Freddie Blay and Samuel Ofosu Ampofo
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) meet today to talk about how to disband vigilantism in the country’s body? politics.
An earlier engagement between the two parties at the behest of the National Peace Council agreed on the ground rules for today’s meeting and subsequent days.
It has been a bumpy journey to today, with each of the parties maintaining their entrenched positions and prospects for common grounds nowhere near.
Eventually though the role of a mediator, one of the contentious clauses was resolved and an agreement reached that the National Peace Council mediate.
Venue for the meetings is the state’s own Peduase Lodge at Aburi, the timing being 9:00am, according to the details spotted by DAILY GUIDE.
A communiqué issued by the National Peace Council at the end of the maiden meeting suggested that both parties have consented that the militant groups who do not inure to democracy should be disbanded, a common ground, which forms the basis for the anti-vigilantism meetings.
Unless other issues crop up during the sittings, it is the expectation of many that the meetings would be smooth sailing, especially as the National Peace Council mediate.
“The National Peace Council met with key members of the two main political parties in Ghana, namely the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), in response to a call by the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in his state of the nation address to eradicate political vigilantism.
“After an open and exhaustive deliberation, the parties agreed that vigilantism is inimical to Ghana’s democratic system and must be eradicated,” the communiqué pointed out.
Messrs Freddie Blay and Ofosu-Ampofo, National Chairmen for the NPP and NDC, respectively signed the communiqué for their parties.
It would be recalled that in the heat of the rancorous public debate over vigilantism vis-à-vis the modalities for a bipartisan meeting on the subject, the president made good his promise of ordering legislation if there was no common ground on the issue.
This is evidenced by the Vigilantism and Related Offences Bill, 2019, which is currently before Parliament for the necessary procedural actions.
The president explained that his action was without prejudice to the planned bipartisan meetings.
By A.R. Gomda