I am afraid going into 2020; government not security conscious – NDC Chairman

Chairman of the National Democratic Congress for Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency, Bismark Aborbi-Ayitey, says he is losing sleep over the Akufo-Addo government’s seeming refusal to make public and implement recommendations in the Emile Short commission report.

According to him, the president’s delay in issuing a white paper on the report of the commission he set up to look into incidents of violence, which characterised a by-election held in the Ayawaso West Constituency some months ago, seems to give credence to the complicity of the NPP in the incidents.

“Currently as you know, the seat is in the hands of the NPP. The last time we got closer to it is when they used the wrong hands to take it from us, I mean the January 31st by-elections, the incidents that happened here” he stated. “Going forward we believe that the Emile short commission report, is critical, that the people of this country especially the learned people in the Ayawaso West Constituency deserve to know what is in there.”

On the essence of issuing a white paper on the report, Mr Ayitey said recommendations in the report will go a long way to help the country in ensuring the implementations of reforms that will curb incidents associated with elections in the country.

“There are good recommendations in there that will help us reform some of the electoral issues that we have been fighting with as a country.”

“We know that they recommended compensations for our injured colleagues and the government has not done anything about it, we know that they recommended that the thugs that they brought to the constituency to unleash injury on our people should be punished. Nothing has been done.” He decried.

He said the consequence of government not making the report public could be grave as the country’s future democracy looks blur. He thus revealed his fear heading into the 2020 general elections.

“We don’t believe, we don’t trust the current government and we don’t trust them and the way they are managing security issues in this country….so am afraid, am afraid going into 2020.”

He therefore appealed to government to implement recommendations in the Emile Short Commission as he believes it will serve as basis for addressing security concerns that are likely to arise in the 2020 general elections.

He further revealed that the NDC as a party will be informed to take security matters into their own hands in 2020 should government refuse to make public and implement recommendations contained in the report.

“Going into 2020 we should take our destiny into our own hands. The security of our party, the security of the ballot, we have to take them into our own hands,” he said.