One of the affected victims
At the end of their mammoth rally last Tuesday in the Ododiodoo constituency in Accra, New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters were allegedly descended upon by thugs suspected to be from the camp of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate.
Cutlasses and firearms were said to have been used in the melee, leaving some persons injured although there was no loss of life.
Nii Lante Vanderpuye, MP for the constituency, is said to be involved in a running battle with his NPP counterparts for a while now, and what happened in the constituency was a continuation of the violence that has characterized political activities in the Odododiodoo constituency.
In our previous editorial, we expressed concern about how impunity was creating unnecessary security challenges in the country.
Indeed the Odododiodoo constituency is one of the electoral areas which made disgusting headlines during the voter registration exercise a few years ago.
Nii Lante, the Sports Minister, was very active in the confusion which greeted the exercise when he and others physically denied persons he described as being ineligible to be registered in the constituency, from doing so.
The picture of cutlass-wielding youth pacing the streets in the constituency in the name of the minister represented the face of the violence and indiscipline which characterized the exercise at the time.
Nobody was arrested and prosecuted although those engaged in the melee were identifiable especially, the political figure who engaged them. Now the same government appointee, an educated person, is at it again, thinking rightly that in as much as his party is in power, he can always have his way. We can assure him, however, that such unruly conduct cannot continue indefinitely.
This is a very educated man who should have lifted the less fortunate youth from the pangs of ignorance and illiteracy.
He is instead ruining their future further by encouraging them to be more unruly and violent.
He is said to have warned the Jamestown District Police Commander to arrest some NPP youth, lest he cause his transfer from the district.
For how long shall we continue to live like this so many years after independence? Of what use is education if at the end of completing tertiary institution, we continue to behave as if we do not appreciate the importance of civility.
Such persons and those who think that the end justifies the means are pitiable characters who would one day regret their sordid past.
Why should we wear the title ‘Honourable’ but behave crudely and bereft of wisdom?
It is sad and regrettable that persons who are part of government would be associated with the wielding of cutlasses and firing of weapons when all of us should join hands in getting our fledgling democracy to progress from the current not-too-good notch to an appreciable one.
And to think the source of the crap is the elites of society makes it even more worrying.
For how long shall arrogant politicians threaten police officers with transfers? This nonsense should stop so the country can move forward.
There is no doubt that the police officer too scared to be transferred to another location and perhaps have the education of his children messed up, would succumb to the dictates of the minister cum MP.
Such politicians would continue to drag the country behind the rest of the civilized world, unless there is a revolution in the manner we run our affairs.
This nonsense has continued because state institutions are not working as they should. Otherwise how can a minister order a police officer to detain a person; denying such a cop the chance to do his or her work professionally? Cry our beloved Ghana.