The Day “Earth-Quak” Struck Freedom Of Expression In Ghana

( PART TWO)
Several things have happened between the date Nana Darkwa was arrested on the 18th February 2010 and now. The summary of which is that; President Mills described the sentence as too hash, the minority in parliament boycotted parliamentary proceedings, Nana Darkwa was released on the 19th February, 2010, the majority in parliament described the minority’s boycott of parliament as an act of “condoning criminality” and the remarks of Nana Darkwa generally condemned as irresponsible!
However, majority of Ghanaians were unanimous on one thing; freedom of expression was under serious threat in Ghana in view of the exceptional speed with which Nana Darkwa was dealt with.
What must be explained very well to readers is that, it was not just what Nana Darkwa said that generated all the furore but the speed with which a judge who even closed from work was called back to try the guy and have him remanded for two weeks all within the spate of two hours!!!
That action it must be explained that followed Nana Darkwa statement is what we are all condemning with all our strength. I am even tempted to believe that, the speed with which the case was tried qualifies for a place in the Guinness book of records if it will not be the first of its kind in the world!!
What must be said emphatically is that Ghana is a democratic republic and not a military administration so actions that bear semblance of undemocratic tendencies must be resisted with the last breath in us! I therefore dole my hat out to the minority in parliament for resisting oppressors rule in other to protect freedom of expression of the electorates of Ghana by justifiably boycotting parliament!
Those who took issues with the minority for boycotting parliament should tell the world what in particular they wanted the minority to do? I hope they were not expecting the minority in parliament to either push parliament house down or stage a bloody coup?
What the minority did; boycotting parliament was the most democratic and well civilised thing to do by matured and experienced politicians in the face of provocations and abuse of the fundamental human rights of the very people who are the reasons they are in parliament. It is my wish that a global institution that monitors democracies in the world would award the minority in parliament for that wonderful and unique decision to boycott parliament.
At least everybody knows that, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) heads the majority in parliament and won over 49percent of the votes cast in the 2008 elections if the leadership of the minority were to call this monstrous numbers of its supporters out to the streets I wonder how and where Ghana would have been today!
If I had my own way I would have called for the minority to extend the boycott for at least a month to enable it embark on a nationwide rallies dubbed “Freedom of expression under attack in Ghana” to drum home to the whole world how deplorable, things have gotten to in Ghana under the presidency of John Evans Attah Mills!
It is very true that, freedom of expression does not mean freedom to tell unwarranted lies! But readers must also come to the quickest realisation that, democratic rule is does not also mean freedom of party executives to place calls to the security personnel of the country to pick up its opponents from radio stations and rushed them to the nearest court for imprisonment when other alternatives could have been used!
I must repeat here that, it was not what the social commentator said that is the issue but the way he was treated after saying what he said in a civilised democratic dispensation is the source of this brouhaha!
As the events still develops and unfolds May I urged Ghanaians to go back and read the Ghana national Anthem once again and they would come to terms that, what the minority in parliament did as well as all those who condemned what happened was to resist any overt or covert attempts to stifle freedom of expression through the back door!
The resistance of oppressors rule in Ghana must continue unabated!!

Akilu Sayibu UK
Email: Akilu.sayibu@live.uwe.ac.uk