You are here: HomeOpinionsArticles2010 03 30Article 179373

Opinions of Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Columnist: Prah, Prince

Are These The Men Of Integrity?

Ghana is for all of us. No sole Ghanaian is more Ghanaian than the rest. Before the law, we are all equal. And no single Ghanaian can decide to get up one day to launch violence against his fellow Ghanaian in the name of another Ghanaian.

I normally do the best that I can to avoid hard language, but sometimes, I am sorely tempted, particularly when a bunch of nitwits take it into their head that one particular person is their ‘idol’ and therefore they would attack anybody else who takes on their idol.

In this particular case, I am speaking of the dead brains that have been thronging the precincts of the Cocoa Affairs Court each time Yaw Barfi Darkwa, the young man who accused former President Rawlings of burning his house, visits the court where he is on trial.

My fears were born out a few days ago when people who describe themselves as friends of Barfi also visited the courts and confronted the elements who had been attacking their friend.

I understand that by the time the dust had settled, two people were badly injured. I am sure that unless this matter is addressed, we may see an escalation of this confrontation at the next adjourned date.

The real question that arises is whether the Ghana Police Service is going to be able to do what is necessary to be done before the next adjourned date, because if the police fail, then we may end up with major trouble when Barfi goes to court next time.

Talking of the police, I guess that by now all of us have heard of the troubles that are brewing between the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Techimanhene, all arriving out of the attack on the Chief of Tuobodom by the Techimanhene.

Once again in this instance, I must blame the Ghana Police Service for its laxity in implementing the law. This is for a simple reason.

In 2008, the Chief of Techiman was traveling to Techiman to attend a ceremony organized by a certain person he has recognized as the Chief of Tuobodom. According to him, on the outskirts on Tuobodom, he runs into a barrier created by a group of people who shot into his car.

He is claiming that the people were inspired by the man who is generally recognized as the Chief of Tuobodom, who is a Paramount Chief just like the Techimanhene.

I am not interested in who is right or wrong in the matter as to the legitimate Chief of Tuobodom. Suffice it to state that the Techimanhene at that time made a report to the police, who failed to bring all the suspects to book or at least initiate half way satisfactory investigation.

Then recently, the Chief of Techiman, who according to the Chief of Tuobodom is a supporter of the NDC, organized a group of macho men to kidnap him and this was sanctioned by the traditional council as I heard one his subjects say on radio.

He was taken to the palace of the Techimanhene, beaten up, stripped naked according to his own reports, before being handed over to the police.

This was no Joy Fm and in newspapers for close to two weeks where some youth of Tuobodom promised mayhem if their Chief is not released and nobody including the Inspector General of Police (IGP) listened and so were vindictive Lt. Col Gbevlo Lartey and 1 Star General Nuuno Mensah who claim are in charge of security.

But instead of dealing with the people who had attacked the Chief of Tuobodom in this manner, the police rather arrested the Chief who had been kidnapped, put him before court and sought legitimate backing to remand him.

The chief of Tuobodom swears by the Asantehene, and so when he was granted bail, he traveled to Kumasi to report to his liege.

The Asantehene, riled, then organized a public forum and said that unless the government acted swiftly in this matter, he was going to retaliate against the Techimanhene.

I do not agree with the pronouncements from the Asantehene, but I think that it has become manifestly obvious that until and unless the police begin to act as an independent institution, some of these unfortunate incidents would continue to hound us forever.

Source: prahprince-prince.blogspot.com/pkwesi72@yahoo.com