We Ghanaians verbally pride ourselves as the beacon od democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa. In my view, the vexations national debate of banning political vigilantes in very positive.
The only negative part has been the intransigent positions which politicians took in the early stages of the debate, to extricate themselves from blame as who was innocent or guilty for the emergency of political vigilantism in our present day democratic dispensation until the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo waded in with his Executive power to make laws against Political Vigilantism. This is splendid and very timeous!
Political vigilantism entry into politicians had been very negative and that; vigilantes have always been very violent, they brutalized, maimed and even killed their perceived political opponents. During the United Party (UP) and Convention People Party (CPP) days, there were these vigilantes who were dreadful in their deeds and actions. Records abound for reference.
Youthful unemployed people were recruited by politicians to do the despicable things we knew and heard-of about political vigilantes. Those times our democracy was young and our population small.
In our today’s Ghana, when our population has grown with many unemployed youth seeking to exhibit youthful exuberances in whatever way and positions they find themselves: I think it’s very unrealistic and sickening for politicians either in rule or in opposition to entertain or grow political vigilantes in the country.
History is replete with records in other states where political vigilantism festered and nearly ruined such states; because politics we know, is very divisive even in western and developed countries where partisan political practice had been in rule for centuries. Vigilantism must be a crime in Ghana. I am not a prophet of doom but if political vigilantism in entertained, groomed and festered here, Ghana is seeking for political suicide in the future. Our countries security institutions match the best in the world; let’s continue to build them as true professionals devoid of any political colours and they can deliver to the Hilt.
But most importantly, banning political vigilantes without the same blow to landguards is an exercise in futility, Landguards has known in the Greater Accra and Central Regions of Ghana are as menacing as the vigilantes. They don’t have political colour, nor control, but their bosses who are land-racketeers and chiefs have and use same political influences, bribery and corruption to perpetuate ther diabolical activities in their communities. Whereas political vigilantes cared for by politicians for political expedience, land-guards are cared for by irresponsible kingpins for selfish-gains and should be banned too.
It is my candid suggestions that; the news law against vigilatns and land-guards must be swift, biting and totally devastating to practitioners and their mentors to preserve state security, safety and stability else we are all consigned to doom soon.
In communities in Greater Accra and Central Regions where Land-guards activities are rampant, developers and innocent citizens are always at the mercy of these dare-devil social miscreants whose uncontrolled misdeeds have reached saturated ebbs; because there are no laws biting enough to check the excesses of these societal viruses eating into the fabric of our society.
Like the dreadful Galamsey which nearly killed all water bodies and degraded our farming lands and environment, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo; our President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces must marshall all political and legal forces to ban political vigilantes and their partners in crime, Land-gurads to secure our safety and stability as His Executive Mandate. He needs Nobody’s concern. Whatever is good is worth doing well.