Enact laws to halt attacks on public institutions — Prof. Alidu

The head of the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Seidu Alidu, has called for the enactment of laws that will prevent youth groups from attacking public institutions after a change in government.

He said such laws must be punitive enough to deter people from taking the law into their own hands.

He said although that practice had persisted since the Fourth Republic, “it is not good for our democracy.”

Such practices, he told the Daily Graphic in an interview, did not only dent the image of the country but also the political party that won the elections and the President.

Context

Since the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won the December 7, 2024 elections, some sympathisers of the party have attacked some government institutions such as the National

Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the National Health Insurance Authority among other institutions.

In January 2017, after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won the elections, some irate youth went on the rampage locking and completely taking over some state institutions.

They claimed they were exacting retribution for what they suffered in the hands of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) when it won power in the 2008 elections.

Security

Prof. Alidu stressed the need for civil society organisations and the citizenry to condemn such acts as it did not bode well for the country.

He called for adequate security to protect not only public institutions but also the staff.

He did not rule out the political elite instigating such acts and individuals who were also holding positions but were also removed for instigating such actions.

Prof. Alidu said the country had come far in its democratic journey, hence the need to demonstrate maturity and allow the law and processes to take precedence.