Learn from the failed Somali State; Lawyer counsels Ghana’s political leaders

Learn from the failed Somali State; Lawyer counsels Ghana’s political leaders

A Law Lecturer says the sad story of Somalia must guide the actions and inactions of Ghana’s political elite as the country goes through yet another democratic challenge.

Godwin Adawuni, who is also a trained lawyer said the story of the failed Somali State has shown that all the leaders who fomented troubles were themselves consumed by the ensuing violence.

He was commenting on Joy FM and Metro TV’s news analysis programe Newsfile on the cane wielding youth suspected to be members of the NDC who besieged the Supreme Court in Accra on Wednesday to visit terror on persons said to be NPP sympathizers.

Already, leaders of the two political parties in Ghana-NPP and NDC- have resorted to blame games and politics of equalization with the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia accusing the opposition NPP of hiring thugs and buying NDC T-Shirts for them to go and create chaos and pandemonium at the Supreme Court just to tarnish the reputation of the ruling party.

A member of the NDC legal team, Chris Ackumey who was also on the Newsfile show condemned the act but said the possibility of NPP supporters impersonating the NDC should not be ruled out.

NPP’s Buabeng Asamoah stated the action must be condemned in no uncertain terms and described as irresponsible the comments by the NDC General Secretary.

Godwin Adawuni blamed the actions of the rampaging youth on the leaders of the political parties.

He was worried that political leaders whose responsibility it is to caution their members against violence were themselves advocating violence.

He dared the host, Samson Lady Ayenini to recall which political party youth has ever been prosecuted for any violent act in Ghana’s recent political history.

He said that prosecution has never happened because political party leaders always go behind the scenes to have these rampaging political party youths released, even when they are arrested by the police.

“Violence as a tool of political activity is not healthy,” he charged, adding, “the story of Somalia must inform us.”

He said Somalia is now a failed state. Those who started the conflict have been engulfed by it, he added.

“We shouldn’t think that initiating violence will exempt us from violence,” he noted.

Lawyer Egbert Faibille said the country must begin to live by her motto Freedom and Justice.

He is worried the country is gradually drifting to Freedom from Justice, a situation, which must be checked.

He called for stiffer punishment to anybody found to have breached the law, irrespective of the political party affiliation.