Mob action and the threat to societal cohesion

BY: Ruth Adjorlolo, Abla JOURNALIST.




Mother Ghana has once again been given a black eye, few months after the December 2016 general election.

The outcome of the polls enhanced Ghana's status as a leading democratic nation in Africa.

However, recent developments with regard to repugnant acts of vigilantism have shown the world that all is not well with our systems.

Ghanaians have a duty to project positive image for the country all times.

Instance justice reared its ugly head in Kumasi recently when a suspected female thief was subjected to inhumane treatment.

The young lady was brutally molested by a mob of men. She was stripped naked, beaten up and sexual molested in the full glare of the public.

The incident was filmed by someone who later publicised the videos through social media. How can some people be cruel and heartless.

This action cannot be justified under any circumstances.

In a democratic dispensation the rule of law reigns supreme. So the logical thing was to send the suspected thief to the police station.

How come she has to suffer such dehumanising treatment? Sad indeed! Whether Ghanaians have lost trust in the judicial system or not, democratic principles demand that suspects are taken through a trial process to prove their innocence or otherwise.

Even convicted criminals have rights, and there is no justification for what happened to the lady in the Kumasi incident. Many have tried to justify mob action or instant justice with the excuse that the judicial system is slow and corrupt.

Those who hold on to such view think,exacting instance justice on suspected criminals, especially those ‘caught in the act’ would deter others.

No matter how one looks at it, this is no excuse for people to take the law into their hands.

Lawlessness and wickedness move hand-in-hand, therefore, taking the law into one's hands would leave us with very wicked system where cruelty would become the order of the day.

The brutality in Kumasi also raises questions over the readiness of law enforcement agencies to really respond to the needs of the people when they are in danger.

Where was the Police during the attack on the alleged thief in Kumasi? Were attempts made to contact them? And how long did it take them to get to the scene of the incident? It is good and refreshing to hear that, many activists and concerned Ghanaians have condemned that shameful attack on the suspected thief.

The condemnation is a good start to addressing the issue.

Equally refreshing are reports that the Police have apprehended some twenty persons in connection with that unlawful act.

If the Police were to exact instant justice on these suspects in the name of stopping the act, can it be said to be right or wrong.

Ghana has come a long way from the days where people resorted to cruelty to settle matters.

The constitution of the land is very explicit on how to treat people who go against the laws of the country.

This incident should not be allowed to die a natural death.

Anyone who took part in it should be made to face the full rigours of the law to serve as a deterrent to people with such intent.

They must also be made to compensate the victim for disgracing her in public and publicly apologize to all women of Ghana for degrading womanhood. Instant justice has no place in Ghana and must not be allowed to take roots.

There is the need for public education on the need to uphold the rule of law and respect for the rights of every citizen, especially women and children who are vulnerable.

Every Ghanaian is entitled to their inalienable innate rights as human beings.

Let’s stop instant justice now and other actions which will dehumanise women and children now!!!

UN Agencies call for urgent action to address Somalia drought

Two agencies, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Program (WFP) have asked the world to act now to save lives in Somalia where a devastating drought is affecting more than six million people, or nearly half the population.

They say the drought is threatening Somalia's fragile population, already battered by decades of conflict.

People are living "hand-to-mouth" and whole villages have lost their crops or seen their livestock die.

Photo: UNICEF/Sebastian Rich: A pastoralist in northern Somalia, a region hit hard by drought. He lost almost half of his sheep flock that originally numbered 70.

The Writer Ruth Abla Adjorlolo

THE NEED TO ADEQUATELY RESOURCE THE STATE BROADCASTER, GHANA BROADCASTING CORPORATION (GBC)

Once again the need to resource the state broadcaster, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), to carry out its mandate of informing, educating and entertaining Ghanaians in line with statutory principles, has come to the fore with Minister-designate for Information, Mustapha Hamid, hammering on it during his vetting in Parliament. 

Mustapha Hamid, who took his turn at the vetting on Thursday, hinted that, if confirmed as minister, his Ministry will collaborate with GBC to enable it raise its own funds through the revamping of the ongoing TV license fee collection.

According to him, this would make GBC financially independent like the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Britain’s state broadcaster. This statement was in response to the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu’s question on how he would improve the quality of pictures on GTV in some parts of the country including Ho and Bole.

Though this issue is no news to many stakeholders who have witnessed the challenging moments that GBC has gone through over the years, it is important to look at it more critically at this time when the proliferation of television and radio stations is regrettably dwarfing the role of GBC.

It has been said over the years that GBC is losing out in competition to the private media in this era of globalization but few are those who know that GBC was established to perform a specific role in national development that puts it in no competition with any other media establishment, whether private or public.

The responsibility imposed on GBC requires adequate funding to enable it stand out and be seen as performing its germane role in this democratic dispensation where the nation requires a neutral state broadcaster to project the cause of the people.

Just recently, one of the political parties accused GBC of partiality in the performance of its duty of informing the public on the activities of the political parties. However, little was considered in assessing the resources at the disposal of the corporation in relation to the enormity of the job at hand.

The likes of BBC and other state broadcasters in the world, are seen to be performing their roles effectively as a result of the resources placed at their disposal. For instance, the BBC has its funding guaranteed by the constitution and insulated from any manipulation or control from any political quarters.

When one juxtaposes BBC’s case to the situation GBC finds itself in, it is not hard to conclude that the latter is nowhere near the former in terms of conducive conditions to perform their duties.

GBC recently introduced the TV License fees to serve as a source funding to guarantee the public broadcaster’s independence and self-reliance but that exercise has not yielded any great result. There are reports that the corporation is spending more to collect the fees than it is receiving, as the Minority Leader stated.

It is, therefore, refreshing to know that Mr. Hamid has some plans on making the revenue-generation efforts of GBC more efficient in rejuvenating the strength of the corporation to make the needed impact in the media circles.

Also, Mr. Mustapha Hamid said he had an interaction with the Director General of GBC, Dr. Kwame Akufo Anoff-Ntow, who revealed that GBC had started a modernization programme in 2007 which is being implemented. 

In spite of that, Dr. Kwame Akufo Anoff-Ntow made it clear that, with enough financial support from government, GBC will be able to complete most of its projects to help boost its coverage and operations. 

So, the problem of the state broadcaster is clear: lack of resources from government to implement its policies and perform its role.

It is hoped that this promise from the Minister-designate would not be a mirage or an approval-seeking statement to please Parliament but rather a statement of commitment to the national cause through the establishment of an independent and well-resourced state broadcaster that would rub shoulders with the BBC’s and other public broadcasters elsewhere in the world.

Renowned Reggae Musician Blakk Rasta Releases New Album " Kuchoko in US

By: Ruth Abla Adjorlolo

Renowned Ghanaian reggae musican, Abubakar Ahmed popularly called Blakk Rasta, has launched his new album, "Kuchoko Revolution" under the international records label, VP at the University of Central Missouri in the United States of America, USA.

The launch, which was attended by a good number of people including Faculty Deans, Heads of Department and students of the University of Central Missouri, also witnessed an amazing stagecraft with the artist selling Ghana and its rich culture via his apparel on stage.

The artist also exhibited his creative acumen when he performed most of his popular tunes and songs on his latest album with an all-white student band except one black person, who was picked randomly from the audience.

Blakk Rasta, who is the first African to be signed to the internationally-acclaimed VP Records, with Stonebwoy and Black Prophet – is gunning for consideration and possible nomination at the Grammys.

The artist is also planning to hold another album launch in Ghana, somewhere in April.

Blakk Rasta has been in the USA for the past weeks, lecturing at the University of Central Missouri, where he is tutoring students on various subjects such as World Religions, Afrikana Studies and Environmental Sciences.

His lectures got the schools talking as the administration and students expressed appreciation and admired his prowess and articulation in such a wide range of subjects. 

The musician's lecturing skills even got the University to nick-name him the ‘walking encyclopedia’ due to the fact that, he is the only lecturer who does not use a power point setup in his presentations and lectures without looking into books or prepared material.

It has been quite awhile since the award-winning radio personality and musician, was heard on radio.

Although his legion of radio followers may not be amused about his absence on radio, the artist is utilizing the time off to make some remarkable moves to his already illustrious music career.

Meanwhile, whilst in the US, Blakk had a call that his mother had passed.

May Her Soul Rest In Peace.

TOGBUI ACOLATSE V OUTDOORED

The chiefs and people of Keta have outdoored a new chief at a mini ceremony at Kedzi in the Keta district of the Volta region.

Togbui Acolatse V was outdoored with his "agbotadu", who, for the first time, the Agbotadu is a twin.

Togbui Acolatse V succeeded the late Togbui Acolatse IV who was buried some two years ago...

He was introduced to the family and the people of Kedzi and Keta.

The main outdooring will come off later this year

Splendour Of Rich Asanteman Cultural Heritage On Display As Manhyia Mourns Queen Mother (PHOTOS)

The late Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem was the mother of Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu.

May Her Soul Rest In Peace.

POST-ELECTION LAWLESSNESS

Photo: The Toll Booth which was set ablaze at Sunyani West

"History has a way of repeating itself. Then also those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past. Two wrongs also don’t make a right.” Yet once again, post successful Election Ghana is plagued again by hooliganism perpetrated mostly by alleged foot-soldiers of the winning Party.

This has happened after each Election that the Party in power loses.

Many young men and women of the victorious party feel so powerful that they think they think they can get away with taking matters into their hands and seizing or destroying government properties.

In some instances, some officials of the losing Party are subjected to all kinds of indignities and attacks.

Cars are seized or damaged, offices are taken over, even toll booth operators are manhandled and “toilet guards” are not even spared in the hooliganism.

In spite of the fact that it has occurred in the past and was condemned by well meaning Ghanaians, the incident appears to be recurring any time power changes hands democratically.

There is a strong belief that it is the outcome of the “Winner Takes All”nature of our governance getting out of hand.

Our system creates the impression of a military government that has all the power to do anything it chooses to do and that has eaten into some supporters who want to express that absolute power by taking over state-owned institutions like it happened at the Tema Port and the Passport Office.

The danger in the phenomenon is the apparent helplessness of the Police Service who are mandated to ensure the safety of human beings and property. In the cases that happened a week ago, the police were conspicuously missing on action as the rampaging party supporters besieged the port and other places.

The inability of the police to act decisively and promptly in such cases could be explained in the fear of the hierarchy to fall victim to the political leadership of the party in power.

They wouldn't want to go against the supporters who voted the politicians to power, therefore, staying off the heat. Though this may sound as allegation against the Police, it looks like the most probable reason or explanation for their seemingly lackadaisical attitude towards this life- threatening behavior.

This recurrent transitional ritual must be stopped before it becomes a major blot in our democratic practice and the steps to ending it start with no other than the politician.

When the politicians promise the youth and errand boys jobs and other privileges, they forget to educate the fans on how such promises were going to be delivered.

They secretly tell them about jobs in institutions such as the police service, ports and passport office, thereby encouraging such acts of impunity. Until they stop making such promises to their boys we are likely to be having such vandalism for a long time to come.

For our democracy to thrive, supporters of all the Parties have to be educated to know that transition from one Party to another does not call for lawlessness; neither does it mean everything belonging to the state becomes party property. The laws do not cease to work after transition.

During the “Coup Days” of the 60’s-80’s, such acts may have been encouraged but in a wonderful democratic stage that we are now, hooliganism after elections are unacceptable and to say the least, primitive and outmoded.

State properties and workers have to be respected and protected by all. They are Ghanaians just like any other person.

Also, to stop these acts, politicians should put an end to the backdoor employment of unqualified party foot soldiers, who even undermine their legitimate employed counterparts.

These and other measures must be put in place to save the nation of the disgraceful behavior of criminals who operate under the cloak of partisanship to perpetrate violence. Time is up for this criminality.

GAS EXPLOSION AT TRADE FAIR CENTRE AND THE CRAZE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA BROADCASTING OF VICTIM’S PICTURES AND VIDEOS

WRITTEN BY RUTH ABLA ADJORLOLO

Ghana once again faced a tragic moment in its history when gas exploded at a filling station near the Trade Fair Centre, leaving scores of persons dead and others with degrees of burns.

Reports have it that there were six dead and about twelve injured in the accident that took place around 6 p.m. on Thursday at Louis Gas Station at Labadi in Accra. Property running into thousands of cedis have been lost to the fire.

It is unfortunate that, with just a couple of days to Christmas and the relief from election tension that engulfed the nation during the election period, the nation has to go through such an agonizing moment. 

Messages of condolence and sympathy have come from the President, President-elect, other personalities and identifiable groups to the families and victims of the incident.

The incident once again brings to the fore the amount of precautionary measures put in place to forestall the occurrence of such incidents. 

The nation has laws that govern the siting of fuel and gas stations to ensure safety of workers and customers of such companies. 

There are regulations and people put in authority to ensure that prospective businesses in that sector are well positioned to insulate innocent people from being exposed to such dangers.

As we all lament over the deaths and injuries and sympathize with those affected, it remains to know if someone failed to carry out their duties well, leading to what has been experienced. As time passes, so is it likely that this incident would pass without any punitive or preemptive action being taken. This is very pathetic.

On the other hand, whilst pondering over the painful loss, something amazing happened that depicts a negative attitude some Ghanaians have developed in the wake of the social media craze that has become a canker to be checked.

Whilst people were busily making efforts to save victims from the inferno, there were some callous persons around the area, taking pictures and posting them on social media such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, among others to the admiration of their followers and friends.

Though there was nothing wrong with sharing pictures of accidents and other tragic events on social media, the sheer lack of respect for victims of such incidents and the nature of some of the pictures splashed on these media call for some attention.

Many Ghanaians were horrified at the nature of the pictures splashed motionlessly on such platforms without caution or discretionary notice to viewers and wondered if those behind such acts truly understand what it means. Some people had to chase agonizing victims to get shots of them going through the traumatizing experience.

In some of the instances, videos of people going through very traumatic experiences during the fire outbreak were posted shamelessly on such media, leaving decent Ghanaians in utmost awe.

This is not the first time such a thing is happening, as numerous cases abound of people posting pictures and videos of victims who deserve no publicity whatsoever of their state but rather sympathy and getting sympathy for them could be done without necessarily showing gory pictures of their state.

Recently, there was a picture of a bleeding accident victim taking a picture of himself (selfie) at the accident spot to be posted on social media. In such a situation one wonders what could have motivated the victim to take such a picture when he should be considering how to get out of the problem to even help others.

What makes it even more annoying is the way such videos and pictures are liked and commented on by those who should be condemning them; the liking and comments serve as a booster to the perpetrators, hence the propensity to do it.

This incident is bringing to the fore the issue of social media regulation and its effect on the security of the nation following the debate over whether to ban it on election day or not.

In this regard, it has moved from the regulatory realm to its effects on our time-tested morals and values that frown on some of the things being flagrantly done on social media platforms.

Some years back, nudity was considered a taboo among the youth and those found exposing or being exposed to nude pictures were drastically dealt with by the elderly ones. 

Our traditional media never allowed their platforms to be used in any way to propagate such morally-unacceptable pictures.

Today, the trend has changed and the things considered taboo have become so fashionable that, those who don’t follow such fashions are considered outmoded. 

This is compelling the youth to devise some means to belong so they are not left out or behind by their peers.

Contents exposed on social media these days leave the youth at high risk of being corrupted and pushed into some social vices with serious repercussions for the nation. Our future is at risk.

Ghanaians are well known for their hospitable nature and disposition to sympathize with people in trauma of some pains. 

This is seen in the way we all rally to the aid of those mourning or suffering from sickness. 

That social sympathy is a quality that distinguishes us from many other people or cultures.

When accidents occur on our roads, Ghanaians can be trusted to quickly get the victim into a vehicle to be transported to the hospital for immediate care. It is after the condition of the victim is stabilized that their relatives are contacted to continue with the healing process.

Why has this value disappeared all of a sudden? Why has social media taken away the sense of sympathy and respect for privacy of people in pain? Have we lost our morals and values to technology?

These questions would continue to linger in the minds and on the lips of the older generations, who still hold on to the same old values that made Ghana a place to be.

This has nothing to do with whether they were Born Before Computer (BBC) as the younger generations prefer calling the older generations who migrated into the technological age, as against those known as Technological natives.

Enforcing morality and values on social media is a herculean task for the authorities and parents, some of who do not have knowledge of or access to such mediums to be able to monitor what their wards are exposed to.

However, constant training at home and practical demonstration of such morals and values, would in no small way, instill them in this generation.

Exposing people in pain in order to win the accolade of being the first to have seen it or to have the footage is neither here nor there.

There was a case of the paparazzi who happened to arrive on the scene of the accident that killed the Princess Diana, former Princess of Wales in 1997. 

The cameramen decided to film the incident instead of taking part in the rescue process.

They were severely condemned for failing to go to the aid of a dying victim but rather choosing to take exclusive shots. 

The police had to push the paparazzi away to be able to carry out their duty and all these happened at a time Princess Diana was still alive. If they had been morally humane at that time, they might have saved a precious life. That was the level of insensitivity of the paparazzi at that time.

Today our craze for exclusivity on social media is blinding us to time-tested and highly-respected values that sustained the older generations and gave them hope and security.

Today, the trend has changed and it wouldn’t be long when people would rush to look for the camera phone to snap a drowning person instead of a rope.

This attitude must change now before it becomes a norm among the youth of today. Social media is for socialization; it is to keep us connected to help each other but not a tool to steal our morality and values.

We all need to grow from this anti-social behavior on social media to make our platforms more profitable.