The Antoa, police clash should not happen again
Can the clash between the people of Antoa and the police when the people demonstrated over the bad nature of their roads last Monday be described as a breakdown of law and order or a lack of faith in the processes?
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We recall that there have been similar occurrences in Sekondi/Takoradi, Asamankese and Ashaiman, with some of them ending up in fatalities. Are they signs that the centre can no longer hold or that people are losing hope in the state agencies to meet their expectations?
Some of the clashes can be blamed on the high-handedness of the security agencies, but we cannot forget the growing culture of impunity among the people.
It is on such occasions that the police try to use reasonable force to compel the demonstrators to conform to the norms of a civilised society.
These riots or demonstrations also bring to question the ability of the government to honour its side of the social contract with the people.
During electioneering, political parties and their presidential and parliamentary candidates promise to provide all manner of amenities for the people.
The development needs of the people are supposed to be catered for by their assemblies, through the assembly members, and at the central government level through their Members of Parliament (MPs), who must be able to lobby for development that will impact the lives of the people.
The resort to strikes or riots will not resolve the challenges. It may even compound their predicament.
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However, the Daily Graphic thinks that the road deficit is rising at an alarming rate, with roads which were hitherto motorable becoming inaccessible.
We urge the government to do more by way of rehabilitating roads in the rural communities, especially where the bulk of our food production takes place.
Sometimes we cry about food shortages, not because our farmers are failing to till the land but just because the roads are so bad that the farmers cannot have access to the market.
When the decentralisation concept was introduced, one of its objectives was to bring governance to the doorstep of the people.
The challenges involved in opening up the countryside, including the construction of roads, which the people have been complaining about in recent times, will be addressed if the district assemblies are allowed to take charge of their own affairs.
We urge the people who want to exercise their rights to express their opinion on the governance process to avail themselves of the Public Order Act in order not to fall foul of the law.
The police should also avoid the use of force in ensuring law and order, while the government should fulfil its social contract with the people by speeding up the process of fixing all deplorable roads in the country.