The executive director of the West Africa Media Foundationsays political impunity displayed by Ghanaian President John Kufuor'sadministration should be blamed for the escalated violence ahead of this year'selections. Professor Kwame Karikari says the failure of President Kufuor'sadministration to deal decisively with the alleged conspirators in the murderof a king and 40 of his elders after seven years in office sets a dangerousprecedence that could have significantly contributed to ongoing violence in thecountry head of this year's general elections.
Heblames both the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and main opposition NationalDemocratic Congress for fueling ethnic passions that he said help inflameviolent clashes between supporters of both parties.
From Ghana's capital, AccraProfessor Karikari tells reporter Peter Clottey that there is a need to curbongoing violence in the country in order to have a peaceful election this year.
"Inrecent times, there have been a number of incidences related to the electionprocesses. Virtually all of these are incidences that have occurred andperpetrated by the two big parties, the ruling (NPP) party and NDC. Now, in all of these incidences involving violentattacks on individuals and groups, involving the destruction of propertieswhile the police have not arrested anybody. Apart from that since the governmentcame to power, there have been other incidents involving chieftaincy disputesand violence. And the most dramatic was the murder of the king of the Dagbonpeople in the northern regions of Ghana. He was murdered in cold blood indaytime with 40 other of his people. Up to now, six years later, not one soulhas been arrested and charged with those crimes," Karikari pointed out.
Hesaid there was need for President Kufuor's government to curb theever-increasing violent clashes of rival political parties ahead of theDecember 2008 election.
"Thesecurity people must do their work, these things just don't come up like that.They are related to political parties, and it is possible that sections orfactions or groups within these parties are responsible for this violence. Theway these things are happening you cannot say that they are necessarily thatspontaneous. We can't continue to think that they are spontaneous because thereappears to be some orchestration. And so, I'm saying that the intelligence agenciesmust put their ears to the ground to stop this," he said.
Karikaridescribed as disturbing the failure of the current administration to arrest andprosecute the perpetrators who allegedly conspired to murder the Dagbon kingand 40 of his subjects over six years ago.
"Itis very difficult for me to know like most citizens, why the government hasbeen so lax and has been so irresponsible in this matter. It's unthinkable forthe police to close their eyes to any murder of any citizen at all in this country.It doesn't happen the police always go after such criminals, but this is verybaffling and I think it poisons the politics in that region and also helpspoison national politics. It is very difficult to understand why the governmenthas behaved the way it has behaved, and that government has also been silentabout it," Karikari noted.
Meanwhile,Karikari charged pressure groups as well as Ghanaians tostand up and direct the issue of political violence at the doorstep ofPresident Kufuor's government adding that it would compel the government to bemore active in taking actions against lawbreakers.
He also chided the securityagencies for not doing enough to bring perpetrators to book, but ratheraccusing the media of fomenting troubles.
