Ghana must Invoke Wartime Policies to Dealing with the Coronavirus Pandemic

Following the fatal devastation being caused by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic that has sent the world into a near-total lockdown, I call on His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to invoke wartime measures in Ghana to containing the deadly virus.

No, as Ghana has never gone to war on her own against any country, except going on United Nations' peacekeeping missions or to world war two when we were ordered or marched by our colonial masters into Congo etc., many a Ghanaian may not understand what the deployment of wartime measures are. Therefore, let me ask that coup d’état measures, very known to many a Ghanaian of fifty years and above, are rather used.

Ghana is in unordinary times. And as any unique problem calls for a unique solution, so should these uncertain times call for uncertain solutions.

In a coup d’état time, for the objective of the military putschists to succeed, they announce the observance of drastic measures by the citizenry, as are curfews, not hoarding essential commodities, not increasing prices of goods arbitrarily, suspension of the nation’s constitution, ordering members of the deposed government to report to the nearest police station for their own safety, cessation of all political activities, etc. All these announced orders are strictly abided by without the citizens making any murmur.

Relating this to my suggestion to the President, he must impose restrictions on the mushroomed FM radio stations in the country to broadcast only the government-sanctioned advisory medical policies to containing the spread of the coronavirus.

There are some radio stations that are alleged to be politicising the measures so far put in place by the government to preventing the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.

From my reliable sources informed by phone calls, these radio presenters are exaggerating issues so as to cause extreme fear and panic among the populace instead of calmly and sensibly disseminating the government advisory policies to curtailing the spread of the disease to keep Ghanaians safe from being infected.

These radio stations are frightening off Ghanaians without actually emphasising on the government’s preventive and curative measures but simply being exaggerative so as to dissuade Ghanaians from going out to register their names onto the new electoral register for election 2020 should the Electoral Commission stick to their agenda.

Why should such stations and other organisations harbouring similar dubious political agenda be allowed to erode away the essence of the government's good policies and programmes to confronting and containing the scary Covid-19?

For the government's measures to be adhered to without selfish and myopic individuals scuppering them, there is the need to introduce strict emergency rules of the nature of wartime or military coup d’état time. In such times, one has no any other alternative than to obey the rules as are set and announced.

Any radio station seen to be capitalising on the people’s fear of the coronavirus pandemic to advance their own selfish criminal political agenda, by way of rendering the government's measures abortive must be shut down. This is an uncertain time where there must be no room for saboteurs and politically-minded vicious persons to manoeuvre to render ineffective the government’s policies but to advance their diabolic cause.

Adom FM radio station is alleged by many people to be irresponsibly orchestrating this fear and panic agenda instead of calmly and sensibly advising Ghanaians to stick to the government's measures to prevent and contain the disease. If indeed they are, they should desist from such an uncivilized, unethical and disservice behaviour.

Please, fellow Ghanaians, adhere to all the government policies so far announced about avoiding the spread of, and catching, of coronavirus. Some of the measures are avoiding greetings by shaking of hands, using tissue paper to catch your cough or sneeze, avoiding crowded areas, funerals are to be private with a maximum of twenty-five persons attending, washing your hands with soap and running water very often, using hand sanitisers, suspension of religious gatherings and avoiding non-essential foreign travels etc.

Rockson Adofo
Friday, 20 March 2020.