Being A Citizen And Not A Spectator

I am a citizen. I’m not an ordinary spectator. I have a civil right to speak my mind on issues of my country.

You have the right to skip my write-up. You read at your own cost. Insult will not be tolerated. Skip and scroll on if you intend to politicize my views.

HISTORY

In 1979, Some Ghanaians in their ignorance lined up on the streets of Accra urging rampaging soldiers on to “let the blood flow”….

Indeed blood flowed. We know more of the blood of the generals but little is said of the many civilians who disappeared and the many women who were brutally abused by these senseless monsters in military uniform.

When Ghanaians were chanting for blood to flow, little did they know that the house cleaning exercise will reach their very homes. They least suspected that their wives, daughters and mothers would be stripped naked and lashed in their private parts in the full glare of the public.

The then “Junior Jesus” and his weed smoking men made sub humans of Ghanaians…our innocent women being the main victims. The same man who supervised the dehumanizing of Ghanaian women later paraded himself as the champion of women rights in this country.

For close to two decades, Ghana endured under a tyrant who had the charisma of satan himself. Wives lost husbands. Children lost their fathers. Our industrialists fled this country. Our noble men were reduced to nothing. Ghana endured low-lives sprouting to prominence and rubbing their blood gotten prominence in our faces.

Forty something years on and what do I hear on our radios, a call for uprising and military takeover?

I don’t understand why a harmless prophecy of two prophets landed them in cells to show them where power lies and yet a journalist with a massive influenctial platform was simply invited and released by the police the same day he called for insurrection in this country.

Prophecy is not treasonable. Calling for soldiers and the people to rise is dangerous and tantamount to treason!

The youth of this country are calling for something that will ruin the very lives they are seeking to build.

In a democracy, you can always wait for at most four years to change the government if you don’t like them. In an autocracy and soldier power, you are a dead dog to seek any governmental change.

Our mouths as a people can bring ruins upon us. We can with our own mouths destroy our nation. Let us watch how we call for certain things in this country.

Those of us who saw the dark days of the revolution do not wish to see such days even in our dreams. Indeed, families that were wrecked and shattered by the atrocities perpetrated by the devilish saviors want to regard the whole episode as some bad dream. They want to see that dark history as just imagination yet they endured it and many are still enduring the horrors the revolution unleashed on them.

People were tortured. And this is not far fetched in our history. Even a simple love affair landed Jentu Selasie in the military guardroom at the seat of government for “an identification haircut”. A special haircut with broken bottles.

If you don’t know ask soldiers what they think of civilians. They think you (the civilians) are not disciplined. When they have power, their first job is to straighten you up. They will drill your life with slaps to kick indiscipline out of your life.

In this country, men were made by soldiers to “make love” to dirt. Red hot pins were inserted in the genitalia of men in this country. Business women were raped, tortured and killed.

Those who jubilated were those who economically benefited from the plight of those who faced gross injustice.

Worthy of note is that all the people who suffered under this satanic regime were not tried. They were not given any hearing talkless of a fair one. People were killed for mere suspicion.

POLITICIANS OF TODAY

Our parliament is sadly playing into the hands of soldiers one more time. On two occasions, soldiers have entered the floor of parliament to bring order…there may not be a third time.

Imagine the childish behavior of people who Ghanaians endured the scorching sun to line up at the polling stations to vote for. Adults who are meant to learn what consensus building is all about throwing punches at each other. Indeed what is happening in our parliament is a total disrespect and disregard for Ghanaians. It is absurd to watch these disgraceful entities call themselves “honorables” when they living dishonorably.

The IGP should arrest the MPs caught on video perpetrating violence. In fact what happened in parliament disrupted national peace not just public peace. If ordinary people can be arrested for fighting openly, it will be gross injustice and misapplication of the law if these lawmakers are not made to face the full rights of the law. They must pay for damages to public property and pay for invading our television sets with their violence.

Our politicians owe us respect. They owe us some dignity. They must be made accountable.

A hungry eighteen year old boy was jailed in this country for stealing just plantain. Our MPs were never interrogated for taking double salaries. Credence is being given to the fact that we are not all equal under the law. The law as it is was made to protect some few!!!!

I’m using this means to urge Ghanaians to go to their nearest police stations and report their members of parliament to be arrested for causing nuisance and disturbing public peace. They need to be arrested and put before court then we can believe in the rule of law.

A mere apology is not enough. These 275 people have taken us for granted for far too long. They get paid with our taxes. The only time consensus is reached effortlessly is when there is a proposal to milk the National purse.

Ghana belong to all Ghanaians. The selective justice must stop.

If IGP could arrest prophets for harmlessly prophesying, he must as a matter of urgency arrest the journalist who called for insurrection in this country.

If ordinary people can be arrested for causing nuisance, our MPs should be arrested for the same. Violence of any kind is a crime.

E-LEVY

With all due respect, this levy does not make sense.

Yes, the tax web needs to be widened. E-Levy is not the way to go. In my mind, it will even amount to double taxation of the corporate worker who is taxed and will be taxed again for simple mobile money transactions.

It is only a fool who refuses to change his mind. The government should as a matter of curtesy and respect to Ghanaians scrap this as soon as possible.

If toll booths have outlived their usefulness, let us look to alternatives for motorists and road users to pay for the use of our roads. The road-worth fee can be marginally increased so that those using vehicles pay.

I support the taxation of the churches, shrines and mosques. As long as these houses embarks on business, they should pay taxes. Even Jesus paid taxes.

The artisans must be made to pay taxes. Government should stop burdening the few in our country and make sure that every citizens lives up to their civil responsibility. There is something called citizens tax, my generation know it as “lampo”, every Ghanaian must be made to pay.

When the taxes are paid, it must as well be put to good use for it is disheartening to see our monies being used to fly side-chicks and side-gangs for luxurious holidays.

THE CITIZENS

We can only fix our country when we have fixed our general attitude.

Our attitude to work stinks.

Most Ghanaians are fundamentally dishonest. Most Ghanaians are wicked. Ghanaians by their wicked attitudes have collapsed many businesses. We need to fix our attitude.

Civil servants must sit up. Most civil servants are lazy and bluntly wicked. They must sit up and help in building our nation.

Stop littering our streets and expect the government to do the sweeping. Keep your own corner clean.

Let us all fix our corners. Collectively, we can fix the country.

The church must eschew greed and wickedness. Christian leaders must be compassionate enough to be part of the nation building effort. Let us use our influence to change lives not to milk unsuspecting congregants.

Ghana can work if only you and I are willing to work.

I am a Ghanaian citizen.

I am a husband.

I am a father to many children.

I just spoke my mind.

Remain blessed.

Barimah Kofi Asare Kyei-Baffour