Ghana's spate of lawlessness sky rocketing – Tony Aidoo observes

Head of Policy Monitoring and Evaluation at the presidency, Dr. Tony Aidoo, has condemned what he says is the total disregard for law and order in the country.

He said there has been a considerable increase in the extent to which indiscipline has eaten into the every fabric of the society in the country.

Tony Aidoo was speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Friday.

He recalled how Ghanaians used to be courteous, had respect for the elderly and rule of law, drove carefully on the roads and were passionate about the development of the nation.

Unfortunately, almost everything has changed, he observed.

"We did not grow up like this; we were not trained like this. We are brought up to fear the law, we respected our elders, but today we don’t see that. No one respects elderly people [because] we believe we are all equal and, therefore, we can do whatever we like. This is not the best foundation to build a nation on," Mr Aidoo exclaimed.

He said life has become very cheap in Ghana these days because people get killed at major cities and we see it as normal.

"When you have this kind of situation then the society is simply not normal. If you [monitor] the international media, you will find out that even a single act of murder against one person gets considerable media attention but in Ghana seven people die, and we think it is normal."

He expressed worry about the widespread and pervasive display of indiscipline especially in the public sector and its detrimental effect on our national psyche and system.

"At the worst kind you have sheer corruption; public servants refusing to work in accordance with the standards expected, you find doctors and pharmacists leave their post and go on strike and expect to be paid," he bewailed.

The head for Monitoring and Evaluation at the presidency noted that Ghanaians have become more corrupt, disrespectful, partisan and indiscipline which have negative effects on national unity, productivity and nation building.

Tony Aidoo called on the government to crack the whip on indiscipline to create a viable foundation for national consciousness.

"We must insist on discipline on conduct. People will not obey the law simply by education. If there is the need for education it must be punitive to send a message to the people that the lawlessness can no longer be tolerated in this country," he stressed.