Apathy towards National Sanitation Day in Cape Coast

The clean-up exercise organized nationwide on Saturday to mark the maiden edition of the National Sanitation Day was greeted with apathy and lack of enthusiasm in Cape Coast as residents of few communities actively participated.

While some residents gathered in groups with brooms, cutlasses, shovels, among others to clean their communities, others in some suburbs went about their daily activities unperturbed.

Efforts by the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly (CCMA) to get residents involved by blocking some principal streets to prevent vehicular movement from 0600 hours to 1100 hours did not cause any significant change.

Even though shops and stores in the central business district were closed until the end of the exercise, some shop owners, instead of getting involved, were spotted waiting in front of their stores.

Personnel from the Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, the Ghana Police Wives Association and Staff of the CCMA led by the Central Regional Minister, Mr. Aquinas Tawiah Quansah and Mayor of Cape Coast, Mrs. Priscilla Arhin-Korankye were actively involved in the exercise.

The exercise, initiated by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and launched by Vice President Kwesi Amissah Arthur two weeks ago would be repeated on the first Saturday of every month and expected to rekindle the spirit of communal labour.

Interacting with the media after visits to some communities, Mr. Quansah expressed worry about the show of indifference exhibited by some residents but was optimistic that with time people would embrace the exercise.

He attributed the lack of enthusiasm in some areas partly to the politicization of the exercise and called on residents to shelve their political colors, work together to clean the metropolis and ward off preventable diseases since disease were no respecter of political affiliation.

He commended residents and all groups that actively participated in the exercise and called for a continued cleaning of the various communities and not only on the first Saturday of every month.

“We don’t have to think that because every first Saturday of the month is sanitation day, we should create the filth and clean on that day… If we continue to clean, it will get to a time we will not get any filth to clean”.

The Mayor was equally not impressed with turn out especially with residents of Ntsin and other suburbs where cholera cases were recorded due to the insanitary condition in which they lived.

Mrs Arhin-Korankye was unhappy that despite several announcements on the various radio stations on the eve of the exercise, some residents failed to participate in the exercise.

She also attributed the situation to political affiliations which according to her was stalling the development of Cape Coast and called for a change of attitude.

“We need to do away with political affiliations and forge ahead as people of Cape Coast and work towards development, if we are engulfed with filth, how can we develop... a weak citizen does not build a nation, we need strong men to build the nation”

When queried about how to address the situation, Mrs. Arhin-Korankye stressed that the assembly would enforce its bye laws adding that “We will let them stay as if Cape Coast is a lawless area… when I arrest you, I arrest you as a citizen of Cape Coast, not a member of any political party”

She urged residents of Cape Coast to focus on the development of the town as well as see sanitation issues as a personal responsibility.

The Major commended residents and organized grouped that came out in their numbers to help rid the metropolis off filth and urged them not to relent in ensuring that the city is clean.