Little being done to prevent political violence – Rawlings

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has lamented that little attempt is being made to prevent violence being perpetrated by ‘agents’ of leading political parties in Ghana.

He made this known after he visited Yaro Ishawu, a victim of the LA Bawaleshie shooting incident who is on admission at 37 Military Hospital.

The shooting incident occurred during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election which NPP’s Lydia Seyram Alhassan won by 68.8 percent, with NDC’s Delali Brempong securing about 30 percent votes.

He noted those who carried out the violence would be made to answer.

According to him, “By our actions and omissions, especially after 2008 we contributed immensely to laying the bed we now find ourselves in.”

He stressed that “we are not doing enough to contain and prevent the use of violence from without but also from within our own.”

Mr. Ishawu, it would be recalled on Thursday, January 31, 2019, was hit by a bullet when armed men believed to be national security operatives entered the residence of the NDC aspirant for the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election while the election was underway.

Six people, according to the police report, sustained injuries and were sent to the Legon Hospital.

However, Ishawu was transferred to the 37 Military Hospital because after it was discovered that he suffered a broken leg.

Mr. Rawlings observe that he had earlier visited the Medifem Hospital at Westlands to check on one Edem Tekpli who was the victim of “our own internal violent machinery against the colleague of an aspiring parliamentarian.”

According to him, the aspirant had used most of his savings to provide water for some of the villages in his constituency but ended up receiving a telephone call from an executive in his constituency warning him to keep off such activities and to slow down.

He stated that he could not understand how an aspirant could not engage in activities that will endear him to the people “like the provision of very basic water”.

Edem Tekpli was attacked at Ho at dawn on Thursday by unknown assailants who first slapped, hit him and stabbed him thrice. He was initially treated at a hospital in Ho before he later travelled to Accra for a review.