUNCIL LIES
TAXI DRIVER LIES
MARKET WOMEN LIE
YOU LIE
I LIE

The problem in GHANA is not bribery and corruption but dishonesty and lies

A thread

Voters in AWW voted in a by-election on 31st January 2019 after their MP died. 1h into the polls and there was violence and some innocent citizens shot, others beating and an MP slapped and assaulted
It shock many but key followers of our democracy like me were not

The President has set up a commission of enquiry to look into the issues but the biggest opposition party disagreed and even said as a party they were boycotting the commission but won't cease their invited members from responding to invites by commission. GS has refused invite

One key thing that has come out of this sitting has been the issue of Political party vigilante groups and the noise about disbanding them. Many have raised the issue in the past after such groups cause chaos and involve in criminal acts. However it seems it's louder now

The most laughable part of it is even the Police through the IGP and National Security Minister have all join that chorus which I believe is insincere, populist and waste of every Ghanaian's time

The calls have reached a crescendo after members of the opposition in Ashanti were having a meeting and a vigilante group in their own party shot and killed one and injured another from their own party. The shooters are on the run and Police have released pictures of them

I as a Ghanaian have followed Ghanaian politics keenly since the 1996 elections and can say without equivocation that all those calls for disbanding of these groups are laughable and ignorant. The calls are misdirected and people just want to be heard as having spoken in it

After incidents in AWW, the former President JM in addressing NDC party members said his party has generational roots of revolution and violence and will match the gov't's vigilante groups "boot for boot" if they continue on that tangent

The current President before the 2012 elections made similar comments as if the then gov't continues to visit violence on its members, the 2012 elections will be "All die be die"
These are the people you want to disband the key things that make them win elections? Joke's on you

They believe elections are rigged through intimidation, ballot stuffing, ballot snatching etc and both parties do it
So after an election, the assess why they lost and attribute it to the above, they match gov't "boot for boot" and they win next election. So why will they end it?

And what do they even mean by disbanding them? Like they won't meet again or what? Or the Police will arrest any grouping of "machomen" having a meeting or seen in public wearing T Shirts wit inscription "Delta Force" "Azorka boys" "The Hawks"
What if it is "Nyame na aye" "Aseda"

The reason these political parties will currently say let's disband them but go back to them before elections is simple. The other party will try to rig or intimidate because "Power is sweet". They also spend so much on elections losing is no joking. So it's in their interest

Before the 2012 elections, Akufo Addo had lost 2008 with incumbency advantage. The whole country organized a Peace Summit in Kumasi with all Candidates asked to make a commitment to peace. Only him iissued a caveat that "There cannot be peace without Justice"
JM will do same 2020

HOW TO PROPERLY END THIS NONSENSE

Ghana has laws and those laws must be adhered to. Until we know Keneddy Agyapong is not above the law, we can never end this. Until the Police see themselves as professionals, we can never end this, until the media stop lying, we can't end it

The electoral laws says an observer should be at a certain distance from a polling station, until parties have confidence that security at polling stations will make it impossible for rigging, intimidation etc, we can't end it

The only way to end it is for political parties to have trust in the security agencies and after what happened in AWW, I don't think anyone including Gov't trusts the security agencies. The Police were not even aware of the masked hoodlums and you think NDC will sit aloof in 2020

Beef up security in the over 20,000 polling stations so elections rigging and intimidation can stop. But can we afford that man power and resources? No we can't so the parties will provide security for their agents and protect ballot boxes with "machomen" and it's not illegal

So the next time someone comes out to say "disband political vigilante or militias" ask them the purpose they were created and if the reasons are still valid.
If the reasons they were created are still valid and important then why do you want them disbanded?

SECURITY IN GHANA IS A JOKE

M'ano asi