Why Did The General Run?

On Monday, a deadly shooting incident took place at the NDC’s Ashanti Regional party office where a clinch meeting was being held between some national and regional executives.

The shooting, which was allegedly perpetrated by someone believed to be a member of a private militia group, The Hawk, which is associated with the party, led to the death of one person and another in a critical condition battling for his dear life at KATH now.

The shooting abruptly ended the highly powered meeting, forcing Chairman Ofosu Ampofo and General Secretary, Johnson Aseidu Nketiah to flee for their lives.

I would like to join scores of well-thinking Ghanaians who have condemned the senseless act without any equivocations whatsoever and also express my condolences to the bereaved family for their loss.

I must say that it was needless, barbaric and affront to our multiparty body politic because right to live is a fundamental human right that everybody is entitled to enjoy under our revered 1992 constitution.

Few moments after the shooting, the NDC party in a swift manner, issued a statement to condemn the shooting and killing of its member and quickly called on the police to investigate the matter and arrest the culprit(s).

According to the party’s General Secretary, Mr Johnson Aseidu Nketiah, in an interview with Joy FM, the police must not see the dastardly act as a party affair and therefore wait for the party’s orders before they act.

Per his position on the matter that has heightened tension within the party in the region and the country at large, Mr Nketiah wants the police to go all out and fish for whosoever committed the heinous crime.

While Mr Nketiah, in my opinion, has taken a wise decision on the matter, I surely want to believe that his wise decision has virtually opened the Pandora’s box for questions bothering on hypocrisy, posterity and integrity.

A critical question begging for answer (s) has been; since when has Mr Aseidu Nketiah and the NDC trusted that the Ghana Police Service, as a statutory institution, has what it takes to conduct investigations, arrest and prosecute criminals like the one who shot their party member ever since they lost power?

Truth be told, is it not utterly surprising that the general secretary of a party that believes that ballot boxes could best be protected by party militias but not the police on an election day now wants the same untrusted police to investigate a delicate matter of this nature?

In fact, this position by the party is not just hypocritical but a sheer display of double standard that ought to be critically examined and condemned by all.

In my view, it also calls on Ghanaians to thoroughly subject the general to severe integrity examination to expose and shame him and his likes who trust that their security could best be guaranteed in the might of party militias.

For instance, is it not ironic that a political party can put trusts and confidence in some militia and rambunctious senseless young men to protect the party structures but quickly run to the untrusted police when these same militia groups start shooting and killing them?

This is necessary in view of the fact that politicians across the political divide continue to take the electorate for granted and spew of forms of garbage to heighten tension in the country.

Going forward, can someone openly tell Mr Aseidu Nketiah that according to me, he was one of the very people who supported the formation of the hawk militias within the NDC?

Now, can someone also find out from Mr Aseidu Nketiah whether he trusted the police service before he endorsed the formation of the Hawks to protect the party or perhaps it has just donned on him?

Well, if he indeed trusted the Hawks more than he did for the statutory state agency, why does he now want the same untrusted police service under the same untrusted IGP to conduct investigations into the shooting by his alleged hawks?

Is this a mere double standard, an act of hypocrisy or perhaps he should be allowed to be judged by posterity?

I need to stress that prior to the formation of the Hawks by the NDC, several security experts have unreservedly condemned the creation of such groups in our body politic.

Some of the experts explained that the existence of such notorious and rambunctious criminals constituted an existential threat to the peace, democracy and the general stability of the country but the parties never listened.

When their calls intensified following activities of some NPP hoodlums at the seat of government, Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council and eventually at a court of competent jurisdiction, the NDC out doored its pro militia group known as the Hawks.

As a matter of fact, Mr Asiedu Nketiah was one of the party’s stalwarts who explained that the Hawks were to protect and provide the same measure of security to the NDC just as the Invincible and Delta Forces do for the NPP.

It, therefore, came to me as a huge surprise that the general and his other lieutenants flee for their lives when their bob no ranks bloody tasty Hawks stormed their meeting place amidst shooting and whisking away their own chickens.

General, why did you run away from your own monsters? Would you now agree that it makes sense for you, your party and other politicians to stop sponsoring hooligans in this country?

Have now seen the wisdom in our calls on you politicians to stop infiltrating our security agencies with your rambunctious party thugs because they could perpetrate more of what we saw at Ayawaso?

Would you now call on your party and those in power today to stop the senseless recruitment of party militias into our security services?

Would you promise the country that you and your party would never again allow stupidity to cloud you thinking to ever use party thugs to perpetrate violence against your opponents and party members who have dissenting views?

General as you are, you should have stood firm and issued out instructions to cull the retributions of the Hawks because in the command and control chain, the bob no ranks are required to obey their generals.

In my view, the inability of the general to call his bob no ranks to order but flee gives ample testimony to the fact that grooming hoodlums and hooligans in the name of party security, is a catastrophe waiting to befall on us as a people.

Will, you now call for the total disbandment of all party militias or like your deputy, you are now going to form more and perhaps introduce the Eagle now that the Hawks have killed one?

Let the wise men put this in their pipes and smoke.

I am a true Citizen.