Hawa Koomson’s behavior and the silence of Akufo-Addo

Being a leader in a politically charged environment like ours, is a job reserved for those who have the will power to rely on their conscience and the thick skin to absorb shocks, even in the face of danger.

But the truth is that, since 1992, leaders for reasons known to all of us, have succumbed to pressure and behaved in a manner that has threatened the cohesion of this nation.

The rumble caused by Hawa Koomson, at a registration centre in Kasoa, has heightened the tension in the country.

According to media reports, Ms Koomson, who is a Member of Parliament (MP) for Awutu Senya East Constituency and doubles as the Minister of Special Development Initiatives, has admitted to firing a warning shot that marred the voter registration exercise at a centre within the Constituency on Monday, 20 July 2020.

The MP said she took a gun to the centre for personal protection in her attempt to stop the parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Phyllis Naa Koryoo, from busing aliens to the area to register.

As a newspaper, we are worried that the narratives and the rhetoric by key political actors are fertilising the minds of the youths for violence ahead of election 2020.

If the pockets of violence witnessed across the country in an exercise to get voters onto the register, could be this chaotic, what are we to expect come December 7.

What is more worrisome is that at this time nations are more concerned about revamping their economy, the health sector and other critical sectors amid the devastating impact of COVID-19 pandemic, the political parties which ought to gulvanise the political space to ensure constructive ideas are put out to mitigate the impact of the pandemic busy themselves with a somewhat primitive quest for power.

Many well-meaning Ghanaians, including Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), have called on president Akufo-Addo, to take a decisive decision on the woman, but as usual his deafening silence when it comes to crimes, involving members of his government is echoing across the country.

The law must be evenly applied regardless of which political party one belongs to. The NDC candidate of the Efutu Senya Constituency in the Central region, James Kofi Annan,who called out the chairman of the voters' registration challenge committee in Winneba, was quickly arrested and arraigned before court.

As for the security agencies, our advise is for them to remain neutral as the electoral process gathers momentum, we also urge them to be proactive not only in taking action against members of the opposition party, but also members of the governing party.

The people of Ghana, expect president Akufo-Addo, not to turn a blind eye to the behavior of his minister, posterity will not only judge his good deeds, but his bad ones as well.