Pressure group, Occupy Ghana has condemned the shooting incident at Awutu Senya East constituency.
The group rebuked the Member of Parliament for the area, Hawa Koomson for firing gunshots at a registration centre in the constituency on Monday, July 20, 2020.
In a statement copied to Peacefmonline.com, Occupy Ghana noted ''with grave concern, the news reports that the Special Development Initiatives Minister and Awutu Senya East MP, Mrs. Hawa Koomson, allegedly fired a gun at a registration centre in her constituency. We note that the Minister has admitted to this.
''OccupyGhana® has had occasion, especially in the wake of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, to condemn the use of violence in our electoral politics, whether by government agents or private persons. The use of force or violence is a crime under our laws, unless there is reasonable justification, and within the strict bounds provided by law. Specifically, it is a crime to fire a weapon ‘in a town without lawful and necessary occasion.’ Possession of a firearm ‘without lawful excuse’ is a first-degree felony. And it is also a crime to have an offensive weapon while in a public place, public meeting, or at a public assembly of people, ‘without lawful authority.''
They further condemned ''all election-related violence. We also condemn the inexplicable circumstances under which the Minister took a loaded weapon to the registration centre in the first place, when the Minister has police guard, paid for by the state and whose job is to protect her''.
Read full statement below:
Occupy Ghana21st JULY 2020
OCCUPYGHANA® PRESS STATEMENT
OCCUPYGHANA® CONDEMNS SHOOTING INCIDENT AT AWUTU SENYA EAST AND CALLS FOR URGENT AND QUICK POLICE INVESTIGATION
OccupyGhana® has noted with grave concern, the news reports that the Special Development Initiatives Minister and Awutu Senya East MP, Mrs. Hawa Koomson, allegedly fired a gun at a registration centre in her constituency. We note that the Minister has admitted to this.
OccupyGhana® has had occasion, especially in the wake of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, to condemn the use of violence in our electoral politics, whether by government agents or private persons. The use of force or violence is a crime under our laws, unless there is reasonable justification, and within the strict bounds provided by law. Specifically, it is a crime to fire a weapon ‘in a town without lawful and necessary occasion.’ Possession of a firearm ‘without lawful excuse’ is a first-degree felony. And it is also a crime to have an offensive weapon while in a public place, public meeting, or at a public assembly of people, ‘without lawful authority.’
We condemn all election-related violence. We also condemn the inexplicable circumstances under which the Minister took a loaded weapon to the registration centre in the first place, when the Minister has police guard, paid for by the state and whose job is to protect her.
Further, the law that regulates the registration of voters also provides a process for challenging ineligible people who register or attempt to do so. That is what should be followed, if people are breaking the law. No individual has the mandate or power to seek to prevent others from registering simply because that individual believes that the law is being flouted.
In a country governed by the Rule of Law, you do not prevent an alleged breach of the law, by breaching the law yourself. What the Minister did endangered the lives of not only the political actors, but innocent people whose only interest in being at the registration centre, was ostensibly to exercise their constitutional right to be registered and to vote in the coming elections.
We cannot have a registration exercise and then an election where people would feel so threatened that they would either stay at home and not vote at all, or go to the registration or polling stations armed. Ghanaians are already battling the spread of the dreadful coronavirus. This should not be combined with needless threats to our lives and safety.
We call on the police to quickly investigate the circumstances under which this incident occurred. If it is found that the Minister breached the law, she should be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible under the law.
In the Service of God & Country
OccupyGhana®
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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IT IS DISHEARTENED FOR OCCUPY GHANA TO JOIN THE ATTACK OF HON, HAWA YAKUBO. HER ATTACKERS HAVE NOT TAKEN THE TROUBLE TO KNOW OF WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED AT THE GROUND. IT IS EASY FOR ANY LAZY ARMED CHAIR COMMENTATOR TO CRITICIZE WITHOUT ASSESSING THE ISSUE IN DETAILS. WE MUST ASK QUESTIONS SUCH AS WHAT WAS THE FACE MASK MOTORBIKE RIDERS DOING AT THE POLLING STATION. WHAT WAS THEIR PURPOSE AND INTENTION. WE ALL KNOW IN THE PAST THAT SOME GHANAIANS WERE BEATEN AT ATIWA, CHIRIPONI AND OTHER PLACE IN POLITICAL ACTIVITIES. THE GANGSTERS ARE ALWAYS SENT BY SOME EVIL POLITICIANS TO CAUSE THE MAYHEM FOR THEM. HON, HAWA PREVENTED A REPETITION OF SUCH INCIDENTS. DO YOU THINK THAT THE MP HAWA WAS SO RECKLESS TO FIRE A WARNING SHOT WITHOUT BEING THREATENED. HAS SHE BEEN EVER ASSOCIATED WITH VIOLENCE. SHE IS NEVER KNOWN TO BE PROVOCATIVE NOR A THREAT TO PEACE IN SPEECH AND IN ACTION. I AM SERIOUSLY VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THOSE WHO HAVE CRITICIZED HER. DO THEY WANT HER TO BE ATTACKED AND HURT SO THAT THEY CAN BLAME EC FOR THE REGISTRATION WHEN WE ALL KNOW THAT WE CANNOT DO AWAY WITH THE REGISTRATION AND THE ELECTIONS. FOR HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE NOT HEARD FROM MAHAMA AND MANY TOP NDC OFFICIALS AND OTHERS LIKE BERNARD MONA THAT THERE COULD BE NO REGISTRATION EVEN TO THE POINT OF SHEDDING BLOOD. UNFORTUNATELY THOSE TALKING TODAY NEVER SAW THE WISDOM TO CONDEMN SUCH VIOLENT UTTERANCES. NOW THE NDC FOOT SOLDIERS ARE EMBOLDENED TO EXECUTE WHAT THEIR MASTER'S KEEP TRUMPETING. IT IS SAD THAT WE DONT CRITICIZE THE BEATING OF WAR DRUMS BUT WE DO IT TO THOSE WHO PREVENT THEMSELVES FROM THEIR ATTACKS. IT IS DISAPPOINTING TO HEAR SUCH CRITICISM NOW FROM HIGH PERSONALITIES AND GROUPS LIKE KWESI ANING, CODEO, REV. EMMANUEL ASANTE, MPS AND OTHERS, WHEN WE HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THEM ANY STRONG CONDEMNATION AGAINST THE REPEATED CALL OF VIOLENCE TO MEET THE REGISTRATION. IF FOR ANYTHING HAWA MUST BE PRAISED FOR ACTING TO PREVENT GHANA TO BE IN THE FOREIGN MEDIA FOR A BAD NEWS. AFTER ALL SHE DID NOT AIM THE GUN AT ANYBODY TO INJURE ANY PERSON? SHE ONLY PROTECTED HERSELF AND OTHERS TO SPARE EC, THE GOVERNMENT AND THE NATION FROM THE LITANY OF NDC BLAME FOR WHAT THEY HAVE WISHED. IT IS SAD THAT PEOPLE SIT IN THE COMFORT OF THEIR HOMES AND CRITICIZE THE HARD WORKING WOMAN IN THE FIELD TO MONITOR THE REGISTRATION. NONE OF SUCH PEOPLE HAVE GONE OUT TO ANY OF THE HOT SPOTS LIKE KASOA TO SEE FOR THEMSELVES ABOUT WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ON THE GROUND. EVEN A SIMPLE KEEN MONITORING FROM THE MEDIA CAN TELL ANYONE THAT KASOA SINCE DAY ONE OF THE REGISTRATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN THE NEWS FOR VIOLENCE AND MISUNDERSTANDING. I WILL PLEAD WITH HAWA TO BEEF UP HER PERSONAL SECURITY THE NEXT TIME SHE IS OUT. THE POLICE MUST ALSO INTENSIFY THEIR SURVEILLANCE AT KASOA AND ANY OTHER HOT SPOTS TO PREVENT THE BLOOD SHED TRUMPETED BY THE ENEMIES OD DEMOCRACY.
Cccupy wahat please occupy Ghana my foot so you lazy group want this competent minister / Mp be killed like chicken by this Ndc criminals before she risen from death to take action that is absolute ***barred word***. I support Hon. Hawa 100000000% for firing warning shot because she can not stand aloof for this Ndc criminals attack and her kill before this lazy journalist of Ghana will report her death , i like her action too what a brave woman , next time they should try any Npp woman Mp then we will see what will happen to this Ndc incompetent party.