Opinions of Monday, 28 December 2020
Columnist: Abraham Ananpansah
Almighty Father, you taught us in the book of Job to believe that you are the only giver and taker of life. May your name be praised forever(Job 1:21). As children of Israel; children who believe in the God of Abraham, we hold your words in the true value of your infinite grace and glory, never to blaspheme.
I should know that a mere mortal only blasphemes by claiming to have the power over life and death attributable to only God.
The world, however, will never cease to amaze some of us. An investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni has once again been threatened with death.
His crime was to speak against a somewhat "politically tainted and motivated" electoral commission acting with reckless abandon to debase our solid democratic credentials.
Bear in mind, this particular error-ridden electoral commissioner and her accomplices were roundly appointed on purpose. In this regard, you can take it or feel free to burn the sea, the just-ended 2020 polls were decided the very day her innocent predecessor was ousted dishonourably.
The suspected incorrigible political bigot who threatened the journalist made reference to the regrettable murder of the popular Ahmed Suale, literally claiming they killed him to pacify the spirit of their ancestors in order to hold onto power as a reminder to Manasseh. God have mercy on this innocent soul!
I feel pained, but I don't regret the loose life-threatening email of this social misfit, rather I regret the sort of weak institutions we have as a country. The sort of institutions that empower people to feel there is nothing wrong with a powerful figure in politics committing a crime. It can only be wrong when it has something to do with the so-called 'ordinary' or 'layman' in society without political connection.
Think of it, a certain man recently took to live television to instigate the public to burn the house of former president John Dramani Mahama and all his followers. No invitation has since been extended to this man with brazen bravado who may never become a president in his lifetime, but the Criminal Investigative Department of the Ghana police service found enough balls to invite a legislator who merely passed an opinion on the just-ended polls for investigation. This is the same CID that is case-hardened enough to carry out a proper investigation into the recent killing of unarmed civilians in the just-ended elections by its own men in "unprofessional uniform.
Lest we forget, what has become the faith of the so-called investigations into the murder of Ahmed Suale after his images were displaced by "known faces" on public television and threatened prior to his death? With the funfair of a probe that was announced to the whole nation without any action after a year, why won't his murder build a strong case for another hardworking journalist in his line of duty to be threatened with death? Our elders say that before you see rain,there must first be a gathering of clouds. And there can be no fire without smoke.
The naked fact is, these people think they have political protection and so any crime can be committed with impunity. Those selfish misleaders at the helm of political powers have polluted their thinking. Mind you, impunity can bread chaos and instability which can affect the child of a judge, military or police officer.
I have been a victim of such threats and assault before and I can tell you; our security setup without choice forms a larger part of the problem. It may be very difficult to blame them though. It is the too much power we have vested into the hands of the executive to decide every aspect of our life.
When I was threatened, I took the necessary steps to report the case to the police and made several follow-ups, but no invitation whatsoever was extended to the accused person until he succeeded in carrying out his threat action. The story about what ensued after the assault is a long one to be told another day. kudos Media Foundation For West Africa!
'You believe in the father, believe also in me', the system is soo porous to an extent that the regime is in full control of the institutions of states through political appointments. The institutions turn to be afraid of the regime for fear of victimization.
The system is deeply deficient in physical and mental vigour to an extent that 'workaday party boys' get empowered to the level of "a god" to threaten mayhem on anything and everything, including God.
Once we live in a country of unequal when it comes to the law, nothing can ever be right.
And until we get to a point where the political regime becomes afraid of the institutions and system of the state, we would get nowhere as a country.
Take heart "the proud son of a watchman from Bongo" and keep standing by that which is just and might. You are not alone in this battle. Our God is alive!
Merry Christmas and a productive 2021 in advance.