Macho men say no to violence, December 4, 2012 (Front oage)
AN association of body builders has made it categorically clear that machomen will not become instruments of violence and intimidation during and after Friday’s elections.
Christened Machomen for Good and Justice, the association admitted that politicians had, in the past, misled some of them into committing atrocities across the country during elections, only for those politicians to avoid them after the polls.
The members, however, expressed disappointment in the security services in their failure to involve the machomen in security plans for the December polls.
The association had requested that its 6,000-strong membership be part of security activities for the polls but the police warned to deal ruthlessly with any machoman who dared cause trouble at polling stations during the elections.
Speaking at a forum organised by the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) for the men of muscle to share their experiences, the Founder of Machomen for Good and Justice, Nana Kwabena Boakye, said the days when machomen were used as instruments to visit mayhem on innocent citizens during elections were over.
The programme, attended by traditional rulers, the independent presidential candidate, Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah, and representatives of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) and the Independent People’s Party (IPP), had regional representatives of the association pledging their commitment to uphold the country’s peace before, during and after Friday’s elections.
“We are pledging our commitment to peace during and after the elections and will not allow ourselves to be used by politicians to pursue their own agenda,” Nana Boakye said.
He said since 1992, many of his fellow machomen had either been killed or maimed for pursuing the agenda of some selfish politicians.
He urged the security agencies to ensure that any machoman caught engaged in any electoral malfeasance was dealt with ruthlessly, along with the politician who engaged the machoman.
Nana Boakye noted that the phenomenon was breeding lawlessness, as machomen who engaged in those activities knew that they would have the backing of their paymasters, no matter their offence.
He called on the macho community to see the recent clash at Ashtown in Kumasi, during which a machoman was reportedly crippled for life after a National Democratic Congress (NDC)/New Patriotic Party (NPP) clash, as a typical example.
The macho phenomenon has been part of the country’s electoral system since the dawn of the Fourth Republic in 1992.
Concerns have been raised over the role of machomen in the country’s elections. Recently, the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and the National Elections Security Task Force (NESFT) urged political parties not to create or deploy parallel security or machomen in their electoral campaigns and ballot watching activities.
The two major political parties — the NDC and the NPP — have been pointing accusing fingers at each other for using the muscled men to steal ballot boxes or intimidate opposing supporters.
But Nana Boakye said this year’s elections would be different.
He appealed to other machomen who were not part of the group not to allow themselves to be used and dumped by self-seeking politicians.
According to him, ever since the group was formed in January this year, it had been successful in getting jobs in small-scale mining and private security companies for its members.
He said the group had resolved to uproot the culture of machomen intimidating voters during elections in the country, as machoism was about unity and progress and not violence.
The winner of this year’s Man Ghana competition, Asaase, appealed to all machomen across the country to join the association to preach peace and not violence.
According to him, machomen should rather channel their energy into protecting the integrity of the polls by providing security and preventing deviants from causing trouble.
With the cameras on them and cheers from the audience, some of the machomen could not resist the temptation to flex their muscles.
The Managing Director of the GCGL, Mr Ken Ashigbey, who chaired the function, said the company, by its action, had demonstrated that machomen could become vanguards for peace.
He urged Ghanaians to see the 2012 elections as a moment to elect a leader for the country and not a time to undermine the country’s peace.
The Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Ransford Tetteh, said while tension and anxiety were a little high because of the elections, the country would emerge from the elections and firmly place itself on the world democratic map.
Christened Machomen for Good and Justice, the association admitted that politicians had, in the past, misled some of them into committing atrocities across the country during elections, only for those politicians to avoid them after the polls.
The members, however, expressed disappointment in the security services in their failure to involve the machomen in security plans for the December polls.
The association had requested that its 6,000-strong membership be part of security activities for the polls but the police warned to deal ruthlessly with any machoman who dared cause trouble at polling stations during the elections.
Speaking at a forum organised by the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) for the men of muscle to share their experiences, the Founder of Machomen for Good and Justice, Nana Kwabena Boakye, said the days when machomen were used as instruments to visit mayhem on innocent citizens during elections were over.
The programme, attended by traditional rulers, the independent presidential candidate, Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah, and representatives of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) and the Independent People’s Party (IPP), had regional representatives of the association pledging their commitment to uphold the country’s peace before, during and after Friday’s elections.
“We are pledging our commitment to peace during and after the elections and will not allow ourselves to be used by politicians to pursue their own agenda,” Nana Boakye said.
He said since 1992, many of his fellow machomen had either been killed or maimed for pursuing the agenda of some selfish politicians.
He urged the security agencies to ensure that any machoman caught engaged in any electoral malfeasance was dealt with ruthlessly, along with the politician who engaged the machoman.
Nana Boakye noted that the phenomenon was breeding lawlessness, as machomen who engaged in those activities knew that they would have the backing of their paymasters, no matter their offence.
He called on the macho community to see the recent clash at Ashtown in Kumasi, during which a machoman was reportedly crippled for life after a National Democratic Congress (NDC)/New Patriotic Party (NPP) clash, as a typical example.
The macho phenomenon has been part of the country’s electoral system since the dawn of the Fourth Republic in 1992.
Concerns have been raised over the role of machomen in the country’s elections. Recently, the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and the National Elections Security Task Force (NESFT) urged political parties not to create or deploy parallel security or machomen in their electoral campaigns and ballot watching activities.
The two major political parties — the NDC and the NPP — have been pointing accusing fingers at each other for using the muscled men to steal ballot boxes or intimidate opposing supporters.
But Nana Boakye said this year’s elections would be different.
He appealed to other machomen who were not part of the group not to allow themselves to be used and dumped by self-seeking politicians.
According to him, ever since the group was formed in January this year, it had been successful in getting jobs in small-scale mining and private security companies for its members.
He said the group had resolved to uproot the culture of machomen intimidating voters during elections in the country, as machoism was about unity and progress and not violence.
The winner of this year’s Man Ghana competition, Asaase, appealed to all machomen across the country to join the association to preach peace and not violence.
According to him, machomen should rather channel their energy into protecting the integrity of the polls by providing security and preventing deviants from causing trouble.
With the cameras on them and cheers from the audience, some of the machomen could not resist the temptation to flex their muscles.
The Managing Director of the GCGL, Mr Ken Ashigbey, who chaired the function, said the company, by its action, had demonstrated that machomen could become vanguards for peace.
He urged Ghanaians to see the 2012 elections as a moment to elect a leader for the country and not a time to undermine the country’s peace.
The Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Ransford Tetteh, said while tension and anxiety were a little high because of the elections, the country would emerge from the elections and firmly place itself on the world democratic map.
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