Eye for an eye only makes the world go blind

Observing the goings on since December 7, I can hear two sides of me musing, and talking.

One side of me is in protest at the rampage by NDC’s youth.

That side of me preaches that there must be – and actually are – more civilised means of compelling dismissed CEOs to vacate their seats and return their vehicles. 

That, however, does not tell my whole story. My story is that this side of me is in morbid fear – the fear of what could happen to my person.

Two weeks after the 2024 elections when I wrote advising that the NDC leadership call its youth to order, I had more emails than I have had in 10 years. Half of them were warning me to stay clear lest bodily harm would be visited on me.

I swore to myself that I would never revisit this topic. But here I am, back to the subject.

I do so with what I will call a plea to allow the law to deal with former politicians and office bearers whom we have reason to suspect have dipped their hands in state coffers and enriched themselves at the tax-payer’s expense.  

Then a voice inside of me spoke. It referred me to events in Ghana after the 2016 elections.

On January 9, 2017, the media reported that “party youth supporters affiliated with the NPP in Tamale besieged and locked up the offices of the NHIS, YEA and NADMO and threatened the public officers to vacate their offices because those positions had been earmarked for NPP youth since their party had come into power.

For any Ghanaian who thinks they are safe and have crossed their hands, looking on without comment, let us remember what happened in the civil war in Sierra Leone.

Many of the non-soldiers who died happened to be secret enemies of people in the militia who were on a rampage killing and maiming. People were butchered who had no idea they had offended anybody.

For many political enemies, post–election violence is revenge time.

But there is the other side of me–the side that grits its teeth at corruption, greed and impunity.

That side rejoices that with policies like ORAL, Ghana has started the process of ridding itself of political thieves who grab with both hands and feet–­­with some of the loot lodged in-between their teeth. 

Situation

As far back as 2013, I analysed the situation and concluded that for most of our politicians, democracy is not the original aim for contesting election and seeking power; they are grabbing power to bring them close to the loot.

They are grabbing power to it put up for rent. The least qualified but highest bidder wins their contract. 

That is what creates situations, such as we have observed in December 2016/January 2017 and December 2024/January 2025.

The EC Chair’s announcement of the Presidential results have become like the coup maker’s broadcast.

It unleashes the anger of those still at the bottom of the economic ladder.

In Ghana, it is called “edidi-gya”, eating with two hands while the poor are deprived even of one hand.

Pray

Having said all of above, I wish to pray President Mahama to, as a matter of urgency, call off his hoods.

What President Kufuor did was to publish the names of vanguished politicians—former Ministers, DCEs, CEOs – who were in possession of vehicles etc, asking them to return them in their own interest. They did.

The level of lawless seizures and arrests is getting one too many. While in office, Ken Ofori- Atta’s closest friends and sympathisers labelled me an enemy because I was relentless in the campaign to have him removed for failing as an economic manager.

I have no evidence that he stole money, but even if I did, I will never contemplate an invasion of his private residence.

What for? Will he keep more than 10,000 cedis at home?

If he did steal from the state, he would have stashed it in a “safe haven” long ago, either before or after his sack.

In those havens, only the law can reach him.

And government has a means of reaching him. 
John Mahama must speak.

There are whole four years ahead of him to prove that we did not cast ballot for the wrong candidate.

It calls for sobriety and cool, not hot heads. 

Fellow Third Worlders, China, Singapore, Malaysia, even Rwanda, are leaping up the technological ladder.

In industrialisation, John Mahama can easily become the Kwame Nkrumah of the 21st century – if he chooses to.

His ministerial picks are not bad – not bad at all

Tit for tat? An eye for an eye? In heady moments like now, it may be very difficult to quote Mahatma Ghandi to anybody, but please, let us remember his words: “An eye for eye only makes the world go blind”.

The writer is Executive Director,
Centre for Communication and Culture.
E-mail: ashonenimil@gmail.com