Ralph St. Williams
A certain Ralph St. Williams has gained an unenviable notoriety on the political landscape of the country.
Unfortunately because of the unusual political times we are in today, he appears to have won the hearts of the leadership of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
If thugs were only engaged for action in elections, today the picture has changed as such hoodlums are able to attack hospitals even in the nation’s capital. Indeed if we allow the status quo to persist, country-loving Ghanaians would wonder where their beloved Ghana is heading for. Is that what the resetting agenda is all about?
Of course it is madness and a testament to foolishness when persons claiming to belong to a political party descend upon a health facility and assault nurses.
Ralph transferred his madness which he displayed during the demonstrations of the NDC when they were in opposition to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital so brazenly he could have been drawing his power from the top.
It can only be imagined the fright his action exacted on patients, staff and visitors to the health facility.
We condemn unequivocally the action of the NDC activist who led his fellow thugs to do as they did. It is amazing what they intended to achieve by their action of a few days ago.
It is a precedent which should be nipped in the bud before it is replicated elsewhere. Health facilities when they are open to such thuggery by political party activists does not bode well for us as a people.
Shouldn’t certain facilities such as hospitals be spared such nonsense? Even under war situations, health facilities are spared under special international conventions.
The Minority in Parliament and the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) have both expectedly condemned the action. We do not expect them to end it there but to rather follow it up to ensure that there is no repeat.
It is instructive that the action comes on the heels of a similar act of thuggery when a group of NDC activists descended upon the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital claiming to be National Security operatives.
Their mission was to recover some government cars. Is that how state vehicles are recovered from state institutions? Unless they want us to believe that the health facility is not a state institution.
Although the police were called in, we do not expect anything to come out of it. The committees of enquiries set up in the aftermath of such rampages do not yield any dividend to provide the necessary deterrents.
We wish to repeat that there is no coup in this country. An election was held and a new government was sworn in. This rowdy and irresponsible behaviour by party thugs should not continue.
Just when it appears the nonsense is dying, a group plays it again.
Unless sincere and deliberate actions are exacted, we shall not experience growth as a democratic country steeped in decency.