MILITARY RAID NPP OFFICE
By: Issah Alhassan, Kumasi
Lieutenant General Peter Augustine Blay, Chief of the Defence Staff
The Ashanti Regional Secretariat of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) was filled with tension and anxiety, when a team of heavily armed military personnel reportedly embarked on patrol in the area.
The military officers, wielding rifles, reportedly patrolled the premises of the party’s regional office at Bantama, after news broke out that some supporters of the opposition party were planning to embark on a demonstration to protest against the arrest of the Assin North MP, Kennedy Agyapong.
A crowd of supporters of the party, wearing arm bands and beating drums, converged at the regional office of the party, and attempted to march through the principal streets to register their displeasure at the arrest of the firebrand NPP legislator.
The planned demonstration was, however, interrupted, when the heavily armed military officers stormed the premises.
Though it was not immediately known the reason behind the unusual patrol of the party’s office area by the soldiers, close sources indicate that the officers were deployed to quell any possible disturbances, especially, when news broke out that the supporters had converged at the party’s regional headquarters.
In spite of the apparent threats from the military, the enraged supporters insisted that they would embark on the protest until they were convinced by both the Regional Secretary and the Regional Organiser of the party, Sam Pyne and Kennedy Kankam respectively, to boycott their action, in order to avert any possible disturbances.
The two regional executives notwithstanding, however, went through difficulties before being able to convince the supporters to back down on the protest, as they were ready to defy all odds and embark on the street protest.
Some of the supporters who spoke to The Chronicle said they were ready to confront security personnel in the city and damn the consequences, had they been allowed to carry out their action.
The Regional Secretary, Sam Pyne, noted that the party respects the rules and regulations governing this country, stressing that the party wants to protect the peace and safety of its members, hence the decision to halt the demonstration.
According to him, since the ruling party was desperately looking for scapegoats to blame in the face of their own inaccuracies, it was very important for the NPP to refrain from acts that would create an enabling environment for them to prosecute their agenda.
He explained that once the party had not officially notified the police and other security agencies, or obtained permit from them, the police could use that as an excuse to arrest any party member who embarks on a protest.
The Regional Youth Organiser, Kennedy Kankam, however, condemned the military presence at the party’s headquarters, describing it as unnecessary and paranoia on the part of the ruling party.
He, therefore, cautioned the security to desist from what he termed selective and indiscriminate arrest, and perform their duties as professionals.
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KENNEDY KANKAM, and all others who tought of going on such demonstration should know that if they were allowed to carry out what they planed , they would have acted as Kennedy Agyapong told them to do by killing EWES and GAS in the region.
One thing we as a nation should know is that as long as we have hot heads in any society , care must be taken not to allow foolish thoughts to have thier way. It takes only one person to say something and many will follow as we are all seening now with what NANA ADDO said sometime ago.
It was in oder that the military acted to show them that anybody who thinks he or she can take the law into his or her own hands must think twice.
Living in a society where many can’t read and the only medium which is the radio that inform them of what is going on in the country , we must do all we can as a society to hold all radio stations to account for what they say to society.
Last but not the least, the NPP, as a party is not showing that they are a peacefull bunch of people who really understand what politics is.They should educate thier memmbers that we have laws in the country and whoever is asked to account to the police is a criminal, if you want that person free, you have to get a lawyer, that is done in every civilized society. The marching to the police station to demand the person to released and the throwing of stones has no place in civilized society.
It is a pity that people will not thnik of what will happen after all these but choose to die for a course that has no meaning.
It has happened in many countries so we must not say it can’t happen in our dear Ghana. It happened in Germany and it can happen in Ghana too.