Rawlings asks for ‘community vigilantism’ to fight insanitary conditions
Former President Jerry John Rawlings has recommended community vigilantism to deal with the insanitary canker that has engulfed the nation.
“No one supports people parading as vigilantes. However, the need for responsible citizen vigilantes to protect the environment is an absolute necessity; an absolute must, especially against the random and persistent dumping of refuse along roadsides.
“There is no reason why such vigilantes cannot be mobilised to play a responsible supportive role to the security agencies,” he said, adding that even before the security agencies get there, citizens should have disciplined the errant community members.
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Speaking as a special guest at the 12th edition of the Jospong and Zoomlion Group’s annual
The special service which attracted Ministers of State as well as Members of Parliament and the
He said “as we go into the New Yea,r every Ghanaian must commit to
Calling for a social sense of responsibility in managing the
Sanitary inspectors
Former President Rawlings reminisced what pertained years ago during the time of the sanitary inspectors referred to as ‘Tankas’ [Town Council] who hurled people to court for failing to keep their surroundings clean.
Then “traditional leaders also played their role. The social sense of responsibility of our communities was so high. If we misbehaved, the king, the queen mothers and the elders could discipline you.”
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“In those days, people didn’t defecate along the beaches and all over the place, people didn’t piss left and right. But I guess as soon as we won independence and we were in a hurry to probably make the presence of the state felt and we had to establish arms of the courts around the country and policemen; so with that it is like our chiefs, opinion leaders have now lost that traditional power they had to talk to us and hold us socially responsible because the government is there to do it,” he said.
Sanitation Ministry
Lauding President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for setting up a ministry responsible for sanitation, Mr Rawlings
He, however, said there was something he would have done in addition, which he knew would have made people unhappy but he would have still gone ahead and done it because no one had “the right to do some of the things we do when it comes to the issue of the environment and refuse disposal.
“It is uncivilised for us to continue the way we are going. No matter how successful or how many Jospongs and how many others would be brought on
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The former President said, “What is worse is that our irresponsibility on a global scale is leading to global warming.”
He said from 1.5 degrees global warming was headed for three degrees.
Jospong commended
He, also, commended the Jospong Group of Companies for its integrated waste management solutions and the employment of over 200,000 Ghanaians, the introduction of the '
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“I remember someone saying oh he was just a kiosk man. When just a kiosk man can do things like this you have to respect it,” he said.
“God has given him some talents and I am grateful that we have such people. He picked on the worst kind of job in this country and has almost made a success of it.”
He explained that Mr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, CEO of Jospong had almost made a success of managing waste because “we haven’t quite cleared the refuse in the environment. Nothing portends how civilised or uncivilized a human community is or can be if you are not handling the refuse collection responsibly.
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“We would have been much worse if people like him were not playing the role he has played so far,” he said.
He said hitherto he got angry at the mention of the name of Zoomlion asking how many people would do that kind of demeaning sanitary job “because I heard that a huge percentage of district assemblies’ budget had been carved out to them alone and there were no competitors. And I thought some of that money could have been carved out to other private entrepreneurs to ensure that there was competition.”