News of clashes, last Thursday, between protesters and the police hit me like a thunderbolt in faraway Obroniland, where I’m currently attending to some personal issues. I was shocked at the reports because I expected the birthday of Dr Okro, the country’s founder, to be marked in peace to honour the departed leader. How wrong I was!
I’ve seen numerous videos of the clashes and I would admit that they do not speak well of our developing democracy. I had a sense of déjà vu as I watched those worrying scenes.
What, however, shocked me was the reaction of the so-called neutrals in the country, who are behaving as if it was the first time they had witnessed anything of the sort. I couldn’t help wondering if they were exhibiting the proverbial short memory of the Asomdwekromanian or were only being hypocritical.
I vividly recall how on 16th September, 2015, a demonstration by “Let My Vote Count” (LMVC) which started peacefully ended with so many demonstrators getting brutally brutalized for defying a police order not to go near the Electoral Commission (EC) premises. The leadership of LMVC and other demonstrators were arrested and made to have a feel of the police’s ‘krakye powers’.
It was at this demonstration that the late Justice Agyakumah had his left eye callously scooped out of its socket by the reckless actions of the police. To add salt to his injury, the then Minister of Communications, Edward Omane Boamah, said the injured young man had deliberately smeared tomato paste on his eyes to deceive the unsuspecting public. Agyakumah subsequently joined his ancestors in Samanfoland on May 12, 2019, after nursing his eye injury and enduring the pain for years.
So I ask; why are my compatriots behaving as if they have never seen demonstrators clash with the police before? And why are they talking as if Armageddon is finally here?
Abusuapanin, another interesting observation made by your ‘konkonsaic’ nephew is the hailing of IGP Dampare when the police do well, and hypocritically lambasting President Nana Dee when the police go wrong.
Not too long ago in Assin North, everyone was singing Dampare’s praises for maintaining law and order before, during and after the by-election in the aforementioned constituency. Not even an iota of credit was given to President Nana Dee. Why is the Septuagenarian President now being held responsible for the so-called lapses of the police in the clashes with the demonstrators?
All I hear my people say is “we have the right to demonstrate and the right to express our anger at our government for poor performance”. But they conveniently ignore to mention the responsibilities that accompany those rights. Can you imagine the security threat in the country if sections of the society decide to go on a demonstration on the same day without any police direction and supervision? It would be chaos galore!
So, you see, you cannot place emphasis on rights without giving same to responsibilities. It’s the reason I do not support the recklessness going on in the name of “right to demonstrate”.
In any case, I’ve never joined in any demonstration and I never will. All the demonstrations I have witnessed in Asomdwekrom are motivated by partisan political interest and only the leadership end up benefitting when there is a change of government. The “osey yey” people like the late Agyakumah end up suffering for nothing. I therefore will not allow myself to be used to promote the interest of any politician.
Trust me when I say those who are truly hungry don’t even have the luxury of time to waste on demonstrations because they are busily grinding to make ends meet. Those masquerading as protestors are politically-motivated dinosaurs hoping to grab political appointments should the opposition party win power in the next election. Committee for Joint Action (CJA) and LMVC are perfect examples to learn from. So wake up and smell the coffee, my folks!
See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!