Minister of State for Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has called for a shorter transition period after elections to help curb post-election violence.
His comments follow reports of state property destruction, allegedly by National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters.
Speaking on The Point of View with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV, Kwakye Ofosu linked the unrest to grievances over perceived mistreatment during the 2016 transition.
He argued that a shorter transition would allow the incoming government to take control of security matters more swiftly, reducing tensions and potential conflicts.
“The party that has won is not in charge, so, the incoming president can’t authorise anything to be done. Yes, he has been given security briefings but that is just about it. The outgoing government is crest-fallen and practically loses interest in governance beyond going through the motions until they hand over.
“So there’s a lacuna, a gap, which is then exploited by the party activists who think that they were wronged in the past. And so ought to wreak vengeance on their opponents.
“In that melee, you have some of these things happening. I think that a proposed solution would be to shorten the transition period so that the new government can take over quickly and accept control over security.”
He noted that security agencies often become less effective following a change of government due to uncertainties about job security.
He condemned post-election violence, particularly the destruction of state properties by supporters.
“I will not endorse that in any way shape or form. The way to address it in my view is not just to view it as a transient occurrence it is a sub-culture. It has been ingrained, it has become part of our electoral system so let us adopt a root-and-branch approach to address it.
“We need to tighten the systems and processes that we use to manage the transition. There is too much of a gap that needs to be plugged. If you do that it will not happen under the NDC, it will not happen under the NPP.”
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