In my two previous articles, I commented on the challenge from the rising spate of political volunteerism and the Delta Force’s ‘aboakyer style’ eviction of the President’s appointee for the position of Regional Security Coordinator for Ashanti.
I recall describing it the first political test for the IGP who hasn’t been in office for more than two months. More so, when the President had encouraged him to deliver his job without any discrimination of political colour or position in society.
So it came to pass that the Delta Force chaps were arrested and put before court for the criminal act which was also an affront to the first gentle of the land who appointed the man uprooted by the Delta Forces. But last week, the worst was yet to come when some of the Delta Forces stormed the Kumasi court to free their colleagues from the dock when they had been billed to be committed to prison remand.
Since last week, that has been the most discussed issue in our country and rightly so.It can be described as a very disturbing trend and it has triggered a debate about whether the latest Delta Forces or Montie Three had done the most despicable breach of our judicial protocols. One threatened and got punished and pardoned by Presidential prerogative and another actually run over the courts.Ghanaians are not enthused with either scenarios. It is believed that the NDC’s defeat was partly due to the action by former President JDM in pardoning the Montie 3 and it is also believed that if there were elections today,the Delta Forces court invasion would drastically reduce President Nana Addo’s votes. Comments from across various media platforms confirm this.
My concern is not this debate but the lesson which political leaders seem not to learn. When the political parties in their quest for power allow their youth wings to begin to act like rebel groups and trigger conflicts with the opposing side, they refuse to foresee the danger ahead.Both the NDC and the NPP have nurtured political monsters over the years and have tried to outdoor themselves in violent acts and we are seeing the worst of what they are capable of unleashing on the nation.
The IGP has assured the nation that the Delta Forces and all other forces of violence and dislocation of our social structure will be dealt with.We are waiting with bated breath to see how the rampaging forces will have their wings clipped to let us enjoy the peace we have globally been noted for.
Dealing with the political violent groups is becoming challenging like the ‘Galamsey’ menace.Both situations are products of impunity which started over the years but were not stopped.Now,all our water bodies have been destroyed and yet, there’s no end in sight for this blatant illegal scramble for our natural resources.
All our challenges as a nation begin on small scales when they can easily be nipped in the bud but some way somehow,the agencies responsible look on or close their eyes until they get to catastrophic levels before we look for time and resources to deal with them.The media is now awakened to lead a crusade to attack ‘Galamsey’ and it remains to be seen how the political leaders will have the will to lead the ‘onslaught’ to dislodge the rapers of our gold from water bodies and our forests.
As a citizen of a district which has seen ‘Galamsey’ operations since my secondary school days,I can debunk the argument that the menace is due to unemployment. Those who say, Government should create jobs before driving out these selfish local and foreign nationals from our river bodies and forests must rethink. I remember that way back in the 80s,some of our secondary school teachers downed their chalk and pen and dashed to the ‘Galamsey’ fields in search of gold money. Some of these teachers were University Degree holders then with high prospects in life. Somebody has to convince me by proving otherwise.
The impunity must stop and it is now or never!
By Kojo Ackaah-Kwarteng
Head of Station,Onua 95.1