The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), says it is hopeful that the impending dialogue between the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), on finding ways to rid the political system of vigilante groups will be fruitful.
Since President Akufo-Addo called for the meeting, the two major political parties have been going back and forth over the terms of the dialogue, until they recently agreed to allow the National Peace Council to mediate the session.
Speaking at the launch of an NCCE report on political vigilantism, the Chairperson of the Commission, Josephine Nkrumah, said the meeting must churn out tangible actions that will combat the menace.
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“We are equally aware of the impending meeting between the two major political parties as indicated by the National Peace Council. We want to use this opportunity to express our regards to our sister institutions to wish them well as they begin this process.”
“The NCCE will continue to do its work in raising awareness. We’ ll call on all the political parties to come to that table in good faith to commit the process of disbanding party vigilantes in our body politics. The lip service to the disbandment or the negative aspect of vigilantism can no longer be tolerated, she noted.
The meeting which is scheduled for tomorrow, April 9, 2019, will start at 10 am at the Central Hotel, near the British High Commission in Accra.
The National Peace Council, the mediator, selected the date and venue for the meeting.
The Peace Council is expected to table before the two parties, a number of proposals, to enable them work out modalities to disband the various political vigilante groups in the country.
Initially, the NCCE stated that attempt to get the NDC and the NPP to meet and find ways to end political party vigilantism is good for the country’s democracy.
Whilst calling on all well-meaning Ghanaians to rally behind the efforts of State Institutions and Civil Society Organisations to finding a lasting solution to this matter, the NCCE said it is ready to help in the disbandment process.
The NCCE asked the political parties to rise above their parochial interest and work together for the good of the country.
“The Commission calls on politicians and political parties to act in good faith in seeking national interest above partisan interest. The NCCE, with support of Ghanaians is committed to playing a pivotal role in stamping out political violence and nurturing governance on the tenets of democracy for the collective benefit of Ghanaians and nation-building. In this regard, the Commission after multiple stakeholder engagements is poised to facilitate a process of dialogue among the parties and relevant stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the menace of political violence and associated party militia activity”.
Source: citinewsroom.com
