Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 8 February 2023
Source: classfmonline.com
The National Communications Officer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is asking Ghanaians to forgive the Suame Constituency Youth Organiser in the Ashanti Region for misspeaking.
Mr Gyamfi is of the view that the message the young man sought to convey did not come out as intended.
In a statement, he said the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government have benefitted and continues to profit from violence as “we witnessed in the Ayawaso West Wuogon By-election, the 2020 Voter Registration Exercise and the 2020 General Election during which eight (8) innocent Ghanaians were murdered by state-sponsored bandits belonging to the ruling NPP.”
In his view, therefore, it is hypocritical that the Ghana Police Service “which failed to even comment on or take action against the NPP bandits who perpetrated these heinous crimes against innocent Ghanaians, most of whom are NDC members, will turn around to swiftly call for the arrest of a young man for misspeaking.”
He is calling for a pardon for the Suame Youth Organiser.
The Youth Organiser in an interview with the media was preaching violence against the NPP and urging NDC supporters not to hesitate to cause injury or even kill NPP supporters in their quest to win the 2024 elections to make former President John Mahama president again.
Below is the statement in its entirety:
We have taken notice of a video in circulation on social media in which the NDC Youth Organizer for Suame is heard making some statements that bother on possible reprisals to state-sponsored violence during elections.
We note that the young man misspoke, as the message he sought to convey did not come out as intended.
It is an indisputable fact that state-sponsored violence and thuggery have been the modus operandi of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government.
The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government have benefitted and continues to profit from violence as we witnessed in the Ayawaso West Wuogon By-election, the 2020 Voter Registration Exercise and the 2020 General Election during which eight (8) innocent Ghanaians were murdered by state-sponsored bandits belonging to the ruling NPP.
It is hypocritical that the Ghana Police Service which failed to even comment on or take action against the NPP bandits who perpetrated these heinous crimes against innocent Ghanaians, most of whom are NDC members, will turn around to swiftly call for the arrest of a young man for misspeaking.
Again, it is the height of hypocrisy to hear people in the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government and the New Patriotic Party pretend to condemn the statement of this constituency youth leader, when not too long ago, NPP Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo and other NPP national leaders threatened fire and brimstone at a time when this nation had not experienced anything close to the barbarity seen during the Ayawaso West Wuogon and 2020 general elections.
We have not forgotten about the infamous "All die be die" mantra of the current President, nor have we forgotten about Kennedy Agyapong's call for the murder of people of certain ethnic extraction in Ghana; a comment that was celebrated by the NPP.
Sammi Awuku's call for NPP supporters to inflict pain and injury on their opponents with pestles is still fresh on our minds, and so is Anthony Karbo's call for Afghanistan to be visited on Ghana.
We have also not forgotten about Wontumi's call for an Arab Spring-styled violence in Ghana.
Whilst we do not subscribe to violence as a party, except in cases of self-defence, we cannot overlook the genuine sentiment and frustration of people who feel helpless in the face of incessant and unprovoked attacks and killings under this Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.
In the circumstances, we reiterate that the young man misspoke and must be pardoned.
The Ghana Police Service must stop harassing this innocent NDC activist, who clearly spoke out of the pain he and other NDC supporters have suffered at the hands of NPP thugs in the Ashanti Region over the years and rather, focus on arresting NPP bandits and terrorists who have attacked a Court of competent jurisdiction in Kumasi and have maimed and killed several innocent Ghanaians.
We urge the millions of our young supporters to continue to exercise restraint and not allow the fact that President Akufo-Addo rode to power on the back of so much bloodshed and barbarity to make them want to mimic Nana Akufo-Addo and his very violent political party.
Signed,
SAMMY GYAMFI ESQ.
National Communications Officer, NDC
You can also watch this edition of People & Places on GhanaWeb TV: