Celebrity or not, a right is a right
I am of the firm view that if the nation intends to go on the democratic path, then it must go the full distance and not some.
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If practiced well, democracy benefits society immensely, particularly through its checks of those placed in authority, the responsibility it bestows on citizens and the freedoms it allows individuals.
One thing that makes democracy pleasing is the right it gives people to openly disagree with the way they are being governed.
The right to disagree does not mean hate. It is a signal that things are either not being done right or well enough.
In the matter of governance, the Constitution allows for people to demonstrate if they are displeased with the way things are being run. So over the years since the inception of the 4th Republic, there have been series of demonstrations by groups and even by individuals with regards to situations that they disapproved of.
Even now, doctors have given notice that if ongoing discussions with the government do not look favourable, they may be compelled to lay down their tools.
Demonstrations, picketing, sit-downs among others are ways through which people get things off their chest in a democracy. It is way better than having a gun totting military strongman seize the reins of government to put everyone under control by force.
That is why it is morally repugnant to have some people literally breath fire and brimstone down the necks of celebrities who have decided to go on a peaceful demonstration against the current load shedding exercise.
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The celebrities are not saying the government was not doing anything to resolve the crisis. What I gather from their intention is to force the hand of government to do more than it is doing at the moment to have the crisis settled.
It is their right. No one has any business trying even to dissuade them from the exercise if they feel so strong about it. The celebrities use power a lot in their activities. They need electricity to shoot their films and stage their plays. They need same to perform concerts and play gigs.
In short, their livelihoods depend on the availability of electric power. How else do their detractors want their voices to be heard regarding the ongoing economic uneasiness.
They should go ahead and buy all their cassettes and burn them and I assure them that more would be produced. In the end, we will see who will lose.
Those kicking against the vigil and march by the celebrities do not understand democracy in the least.
They have been left behind in the forward march of civilisation. They need to school themselves in modern practices in democracy and stop living in oblivion.
When would people grow up to call a spade a spade and not a digging implement in this country. It is important that for any step that we take and for any word that we utter, we must consider the interest of the larger mass of the citizens of the country and stop telling lies and bootlicking in support of causes that suit us.
I cringe when I see individuals and groups who ought to know better attempting to win favour from influential people by flattery.
I find the intrusion of the Ga Traditional Council in the brouhaha surrounding the celebrity vigil and demonstration as lacking in morally nutritive value.
The vigil was originally supposed to start from the University of Ghana campus to end somewhere at the Tetteh Quarshie interchange, but the effort was scuttled.
The organisers then decided to set off from “On The Run”, that also was derailed. Then comes the traditionalists to say that they were against the march because it would disturb the ban on drumming and noise making in the Ga Mashie Traditional Area.
You see as leaders who are regarded with feelings of respect and reverence, it is important that any action embarked upon is seen to be of unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
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If through the intended demonstration, something good should come out of it to have the electricity situation stabilised, would the traditional council not benefit from it.
This is the 21st century and should it not be possible to have some of the customary observances made more temperate, acceptable and coterminous with modern dictates and welfare considerations.
Looking at it from an objective standpoint, I may well join the march, come too and be counted.