The Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey has said Ghana will need more than a third force to sanitize Ghana’s political space.
[contextly_sidebar id=”Kx9OI58ae5R6uR9NySn2v30Sh7IBkdrB”]According to him, it will be difficult for a new political force to emerge in the country as Ghanaians are unlikely to endorse new parties at the polls.
The discussions of the need for a major third political force to counter the two dominant parties in Ghana has arisen after last Thursday’s violence that marred last the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.
The election saw the physical assault of some citizens including the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George.
The attack was carried out by some masked men who were heavily armed at some polling stations.
The identities of the masked men and whose instructions they were working under was not known until the Minister of State in Charge of National Security, Bryan Acheampong disclosed in a Citi News interview that they were security personnel sanctioned by the state.
Before then, the police hierarchy had denied knowledge of the security force.
Several civil society organizations and interest groups have condemned brutalities meted out to civilians during the by-elections.
Many have accused the governing New Patriotic Party of supporting the actions of vigilante groups and trying to formalize them into national security operatives.
Others have also chastised the opposition National Democratic Congress of employing the same tactic while they were in government, saying that the NDC is not any better than the NPP and as such the country needs a third political force to give Ghanaians a better political option and break the existing duopoly.
But Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey does not believe a third political force will address such problems.
“Having a third party that will help us have more choice or better choices is not a bad idea but we are a long road away from that and it is not a solution. All attempts for a third party to emerge has not worked. The Ghanaian electorates at the polls do not look at small parties. They are very power centered and they want to know who will deliver what they want immediately. We don’t look at solutions longterm, we want it immediately and therefore will I waste my vote if I give it to a small party or a new party I don’t know where they are coming from,” he said.
Meanwhile, pressure continues to mount on the government to investigate an punish the persons who carried out the attacks during the by-elections.
Although the police are investigating the matter, some analysts have called on the president to constitute an independent committee to investigate it.
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By: Jonas Nyabor | citinewsroom.com | Ghana