A Year Ago

A year ago, the foundation of our fledgling democracy was shaken.

A large number of Ghanaians, under the aegis of the Let My Vote Count (LMVC) Alliance on a peaceful demonstration against the bloated voters' register, were attacked by policemen who were obviously carrying out an order from above to deal a bloody blow to the protesters.

Their mission was not destruction-inclined but to seek a better electoral system: their apprehension being what has befallen many an African country where polls were mismanaged and skewed in favour of the incumbent political administration.

Ironically, the demonstrators did not breach the public order act, having informed the law enforcement agents earlier as the law required. They were expected to be protected by the same cops who turned their truncheons and tear gas on them with a clear intent to draw blood which they did eventually and even plucking an eye.

It is regrettable to note that for carrying out the orders to the letter, some top police officers have been promoted. Today they are satisfied with their feat but let them remember that nature has a way of dealing with those who abuse the authority bestowed upon them.

They forget that everything on the face of the earth is ephemeral and as the Romans of yore said “tempora mutantur.”

When time changes, they would recall their action and begin to reap what they sowed.

Being elevated for drawing blood and plucking another person's eye is something the sane can never understand no matter how much explanation is proffered.

The young man, a breadwinner of a family lost his eye needlessly after a rubber bullet from one of the angry policemen hit his eyeball. Like others who joined the demonstration, he thought they were in a country governed by law and not power-drunk politicians who have forgotten that in the not-too-distant future they would be replaced by another set of Ghanaians. Not so however, as they were soon to discover: men in police uniform chased them with visible intention to cause harm. The ugly spectacle was captured on video. Those who saw the images wondered how a country like Ghana could degenerate to such an all-time low.

Ghanaians on that day came face to face with the reality of a law enforcement agency ready to do the bidding of government even if it meant breaching the code of ethics of policing in a decent society.

It was yet another display of impunity by a government which is so inebriated with power that for it nothing is too much when it is about protecting their interest.

For those who went on the demonstration on that day, we pay tribute to them. Let them know that their names have been inscribed on marble never to be forgotten for their role in the fight against electoral criminality with the connivance of those at the helm of managing polls in the country.

One day this subject would be revisited as Hitler's atrocities continue to be dealt with. Nonagenarians involved made court appearances when they are identified. Those responsible for plucking the eye of the young man, and above all, assaulting peaceful demonstrators would have queries to answer.