Former President John Mahama has criticised government’s rejection of most of the recommendations of the Justice Emile Short Committee Report on the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence.

The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said Ghanaians should be alarmed that government, by its actions, appears to approve of the lawless assault on innocent civilians.

Mahama was speaking during a courtesy call by executives of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) on Thursday.

“To believe that government can say an MP deserves to be slapped because he provoked a security officer is unconscionable. I don’t know by what moral code this judgement is being made but it creates a very bad precedent for us.

“It means that… anybody can be brutalized by a security officer if he believes that you have provoked him… not even an MP is immune to brutality,” he lamented.

Mr Mahama argued that the actions of government provide a sinister premonition of future attacks by government-trained thugs targeted at government’s political opponents.

He said there was evidence that government is training ‘able-bodied’ civilians at a government military training facility.

“It is a worry that Ayawaso West Wuogon will be repeated on a larger scale than it did. This was only a by-election but the way things are going and from what we are hearing, it is possible that some sinister force is preparing to wreak violence during the elections and this is something that we must look at.”

Executives of the GJA led by its President, Affail Monney, were at the former president’s to invite him to the Association’s 70^th anniversary and GJA Awards Ceremony.

Mr. Mahama used the occasion to repeat his condemnation of the recent spate of attacks and threats on journalists and called on government to protect them so that they can freely go about their duties without any intimidation or fear.

The former President also used the opportunity to congratulate all journalists on the 70^thanniversary, paying special tribute to former GJA Presidents, the late Edward Ameyibor, Karbral Blay Amihere, Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie and all those who contributed to the growth of the Association.

President Mahama also spoke about fake news, mercenary journalism, the stalled DTT roll-out, continuous training for journalists, remuneration and compensation for journalists and government’s closure of pro-opposition radio stations.