Former National Security Minister, Kofi Totobi Quakyi, says President Akufo-Addo must show leadership in handling of the rising tension in the country.
According to the Former Minister, the government must not choose the path of casual indifference but instead, show “true leadership and sincerity through his actions to ensure transparency and accountability.”
“The scenes we witnessed on live television demand complete transparency and full accountability in the form of a credible investigation that the Ghanaian public can support and believe in.”
Moreover, Mr. Quakyi noted that the tension in the country, already occasioned by the harsh economic realities being suffered by citizens, testing the limits of their endurance, has in recent times been exacerbated by the stifling of fundamental human rights by Nana Addo’s administration as seen in the shooting of citizens in Ejura.
Anger among the youth
“For many young people, their anxiety about their prospects has morphed into anger, and their mood now is disturbingly close to rage. And yet, legitimate and admirable efforts to register their displeasure in the form of the peaceful #FixTheCountry protests are being unwisely and intentionally frustrated by the State in one of the more farcical displays of bare-faced hypocrisy in recent times.”
Meanwhile, he has likened the handling of the situation by Akufo Addo’s administration to walking through minefield with blinders on.
“Handling of rising tension in the country is synonymous with walking through a minefield with blinders on.”
According to him, government’s obsession with its image have successfully blinded it to the volatile mood in the country which could potentially escalate into a national crisis.
“This paints a picture of a government that is more concerned with its image and hold on power than by the embers emanating from the current national mood. The Akufo-Addo administration must be careful not to pour fuel on those sparks, for we may not be able to contain the inferno,” he added.
Need to address the current issues
However, the Former Security Advisor has admonished the government to “overcome this political myopia” and start showing “genuine empathy and concern for the frustrations of the youth and engage them in more serious and sincere ways.”
“This generation will not be tamed into obedience. When our young people tire of being brutalized while peacefully demanding justice and accountability, they may resort to extremist measures or settle for vengeance. Either way, we will all be worse off.”
While commenting on the recent committee constituted to look into the Ejura shooting, Mr. Quakyi stated that the constitution of a Ministerial inquiry would not meet the public’s demand for justice as previous recommendations made by committees of enquiry in similar situations as experienced in the Ejura Shooting had come to naught.
“A mere Ministerial inquiry does not meet the mark, as confidence in same is undermined by this administration’s nonchalant approach to past enquiries of that nature and subsequent refusal to accept, let alone implement, recommendations as was the case with the Emile Short Commission findings“.
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