How To Disband Party Militias Forever In Ghana While Strengthening Multiparty Democracy

What happened on the 31^st of January 2019 only a few weeks into the new year has become the masterpiece attempting to prophesy of Ghana’s future if we continue on the trajectory we have been on until today. I must not tell you the fourth republic if perceived to be a human would have been only a young man or woman of age 27, who is probably searching for a job, develop her career or seeking some form of marriage to start a family life. We could say this symbolically exemplifies the hopes we as citizens have in our nation Ghana with the younger generations in mind. Perhaps, this line of thinking is not that of those politicians whose main concern is to win political power at all cost, notwithstanding this assertion the fact still remains that there are few decent minds in the Ghanaian political space.

I need not tell you government is not a victim to the activities of party militia but the ordinary citizen is. In fact, they easily transform such untrained men into national security person with only three weeks of training. I need not tell you again that political parties (especially the two dominant parties NPP & NDC) and politicians themselves are beneficiaries –exploiting this huge naive and ignorant men who as a matter of fact don’t see themselves as deserving of respect or proper leadership but thuggery. I need not tell you after what the whole wide world witnessed of the testimonies given at the Emile Short commission, pointed to the extreme abuse of security lapses all in the name of politics. thus from the top national security operatives to the militiamen with good physic yet with relatively poor educational backgrounds whose source of motivation came from the words of the political elite they so revered and admired. Therefore, they are willing to serve and aid them with their dirty ‘laundry’ for a few rewards in appeasing their egos. Perhaps, the pride of been associated with these loud-mouthed politicians either in public event or otherwise serves enough believe in them that they are untouchable in many ways.

One other thing that stands out clearly as I compare the commission's two weeks televised proceedings to daily radio and television political talk show broadcast, it can be easily deduced that these militiamen largely are educated by political radio and television talk shows and political rallies and nothing more. This to me sits at the crust of the problem, at the very root of our democracy and needs urgent redress. Hence, the writing of this article is in support of the call to end vigilantism or militarization of politics.

This article is not to digest politician but rather propose a solution to ending political vigilantism or party militia. I, therefore, propose a three-way disbarment model I classify as “Disbandment from within.”

Many have looked at us resolving the issue by dealing with these groups in the political parties yet with the fear of not letting them go ideal. Other feel such politicians and political parties who benefit from them ought to be held accountable. However, no political party owns up to them or is willing to be penalized in the name of any mayhem committed by these groupings. Government (i.e., the national security forces) and the security forces tend to be toothless in acting if such acts are perpetrated by their own. The name and shame approach by the media is a good first start, the political discourse calling for parties to reject such groups is another, of the many proposals made.

However, the “Disbandment from within” seeks to propose the following, while identifying the militia (vigilante) group and their violent acts as the first arm of the problem, the second been the actions or inactions of political parties and politicians, and the third been the needed action government institutions.

Ø The use of the political regulatory body to reinforce the law. Since political parties are those who spearheads violence political violence, they are a subject to the rule and regulations of the electoral commission (EC) of Ghana. The EC operates under the 1992 constitution with a set of legislative instruments. Such instruments should be amended as soon as possible to include punitive measures to be handed to political party participation in any form of violence including the formation of party groups found to be involved in any form of violence in the name of the party or a particular politician seeking political office. A ban from participating in the general political election succeeding the violence should deter any party or politician from encouraging violence.

Benefits: if for example the two major political parties (NDC & NPP) are involved in violence ahead of a general election, the elections should be held without their presidential candidates and the MPs associated with the particular area violence participating in it. This can also be applied to interparty elections. Obviously, Ghana is a multiparty democratic nation and I need not tell you we shall have a large pool of ambitious well educated and trained persons in the remaining parties and in private life who would be up to the task. Clearly, this approach will help grow the minor parties to the stature of the leading parties. This rule, if duly enforced by the commission, with so much power yet doing little; will see an end to violence and will have the proper check and balances over political parties and political governance.

Ø The actions and inactions of the general law enforcement agency: as it is said, for every new thing to be implemented the will be the need to build trust between the implementers and the beneficiary. As a matter of fact, all allegations of violence provided evidence is given as witness to injuries, distraction and so forth, such should be investigated expeditiously in a matter of a week or two by a team of security experts made up of military and police with the support of civil society groups on security to unravel the portions of blame duly attributable to political parties or politician in the form of a written report and submitted to the EC as well as the police so each institution will impute the appropriate sanctions respectively.

Benefits : the security forces will be energized to work independently of fear of favor as the other non-partisan members of society (e.g. Experts from Kofi Annan Peacekeeping & training center, security think tanks, etc.) are directly involved in the investigation and report drafting.

Ø Public education on what political parties can do and cannot do with the help of the media. It’s pretty clear most media houses are owned by politicians who use them for political education to influence the less privileged and the naïve to see their party as supreme to the sovereignty of Ghana. This should change, with media commission, the media and information departments of the country. If there will be the need for policy regulation of media houses by the media commission to scrutinized and evaluate transcripts of every political talk show on TV and radio. This is done in some states in the United State to regulate the sermons of churches, why not the media’s political talk shows and their guest. Then, it will be easy to penalize with fines or other forms of a deterrent.

Benefit: there will be less violence preached and then the sense of nationalism will foster the dialogue going forward.

It is my hope we are able to bring to an end this militia growing in this highly stressed political space full of women and children who inevitably are at the mercy of the tsunami of civil war and political violence.

Ending vigilantism should be now and now and never later. THE EC SHOULD BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE WAR . hence, the need to change their lego to become legally viable with our coat of arms. God bless our nation.