The Omanhen of
the Upper Dixcove traditional area in the Western Region, Obrempong Hema Dekyi, has admonished politicians giving
impetus to vigilante groups to desist from such practice, rather channel their
energies into providing jobs for the teeming unemployed youth.
He cautioned that he foresaw negative effects of
vigilante activities catching up with sponsors themselves saying, “You may
be enjoying benefits today but tomorrow the same people you are sponsoring may
turn against you because you may not have resources to sustain their activities.”
Obrempong Dekyi expressed the sentiments when
former President John Mahama paid a courtesy call at his palace during his thank
you tour of the Western Region.
“Activities of political party vigilante
groups have become a source of worry to many the citizenry fearing dire
consequences for democracy if not dealt with dispassionately,
the fear was heightened during the recently held
by–election in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency when vigilante group
members of both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic
Congress (NDC) clashed,” he warned.
While the leadership of NPP and NDC has been
blamed for upsurge in activities of vigilantism, Obrempong Dekyi however, noted
that “leaders are to solve challenges not to create and exacerbate them, recent
activities of political party vigilante groups have become a concern to
traditional authorities.
“If you come to Dixcove and hear the youth fighting, there are two chiefs, if two of us tell them to lay down their arms, I know tempers will cool, we lead them and believe when we talk to them they will listen, we yearn for a country to go about our daily activities without having to look over our shoulders.
“We plead, anyone who can use his/her influence to do something good should help make peace, national cohesion and stability to prevail in order to create jobs for our teeming unemployed youth, we have known you, you will never support violence, you will never do anything to disturb the peace, unity and stability prevailing, we believe others will do same, we plead our leaders do whatever it takes to bring together the youth to bury the hatchet,” Obrempong Dekyi stressed. –3news.com