It was a battle for survival last Thursday, at the Suame Constituency, when two factions, purported to be campaining for and against the incumbent MP, Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, engaged each other in a near-bloody fight. What started as a peaceful public forum, organized by the Patriotic Citizens of Suame Constituency, a pressure group crusading against the fourth term bid of the Deputy Parliamentary Affairs Minister, turned bloody when another group, supposedly headed by some constituency executives, and championing the cause of the incumbent MP, also mobilized some supporters of the party to cause disturbances at the forum. Some supporters of both factions were beaten, while others sustained several injuries, as the two groups traded accusations and blows. A 50-year-old man, Kwaku Eshun, belonging to the pro-MP faction, was rushed to the Suntreso Hospital, after being clubbed with a heavy wooden object, by a member of the patriotic citizens. The victim, who was however the first to get offensive, after slapping his opponent, received a rather heavy retaliation, when he was hit heavily on the cheek with a wooden object, leaving him bleeding profusely and with a swollen cheek. A complaint was lodged with the Suame Police Station by the victim, after which he was presented with a medical form to attend the hospital. Patriotic citizens had spread message, throughout the constituency, about their intention to organize a forum, to allow the public to voice out their sentiments, in an ongoing move to discredit the incumbent MP, and prevent him from representing the constituency, for the fourth time. Their argument is that the incumbent MP had performed poorly, in the past twelve years, that he has represented the constituency in Parliament, and that it was about time that he gave the opportunity to another person to also continue. The public forum followed a press conference, organized last week, during which the Patriotic Citizens leveled a number of allegations, including failure on the part of the MP to put up a constituency office to run the affairs of the party, lack of communication and interactions, between the MP and his constituents, and failure to lobby for developmental projects for the constituency. But in an attempt to defend the incumbent MP, the pro-Kyei Menash group, led by the constituency organizer, Mr.Owusu Afriyie, trooped to the rally grounds, holding printed copies of projects embarked upon by the MP. The constituency organizer started distributing the copies to media men and some observers present, while inciting the people to ignore the Patriotic Citizens. This development, however, infuriated members of the Patriotic Citizens, who after unsuccessful attempts to ignore the intruders, and carry on with their programme, confronted them, resulting in the brawl. Source: The Chronicle