The National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party and Board Chairman of the Youth Employment Agency Sammy Awuku has said the marauding youth of the governing party are emboldened by the inactions of the erstwhile NDC administration.
According to him, the vigilante groups associated with the NPP are storming public offices and seizing items because the same practice was undertaken by the youth of the NDC when they were in power and nothing happened.
“If the violence and lawlessness yesterday was checked in the past, we wouldn’t have this conversation. It will be an accident in history if we skew the issue of vigilantism towards the NPP only. Similar things happened under the NDC and nothing happened. The President at the time was not firm when you do that, you embolden the youth to do such things,” he told Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Tuesday.
He, however, maintained that he does not support vandalism by the youth of the NPP.
“We do not condone or support any act of lawlessness that brings the image of the party into disrepute. I have not for a second condoned any act of our youth. The hierarchy of the security agencies must know that to whom much is given, much is expected”.
Over the last few months, vigilante groups associated with the NPP have carried out about 20 onslaughts on state institutions and government appointees over their dissatisfaction with some appointments among other reservations.
Prominent individuals including the Chairman of the National Peace Council Reverend Emmanuel Asante and former President John Mahama have condemned the attacks.
“The security agencies are there to do their jobs. If we don’t trust the police to protect us in such matters, then we are dead. I trust the Minister of Interior, I want to encourage him especially now that he has put his work on the line. We shouldn’t expect the President to order who should be arrested and who shouldn’t be arrested,” the Peace Council chair told Morning Starr host Francis Abban.