Military excesses; Time up!

“It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me and that's pretty important” Dr Martin Luther King jnr

A recent video footage broadcast on television networks across the country-which appeared to have stunned Ghanaians - came off as one of the most dehumanizing treatments ever meted out to a civilian for disturbing social order. For me, this represented something else. It bespoke of just a tip of something larger, which our law-based society has for far too long, failed to confront. This despicable footage, to say the least, I hope, would serve as wake up call or “a teachable moment” as it is said often in the United States of America for the men in uniform to revise their draconian approach to “dealing” with civilians.

The content of the footage while isolated, cannot be delinked from the Bronze Age attitude of Ghana's military establishment in breaching the law when they please, often in show of needless superiority. Indeed their antecedent dates back to the days after the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah through General Acheampong through to the Armed Forces Revolutionary council to the Provisional National Defense Council.

The truth of the matter is that even after our return to constitutional rule - where as a people we had resolved to give solemn dignity to established legal principles - military brutalities have continued.

One can vividly recount the dastardly act of “terror” some military personnel belonging to the 4th Infantry Battalion inflicted on some residents at South Suntreso, a suburb of Kumasi, for allegedly slaying one of theirs. (This transpired in the early days of the Kufour administration).

Then was the infamous murder of the Northern Regional chairman of the Convention Peoples Party where some military officers had unleashed brutalities on a civilian, leading to his gruesome death. Thank God the alleged perpetrators are now standing trial.

It has also not been long since some commercial drivers were made to “kiss” cadavers at the 37 Military Hospital Morgue at the instruction of military personnel, as a punishment for breaching traffic regulations. In this particular case, although investigations have being concluded, the affected victims are yet to be compensated commensuratively with the psychological trauma they were subjected to. And for the uniformed men involved, we are yet to hear of their sanctions. And now this! Two persons, stripped naked because, allegedly, they were “causing disorder” in one of Ghana's endemic conflict areas!

Folks u see, all this happenings reflects the fact that for far too long our country has turned a blind eye to military excesses and now we are “cashing in”.

One often wonders why the military hierarchy cannot, for instance, discharge or interdict unscrupulous officers who abuse the rights of civilians as pertains in other lands. If the argument is that a driver's license could be revoked for reckless driving because often times reckless driving results in trauma and death, then surely, these brutalities does same and should warrant a similar treat. Until and unless our resolve to reproach military offences is strengthened through a more transparent court-martial, I dare say the reckless “escapades” of the military, would not end anytime soon.

The military ought to get this point; that our governance structure is constitutionally based and there in lie no room for lawlessness!

As for the comments attributed to Mr. Mark Wayongo the Upper East Regional Minister and Nii Laryea Afotey Minister of State at the presidency that the circumstances in Bawku warrants the actions of the military, the decision of Mr. Eric Holder, Attorney General of the United States of America, to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) to trial in a New York federal court should devastatingly repudiate their stance. If a terrorist of the highest order is being given the right to a fair trial why can we not do the same for people allegedly disturbing the peace.

Credit: Emmanuel Asare [[email protected]]