Some individuals believed to be supporters of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) have, according to myjoyonline.com, reportedly attacked traders in the Tamale central business area of the Northern region, over the ownership of a lorry station.
According to the report, thugs allegedly stormed the lorry station and clashed with opponents, leading to an exchange of gunfire. The incident caused business activity in the area to come to a halt, as traders fled for safety.
The report further revealed that there were no fatalities, however one person reportedly sustained severe injury but no arrests had been made. It has become common practice in Ghana that anytime there is a change of government, the youth, especially who identify themselves with the wining party misbehave.
They do this by either seizing state assets because their party has come to power or force workers, particularly those in the public sector, to vacate their posts. Over the past weeks, these youth have invaded the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), National Communication Authority (NCA) among a host of other places, to demand the removal of officers managing these state institutions because their government (NDC) is in power.
As we have already alluded to, this is not the first time the youth have misconducted themselves, because there is a change of government. Indeed, when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) took over the reins of power in 2017, some of the youth belonging to the party went to the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council and forcibly removed the then regional National Security Coordinator from office.
Fortunately, the police managed to arrest 13 of them, who were sent to court. Regrettably, on the day the suspects appeared before Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) based court, the same youth mobilised themselves, stormed the court room and freed the suspects in Rambo style. In the end, these youth who committed the atrocious crime were only fined by the court without imposing any custodial sentence on them.
The development, unfortunately, created the wrong impression that the youth could misbehave and go escort free. The Chronicle is, therefore, not surprised that after another change of government, the youth have adopted the previous strategy of attacking innocent people at their work places, because they know that the party they support will not do anything to them.
Let the police start arresting and putting them before court and you will see the agitations against the leadership of the police for doing the alleged bidding for the opposition. But this shouldn’t be the case and the reason why The Chronicle is calling on President Mahama to start cracking the whip against these misguided youth, by ensuring that they have been arrested, prosecuted and jailed if found guilty for the crimes they have committed.
We, as a country, will be laughing at the wrong side of our mouths if we allow the youth to keep on breaking the law because they support the ruling party. Per the myjoyonline.com report, which we had earlier referenced, the youth involved were firing gun shots in the open and yet no arrest had been made. Next time, they will probably march to an important installation in the country and start firing gun shots because they know that they are immune from arrest and prosecution.
Obviously, this is not how to reset Ghana as the president promised during his electioneering campaign. That is why The Chronicle expect him to set a good example by stopping the nonsense going. Just some days ago, a section of the same youth, purportedly aligned to the ruling party, went and invaded the concession of AngloGold Ashanti, resulting in the death of nine of them.
As we have already stated, if this bad practice is not nipped in the bud as soon as possible, it will explode in our faces one day. Ghana is a peaceful country and the peace we are enjoying must be jealously guarded for the generations yet unborn.
