On Wednesday, this week, we used this very column to condemn the inflammatory statement reportedly made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Youth Organiser for Suame Constituency, Razak Koampa Avoliya, that the (NDC) would kill, if necessary, to reclaim power in 2024.
“As a political party, all we need is power, and there is no law that indicates that power can only be acquired from the Bible. If President Akufo-Addo killed 8 people to win power, why should it be strange for the NDC to kill 2 people in Suame to pave way for John Mahama of the NDC to return to power,” he reportedly said.
In the editorial being referenced, we did point out that such reckless statements could undermine the security of our dear nation. We referred readers to the Rwanda genocide, where over 800,000 people were slaughtered because of a reckless statement made on radio, and the need to avoid such a situation from happening in Ghana.
The Chronicle has since noted with excitement, a statement released by the National Communication Officer of the NDC, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi, subtly condemning the statement made by his subordinate at Suame.
According to a myjoyonline.com report, Mr. Gyamfi has called on the police to pardon the party’s Suame Youth Organiser for allegedly inciting violence. The statement advised supporters of the party “to continue to exercise restraint and not allow the fact that President Akufo-Addo rode to power on the back of so much bloodshed and barbarity to make them want to mimic Nana Akufo-Addo and his very violent political party.”
Since the attack on a Circuit Court in Kumasi a couple of years ago by some over-exuberant youth, with links to the ruling New Patriot Party (NPP), was heavily condemned, it will be wrong for any political activist to use that incident as a springboard to make inflammatory statements, as the Suame Youth Organiser seems to have done.
Unfortunately, after Sammy Gyamfi had advised supporters of his party to exercise restraint, he went ahead to reference the above circuit court incident. Though we are not by any shred of imagination trying to justify the condemnable conduct of the youth who invaded the court room to threaten the then pregnant judge, the perpetrators were duly punished by a court of competent jurisdiction. We may disagree with the level of the punishment they received, but that is the ruling of the court.
We must not, therefore, try to use that particular case to justify any future recklessness. What both the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) should note is that, should there be a civil war in this country, which we pray should never happen, we are all going to suffer the consequences. The killers will certainly not distinguish between NPP and NDC supporters.
The Chronicle is, therefore, appealing to the leadership of both the NPP and NDC to educate their teeming followers to avoid making inciting public statements that can plunge this country into chaos. We also reiterate our call to colleague journalists to avoid the publication or airing of such genocidal statements.
Clearly, if the media house that interviewed Razak Koampa Avoliya had taken an editorial decision not to air the inflammatory statement, it wouldn’t have found its way into the various social media platforms for majority of Ghanaians to hear.
As journalists, we have the responsibility to safeguard the security of this country, and we dare not fail on that mandate. As the Akan adage goes: “If a fetish priest prays for his own village to collapse, he will also collapse when the entire village collapses.”
A word to the wise …
