‘Where are we going?’
It was another eventful week. Headlines include the following:
Abuja. With about 40 million Nigerian twitter-users, as against Ghana’s total population of only 30 million, Nigerians were upset about Twitter locating its Africaheadquarters in Ghana, and not Nigeria.
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Ouagadougou. In Burkina Faso, former President Blaise Campaore was indicted for his role in the assassination of President Thomas Sankara in 1987.
Minneapolis. In the US, with the ongoing trial ofpoliceman Chauvin for killing George Floyd, a Minneapolis policewoman Kim Potter shot dead an unarmed 20-year-old black man Daunte Wright for a traffic violation.
The policewoman with 26 years’ experience said she mistakenly fired her pistol thinking she was firing her taser, which fires electric shocks at the target causing temporary paralysis.
Takoradi/Somanya/Kasoa. In Takoradi, three persons were killed in four days. At Somanya, a husband killedhis wife in a Guest House. The Kasoa killing of a 10 year-old boy by 16 and 17 year-old teenagers continues to make headlines.
Accra. On Wednesday, 14 Apr 2021, 18 people died in two Accra RTAs bringing the total this year to about eight-hundred!
Oslo. In Norway, Norwegian PM was fined by the Police for having her 60th birthday party with thirteen family members, three more than the ten allowed.
Can this happen in Ghana?
Errant MP
When a Ghanaian MP whose vehicle drove on the shoulder of the road overtaking law-abiding citizenswas stopped by the police, he justified his action saying he was in a hurry to go to Parliament. In effect he wasabove the law, and could break the law to go and enact laws for Ghanaians to obey.
Impunity
In my article of May 2019 titled “Impunity Galore?” I stated as follows:
“While working outside Ghana many years ago, I was struck by the screaming headlines of murder on the front page of the leading newspaper of that country on a daily basis.
When I enquired from a top official why killings were so routine, his simple answer was “General, when human beings know they can get away with murder, they will commit murder with impunity!”
Ghanaian legal luminaries pride themselves with having some of the finest laws in the world which other countries come to learn from. The question is, what is good about fine laws on paper which are not enforced?
So now, while teenagers are killing ten-year-olds for money, our roads have become slaughter-houses!
Values
Values give expression to a people’s sense of what is right/wrong. They shape our attitude. As children we were taught to love Ghana, do the right thing, speak the truth and be selfless in seeking the good of Ghana first. Some were as follows:
1. Love of Country
2. Protection of state property
3. Selflessness
4. Punctuality
Questions
Do Ghanaians love Ghana? Will you die for Ghana? Money has taken over love for country. Otherwise, how can foreigners heavily involved in galamsey and redwood exploitation, be left off the hook?
On Protection of State property, no patriotic Ghanaian will justify the loot of Ghana’s resources.
Are we selfless? Ghanaians who front for foreigners in fields including mining and fishing are nothing short of selfish saboteurs.
On punctuality/time-consciousness, lateness appears second-nature to us. Ghanaians sadly, humorously talk of “Ghana-Man-Time” for GMT, instead of Greenwich Mean Time. Even official functions seldom start on time. Attitude!
Conclusion
Concerned about their insecurity, people keep asking, “where are we going?” with children killing for ritual purposes!
Do the authorities care about 800 Ghanaians dying in RTAs between January and mid-April 2021? When George Floyd was killed in the US, Ghanaians demonstrated, but when 2000 Ghanaians are killed yearly in RTAs, nothing happens!
If the Prime Minister of Norway can be charged, found guilty and fined, why can’t we do likewise in Ghana?
The MP’s justification for driving on the road’s shoulder demonstrates a debasement of our values, and the urgent need for attitudinal change.
Until heads roll, carnage on our roads/murders will continue!
Ghanaians forget that, average life-expectancy in Ghana is 64 years. So, why the greed as if we shall live forever?
Campaore’s indictment must teach us that, crime has no expiry date, and that nemesis will eventually catch up with murderers/criminals, status notwithstanding!
Most importantly, the law must be enforced! That is the only way to stamp out the murders, indiscipline, RTAs and impunity which have taken over Ghana.
Finally, we need a moral revival, not revolution, to restore our values, as our revolution ended up onlydebasing our values by introducing disrespect, devaluation of human life and impunity.
In all this, where is Leadership?(Discipline/Integrity/Patriotism)
Fellow Ghanaians, WAKE UP!
The writer is a Former CEO, African Peace Support Trainers Association, Nairobi, Kenya and Council Chairman of Family Health University College, Accra.
Writer’s email [email protected]