Ghana, The Secured-Chaotic State We Are Creating

A knife does not know who its master is. This is a proverb my Grandmother told me one early morning during my teenage years, after I enquired of a dirty scenario which involved one boy I was forbidden to play with in our neighbourhood.

As early as the cock crow, he was seen whacking his mother's head against the wall and using abusive language against her publicly in an uncontrollably loud voice that, it fetched most of the villagers nearby to help calm the situation. The woman was by then bleeding profusely and calling the names of our neighbuors for help.

After the situation came under control, and our neighbors sent the woman to the hospital, I heard she incurred injuries in her skull that could lead to protracted ill conditions in the future. This woman, according to gossip, was not bringing up her son properly, and she now has a goon to deal with – a responsibility she will have to endure due to the lack of proper upbringing. This teenager was later apprehended by the police for further investigations.

It is very sad seeing the way certain bad habits performed by the youth in this country are being supported and hailed in the dark by the aged, when we know they are too old to be straightened, yet, because of our selfish gains, we are using words to embellish such acts and publicly defending them. One day, we will wake up only to realise what we have watered has grown horns and bearing disgusting fruits all over.

It is sad to see our trusted institutions full of blemish. Growing up, the people in these institutions were given the maximum respect due to exquisite services rendered, and their love for the nation, which was made manifest in their dedicated service. They sung one song only: their love for the nation superseded all other individualistic interests. Today, it is evident that there are lots of punctures coming from them, and the foundation of the nation is bleached!

One prominent evil gradually befalling this nation is the issue of vigilante groups coming out of political parties and serving the parochial interests of the groups they represent. In the past few years, many of them have come out of the two prominent political parties – New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress – and after winning political power, the majority of them disappear, and we only hear them regrouping after coming into opposition. We are tickling ourselves and laughing as a people!

Unfortunately, our political leaders, especially the legislative and executive arm of government, when in opposition, do not see anything wrong with these condemnable actions. These hypocritical leaders are giving room to accommodate this nonsense persisting in their parties. They are happily seen mingling with these hooligans with evidence of photographs and videos circulating on the media. Mr. Ade Coker, Chairman of the Greater Accra wing of the National Democratic Congress, blatantly said on United Television last week Tuesday: “They are not the violent type,” yet, they are formed for “extra security measures.” In so doing, they will surely be given the necessary artillery to operate and get prepared for those eventualities, so he was lying to Ghanaians about their real colours.

This same political figure condemned the formation of Invisible and Delta forces years back. Today, he is justifying the hatching of the Hawks and claiming they are non-violent. What a people we live with! For now, I am only praying they do not turn against their own “masters” one day, because, it will be a bitterly-sweet experience to taste the brood of vipers they have turned the unemployed youth into.

These dangerous groups found in the political parties, I believe, have something to do with the recent shooting spree from the police service personnel in Kumasi, and in Accra where we have some perpetuators boldly confirming they are linked to the National Security Ministry. Yes, they hastily pounce on anyone; they are unprofessional, untamed, and with a clouded judgment, they see the ordinary civilian as an enemy and want to get rid of anyone preventing them from doing what they want. This cause is sinking deep in this nation. This issue is sinking into the minds of our youth, and may sooner or later beget irreversible consequences if serious attention is not given to it.

There is this adage that the branch of the tree that will pierce your eye, we do not chop off that portion, but rather, we uproot it. This attitude must be strongly attended to and eradicated as soon as possible, for I am convinced that it has a link to the widespread of fire arms circulating in the system, the heavily built men roaming on our properties and calling themselves land guards, and the rampant impounding and apprehension of fake state security personnel who are exposed on a daily basis in our cities.

If we have no history as a nation to relate such dangerous activities to, it will be prudent to learn from the extremism the world is facing today in many countries. They did not just wake up in a day and start behaving the way they do. It was such similar situations that graduated to that level, and after they saw they were neglected, are now a problem the world is trying very hard to eradicate, but because of their deep and strong roots, it is difficult to uproot. They are very fortified and poised for action.

We are busily doing whatever it takes for money, fame and power. As Stonebwoy said in one of his songs, what will we gain after successfully turning our own people against us; causing in-fighting due to some minor differences, and make our land a terrible place to live? We have one Ghana, and we owe it a duty to help protect and defend the good name of this land and to make it a better place today and for generations to come.

It will be good for us to deal with the situation at this juncture, than learn our lessons the hard way, as some of our African countries did.

By Maxwell Obiri-Yeboah .