SANITATION COURTS WELCOME (JULY 24, 2010)

THE time-tested saying that cleanliness is next to Godliness underlines the fact that one can only be holy and Godly by being clean at all times.
The essence of this saying was not lost on policy makers during the pre-independence and the immediate post-independence eras when town council officers or sanitation officers were visible in all corners of the country to enforce sanitation bye-laws.
Their presence alone was enough to deter anybody from flouting the law on sanitation by ensuring that waste materials were disposed of in good time. Also, the enforcement of the regulations spurred people on to clear the weeds around their surroundings or prevent their domestic animals from straying into town or city centres.
The activities of these public officials were so visible that the maintenance of clean surroundings became part of our socio-cultural way of life and at any given time residents could “saman” (report) their unsanitary neighbours to the elders of the villages for the appropriate sanctions to be applied.
Sadly, as we expand the country's economic frontiers, we grossly overlook the important role sanitation officers play in the daily lives of Ghanaians. The result of that lapse is a country whose cities remain largely unplanned and filthy.
The Daily Graphic, therefore, welcomes the decision by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to reintroduce the concept of sanitation courts in the metropolis. Indeed, this is refreshing and we commend the authority for returning to our roots in its efforts to keep the city clean.
Accra, and for that matter the major cities in the country, is engulfed with filth and the situation has overwhelmed the authorities tasked with the responsibility to keep the environment wholesome.
The blame cannot be placed solely at the doorstep of the local authorities because the citizens who dump refuse indiscriminately must be made to answer for their waywardness. The careless abandon with which some residents of the city dump waste indiscriminately cannot be tolerated any longer.
The Daily Graphic is of the view that all resources must be marshalled to help the sanitation courts to take off devoid of the usual bureaucratic tendencies.
This is one project which, if implemented with the zeal with which sanitation issues were pursued in the past, can help transform Accra into a Millennium City. It will also curb the high incidence of dangerous diseases.
We are aware of the efforts being made by Zoomlion to keep our surroundings clean but we also know that very little can be achieved if the people do not change their attitude. These actions will yield the desired results only if the indiscriminate disposal of waste is made a risky business by naming and shaming residents who do that.
An important element to consider is public education which, to a large extent, will help change the attitude and habits of most citizens who have deviated from societal values to engage in counter-productive activities.
The Daily Graphic pledges its support for this programme, as well as any other programme or policy that will make our cities clean.
We only hope this decision does not become one of the many failed projects because of the lack of political will to apply the rules.
The Daily Graphic has confidence in the Chief Executive of the AMA, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, who, by his actions so far, has demonstrated that the AMA will not compromise on its statutory functions, not even for political advantage.