Just when my right thinking compatriots thought we have dispensed with the blues of election thuggery, it just re-reared its head. A leader of incompetence is pounding his chest that he and his amp?br? followers are born of revolutionary violence and so by violence they will live.
It’s a headline that chills the spine. ‘No one can beat us [congresspeople] in unleashing violence.’ In short, the speaker and his cohorts own violence in the motherland. Of course, they own violence. Pity and dangerous he doesn’t realise those are more threatening words than ‘all die be die.’ They were born in violence, they live by violently unleashing violence and my hope is that, as soon as possible, they disintegrate in their own fratricidal violence.
More chillingly is the attribution of the quote to a former ruler of the motherland. So that was the mindset, win election by thuggery; rewind Akwatia, Atiwa, Navrongo, and so on. Of course, it was his colleague Minister in Ashanti who instigated his people slapping anyone who in his view will be hostile to their attitude of create, loot and share. They are the same people who expect their membership to call sheep cow for exaggerated lying effect.
The Peace Council has rebuked him for the uncalled for bragging statement of violence, as the body should. On its part, the NCCE chose to blandly complain about election violence. Last time NCCE (institutional partner in crime) confronted election violence; sits idly by for it to happen and condemn. You only hear from it when it has something, it doesn’t matter whether it’s good or bad, to do or say in support of congress
I have a suggestion for dealing effectively with political violence, particularly the election-related one, and its avowed perpetrators. There must be a bank of CVs of all political appointees and those elected too. It will tell us where people have come from to lead us. As soon as they misbehave, the CV would be displayed for every compatriot to evaluate and decide as to whether they should be where they are or have that privilege of an opportunity to misbehave against us of the motherland. That would be a kind of naming and shaming as a deterrent from bad behaviour. Congress will resist, swear but would suffer the shaming.
Next will be institutional infestation. Our public institutions, the purely political ones like the NCCE are made of, or offshoot of, what was supposed to be a revolution that was only in the eyes of its beneficiaries. These beneficiaries are the ones who have been employing violence, just employed violence and have promised to unleash more violence. I am tempted to say those who live by violence perish by violence. It is ironic he who used violence and trickery to usurp parliamentary representation is now calling for blood after he was paid in his own coin.
Many of our public institutions are still struggling for independence to function outside the shackles of congress. You hear about the NCCE during elections than any other time. They are either conducting surveys that always show congress will win elections or they are hypocritically telling people to exercise their franchise as if they mean they expect freedom to vote or voting is voting for congress.
In the 20th century, before the early 21st century liberation of the motherland from congress slavery, public institutions were treated as if they were wings of congress. They have always filled positions with their people. The first interview question is: ‘Is the applicant one of us?’ Even if their opponents may be accused of doing same, they have had drowning opportunities of 35 years to strategically position their members compared to 10 short years by their closest opponents. If you remember the newly recruited into public positions, notably the armed services and foreign affairs were disposed of in 2009, you will understand what I mean.
One fine service man had to endure the humiliation of not just being relieved of his administrative position as a recruiter but also completely prematurely discharged from exercising the profession he had spent his life training for and practising. Congress punches holes into the system and fills them with its favourites.
Until Thursday, January 31, 2019, I had thought we had matured from election violence. I forgot about the extent amp?br? congress will go to capture state power because they cannot live without exercising that power. By it, they create, loot and share our common wealth, cash and resources in their incompetence to do anything inuring to the prosperity of the motherland. All must leash when they unleash for therein lies the motherland’s growth and prosperity. Those concerned about curbing election violence may want to take a look at this infestation of the public services
By Kwasi Ansu-Kyeremeh