Gordon Offin-Amaniampong looks into the unknown journey
I wish I can take a journey into the minds of these two political parties. And I wish all the firecracker mouths thereof were pushed over and left to rot. Surely there are good people in both sides of the political divide. But for some reason the leadership in both parties have remained mum and allowed the brats to continue with their despicable acts.
When the tempest gets high peace and safety take cover lest they’d bear its brunt. Lately, I’ve been gauging the political temperature of our beloved Ghana and it appears we are taking things for granted. We seem to think that our peace is solidly encrypted and it would be impossible for anyone to decode it or wreak havoc upon us.
I touch wood. But I dare say we aren’t as solid as a rock and therefore we shouldn’t be smug or better still behave like the proverbial ostrich. It might look pretty for some of you from where you perch. But not everyone feels the same way. Not everyone is comfortable with the way the big bus is being driven. I hope you aren’t acting like the bird that told the climbing plant: “I can’t be bothered.”
Well, little did he know that even from that elevation on the borough of the tree he wasn’t safe: How did he not know that an angry gun discriminates not?
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It seems the force behind this rising temperature is politics. And I put the blame squarely on the two major political parties—the ruling NDC and the majority opposition NPP. They’re the prime movers. Both parties have a large following across the country and their actions or inactions, covert or overt operations can have significant impact on us either in negative or positive way.
Is this a new phenomenon? No, we’ve been witnessing this trend every four years (amid tension growing like a mountain) since the inception of the Fourth Republic. Good thing is we’ve some stakeholders and institutions that haven’t gone to sleep like the lazy koala (which sleeps for 18-22 hrs. a day) or the sloth.
Over the years and now, the National Peace Council, civil society groups, the Christian Council, traditional rulers and other religious bodies, celebrities, and eminent individuals such as Busumuru Kofi Annan (former UN Secretary General) have been working so hard to ensure that we don’t lose this precious child. This child we so adore and admire.
Sure, Goodness knows where we’d have been if the peace message hadn’t been preached. Perhaps, but for their interventions over the years we could have had our paths littered with grief and sorrow or had a descent into the quagmire our neighbouring countries had experienced in the past.
Again, as I aforesaid it is all politicians fault. They’re responsible for stoking the fire and riling up their teaming supporters, foot-soldiers, macho men and the likes. Their proclivity for raising the political tempo has been criticised time and again, yet they do it: ‘A’ to satisfy their political egos and ‘B’ consolidate power, which often they fear to lose.
Truth is our forebears had been known to be peace-loving and it is our turn to ensure that we keep the tradition going—to uphold, to protect and to safeguard this peace. Sometimes the writings look big on the wall yet they cause no harm and sometimes the writings might look small but they can be deadly, which is why we must not be complacent or else we would be fooled by the fools.
Consider this: How could an activity dubbed ‘A Health or Victory Walk’ of which the president was billed to take part turned into violent?
The Sunday November 13, ‘Nima-Clash’ between supporters of the NDC and the NPP at the residence of Nana Akufo Addo , the flagbearer of the Elephant in the 2016 elections mirrors the small letterings. I doubt if anybody saw it coming, unless it was masterminded by evil hands: The hands that are enemies to peace and safety.
I didn’t even know whose report was authentic. It seemed everything got warped up in the wake of the clash. Supporters of the two ‘Angels’ flooded two of the WhatsApp platforms I share with them. NDC supporters blamed the NPP and vice versa. It was more than likely that everyone had jaundiced eyes. I figured out.
So now you see how violence develops when caution is ignored. I’ve no interest in doing postmortem or giving accounts as to what occurred over the weekend. The question is: How do we ensure that this unfortunate incident doesn’t recur?
I said evil hands, it reminds me of ‘Kumepreko’ the mega demo organised by the opposition parties in 1995 that sought to resist the introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) which had been pegged at 15 percent by the NDC government. During that peaceful procession violent erupted. Supporters of the ruling government ‘strayed’ (it was deliberate) into the approved route earmarked for the opposition group.
As a reporter then writing for now-defunct ‘The Ghanaian Periscope’, we intercepted a letter from the police at the MTTU in Accra Central which had asked the marchers of the government side to disrupt the opposition’s procession. Be reminded the said notice had been given to the police at the eleventh hour by the evil hands. In the process a young boy was gunned down. Guns were drawn everywhere as the unarmed marchers had to run for their lives. Lives they weren’t sure if they could save in the face of the chaotic scene.
So we can blame politicians for these troubles but the police and certain institutions are also to be blamed. The police in many times had been found culpable for wrongdoing, aiding and abetting these worrisome acts. And whenever the public loses its trust in the law enforcement agencies the upshot is ugly.
In the case of the ‘Nima-Clash’ one would ask the following questions:
Did the police approve the NPP presidential nominee’s area as the route for the victory walk?
I thought the NDC have labeled him (Nana Akufo Addo) as a ‘violent’ person. So who walks into a lion’s den?
How would a handful of men step out from their comfort zone (residence) to attack an irate mob (in their hundreds) is that logical?
Have the marchers been using this route prior to this incident, if no why now?
A Professor of Communication Studies at Montgomery College in Maryland believes the Sunday morning incident could have been avoided if precautionary measures had been taken. Prof. Ekow Akyeampong who spoke with this writer on phone on Monday night said: “You don’t throw dice when tensions are high especially with a few weeks to go to for the general elections. I think it would have been logical for them to avoid that route until the elections are over.”
He suggested the America’s example is the way to go: “Trump Tower is a popular tourist spot. In the weeks leading up to the election Trump Tower was closed to the public.”
Indeed I still maintain that caution was ignored big time. The writings were visible on the wall yet they chose to racketeer the wheels of the wagon in the hope that it couldn’t get back on the road.
The wagon is back on track looking more energised than ever. He’d this message for his detractors: “We’ll resist Mahama and his army,” said Nana Akufo Addo.
Meanwhile the NPP has condemned the attacks that occurred at the residence of the party’s presidential candidate at Nima in Accra and also called on the ruling NDC to do the same. The National Peace Council has towed similar line.
“It must be condemned. It is condemnable to pelt the residence of a prominent individual with stones said Professor Emmanuel Asante chairman of National Peace Council. In a related development the Ghana Police Service says it will beef up security presence at the residence of the NPP’s flagbearer.
I must say my soul sobs and my heart bleeds when I see people toy with peace. My ears tingle and my eyes well up when I witness a crowd go bananas, burn and loot. My knees wobble and my whole frame quiver when I see carnage or anything that resembles madness. And still lost in my little world I ask myself: Who does that?
Why does peace seem repulsive to some people?
Aren’t we lucky to have this air of tranquil blowing across our shores?
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