Reports of a clash between the police and the youth of Teleku-Bokazo in the Western Region last Sunday must be another wake-up call for more vigorous education of our people to use the proper channels to address their grievances. They should also be made aware of the fact that the resort to mob action at the least provocation, instead of seeking protection under the laws of the land, is counter-productive.
Increasingly, we have had to contend with mob violence, sometimes over issues that could be easily resolved at a round-table. This is most unfortunate.
During the immediate post-colonial era, the authority of the State, represented by the Coat of Arms, was deterrent enough to get the people to comply with the laws of the land. It must be appreciated that the brutal force applied by the security forces during the colonial days to quell pro-independence agitation must have been responsible for our inability to question the State, even if its organs infringed on our fundamental human rights. Nonetheless, there was order and respect for authority, resulting in disciplined behaviour, which also impacted positively on our development efforts.
Today, the reverse is the case. In our efforts to insist on our rights, as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, we tend to become law onto ourselves. And yet the Constitution, which guarantees rights to all Ghanaians, also imposes certain responsibilities on the citizens. Article 12(2) of the Constitution states that “Every person in Ghana, whatever his race, place of origin, political opinion, colour, religion, creed or gender, shall be entitled to the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the individual contained in this chapter but subject to respect for the rights and freedoms of others and for the public interest.”
Our rights are very fundamental to our well-being, but the exercise of those rights must promote the public good. If we insist on our individual rights without recognising the rights of others, what is likely to happen is chaos and the breach of law and order.
The clash between the police and the youth of Teleku-Bokazo, resulting in two policemen sustaining injuries and the destruction of property, must be condemned in no uncertain terms.
Nonetheless, the Daily Graphic would want to make a plea for calm and restraint, both on the side of the police and the youth of Teleku-Bokazo. Ghana has enjoyed peace and stability, making the country the standard bearer in a sub-region where many countries could be described as failed states.
The present level of development can only be improved for us to achieve the goals outlined in the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) II if the security of the people is guaranteed and everybody is convinced that no matter the breach of the law, due process would be followed. This way, we shall assure investors of the safety of their investments and provide the leadership required to change the fortunes of our people, most of whom access to daily bread, quality education and health care is always a struggle.
The time has come for the government to review our mining laws so that communities which suffer the effects of mining are adequately compensated. The present arrangement where the sacrifices of mining communities are not recognised, and in some cases they lose their heritage to foreign interests who degrade the environment and pay paltry compensation to farmers whose crops are destroyed, should be reviewed to open a new chapter in the relationship between mining companies and the communities in which they operate.
Ghana has always been a pacesetter in all human endeavours. We should put our house in order before a major crisis develops over the sharing of the revenue from our natural resources because a section feels marginalised. The people have the right to know how their resources are to be exploited and the benefits that will accrue thereof, although they must also desist from taking the law into their own hands. They need the assurance of some benefits from their heritage, for, after all, one who lives by the river does not wash his hands with spittle.
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