General News of Monday, 20 July 2020

Source: atinkaonline.com

Stop politically motivated demolitions - National Watch to govt

The demolitions in question, it noted, started somewhere in April this year at Ayigbe Town The demolitions in question, it noted, started somewhere in April this year at Ayigbe Town

A Group called National Watch has urged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government to desist from conducting politically motivated demolitions and displacements of people who do not support their party.

According to the National Watch, it observed a disturbing and wicked development of demolitions of properties and displacements of persons in occupation of same properties across the country.

The demolitions in question, it noted, started somewhere in April this year at Ayigbe Town, Dzowulu in Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency, that followed by one in Old Fadama in the Odododiodoo Constituency, all in the Greater Accra Region.

The National Watch also noted that not long after, in May 2020, another was carried out at Bui (Bongase) in the Banda area of the Bono Region and the latest in the series was at Ayigbe Town, located behind Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) on the boundary of Tema East and Central Constituencies of Greater Accra.

“As if by design, those who suffer these demolitions and displacement are virtually of Ewe and Northern extractions and looked a targeted exercise by the long and unseen hands of the sitting Government,” the National Watch stated.

In a press statement, it said,”In the estimation of *NATIONAL WATCH*, the Governing NPP sees these persons as anti-NPP and feel threatened by their existence in these areas and so therefore had plotted to frustrate them; to ensure they don’t get to register in their current locations so that they cannot vote there in the 2020 elections.”

“From what National Watch has gathered, the NPP sees the Ayawaso West Wuogon, Odododiodoo, Banda, Tema East and Central Parliamentary Seats a tall order to annex in 2020 Elections and therefore employing communist inferior tactics to win them; hence seeking to displace non supporters,” National Watch alleged.

It added that,”What is more reckless about this demolition/displacement exercise is that it was without prior notice to the people and in the process mostly affecting women and children.”

Also worrying, according to the National Watch is the blatant disregard for COVID-19 as a pandemic, engulfing Ghana and the raining (cold) season, coming with its attendant problems, particularly to children, women and the marginalized.

“National Watch would like to urge the NPP Government to desist from sponsoring such nefarious acts, recklessness and attacks on harmless people and play fair since such backward and undemocratic tendencies bear the likelihood of eliciting a counter response, threatening our stability and lovely democracy,” It said.

The National Watch ended that,”Lets protect our democracy with tolerance and participation, not by intimidation and the act of exclusion.”