The Bomb Scare

We Africans have a huge capacity to destroy the little seeds that we sow. We have an inordinate capacity to act in ways that have negative implications for our economy, society and people.

It is widely believed that Africa is the only continent in this fast-paced world that has grown poorer over the last 25 years. And we continue to act in ways that perpetuate our marginalisation in the global economy.

We have the capacity to show the rest of the world that we are not ready to join the global community. We may claim to be building democratic institutions but our thought processes as far as politics is concerned, are still very local, indeed very primitive.

What else explains developments in our motherland on Wednesday, 5 May 2004?

Just when things have started to brighten up for our country, some people decided to spoil the party by engaging in a bomb scare. The people who are behind the bomb scare, which took place at the Merchant Bank and the Accra International School on Wednesday, want to prove to the world that Ghana, like any other African country, is not safe. They want to show the outside world that Ghana is not ready to join the world of trade, investment, technological innovations and so on.

Interestingly, the bomb scare started a week after Ghana had a great international press when President Kufour visited Great Britain. It came at the heels of a stellar performance of the president when, in his appearance at the BBC award-winning programme called Hard Talk, he vigorously defended his government?s policy on Dagbon. He stood his ground on his government decision not to hand over ex President Charles Taylor to the UN Tribunal in order to safe the peace initiative in Liberia. Is someone trying to send President Kufour a message?

Whoever is behind the bomb scare wants to tell the world that Ghana is not any different from the likes of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire which have been torn apart as a result of civil wars.

The Kufour administration must not shed its responsibility of protecting lives and property. The government must take the fight to these nation wreckers. And every effort must be made to put an end to the politics of fear and intimidation. May God bless our country!