Dear Mr President: Kumasi Mayor’s ‘Undemocratic’ Posturing Is A Blot On Your Administration
Dear President John Dramani Mahama,
I bring you greetings from the headquarters of the concerned citizens of Ghana association which comprises Ghanaians with a common goal to address matters of serious concerns to the nation. Taking notice of the things you have done in your nearly 5 months of governance, I must indeed commend you for the measures that have brought relief to many Ghanaians.
Cancelling the Electronic Transfer Levy, popularly called E-Levy, and betting tax is a laudable bold step to alleviating the plight of the “ordinary” Ghanaian. Although I don’t subscribe to the removal of the betting tax for the sole reason that it would encourage many Ghanaian youth to overly depend on gambling and Sports bet instead of being industrious, I however admit it has brought smiles back on the faces of Ghanaians.
Of course, there are other things that your government has achieved in its 100 days which are commendable, nonetheless, the negatives of your administration need to be highlighted. For the purposes of this correspondence, I’d like to limit myself to the specific concerns that I crave your attention for an immediate solution.
Mr President, your Mayor for Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, must tone down on his insatiable pursuit to suppress traders in the central business district of Kumasi to comply with his directive to vacate the pavements and other unauthorized areas where they are conducting their businesses.
The Kumasi Mayor’s decision to decongest the area is one that I completely agree with but not his approach to whip the traders into line. Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi has expressed concerns over the safety and wellbeing of both traders and pedestrians. To address the situation, he has given the traders a 2-week ultimatum to find alternative places to conduct their trade.
In order to enforce this directive, the Kumasi Mayor believes flogging the traders is what will make them conform to his instruction. In a latest development, he suggests a jail term for them, particularly the non-compliant ones.
“I have my own military-democratic style which I will be implementing. When we say leave the space, and you don’t leave the space and I get there, and you’re not there and my boys are with me, there and there we will beat you.”
“Other people have suggested jail terms instead of corporal punishment. So, I want to adopt that approach and see how it works. If they want to be in prison or on remand for a month or two, we will do that instead of meting out instant punishment. We will take them to court but I will make sure they spend time in prison.”
These are direct quotes from Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi which give the impression that he is posturing himself as Prime Minister or supreme leader of Kumasi because there is no way statements like “I will make sure they spend time in prison” or when “I get there…we will beat you” can be words of encouragement nor motivation to cause a desired change.
These words only stir strife and instigate a riot instead of compliance with a good vision aimed at safeguarding the commuters within the central business district of Kumasi.
Corporal Punishment
I am glad that the Mayor admitted, in his quotes, his approach smacks of corporal punishment which has been primarily outlawed in Ghana. The use of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of any person is prohibited in the nation, hence I expect a government appointee not to flout the laws because he is in a position of authority.
How in God’s name can someone boldly suggest beating mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers who have committed no crime but to do decent jobs as a way forward in addressing a disturbing situation with traders? Is flogging the solution?
Mr. President, in case Ghanaians have short memories and you have also forgotten about past incidents that resulted in an unpleasant acrimonious relationship between the people that your “Mayor” appointee wants to cow into submission and the government, allow me this short time to situate this in retrospect.
Gone are the days when traders, especially our mothers, would go to town or the marketplace only for their commodities to be seized and some beaten with canes to make them subservient to authority. Gone are the days that market women and the male counterparts went to their business places only to be met with brute force from people clad in military uniforms.
This is the history of the people that Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi is dealing with and if he thinks using corporal punishment which will only push the traders to re-live their misery is a step in the right direction, then, Mr. President, you better review your reset agenda because the impression wasn’t that you were going to reset Ghana back to the days of military rule where people lived in terror.
Prison Sentence
Mr President, I thought the law courts were the places for prosecution and one can be imprisoned in accordance with the laws of Ghana only by a competent judge. If this is the lawful procedure, then, how can a Mayor boldly state that “I will make sure they spend time in prison”.
Is he the law or he means his position as Mayor gives him the inalienable right and authority to put someone in jail without probable cause? Does it mean he is going to influence the court ruling? Is the judge his appointee or he is going to bribe the judge to deliver a verdict that favors him?
Mr. President, the position that Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi has assumed where he thinks he is dealing with his children may potentially defeat his purpose to decongest the area even before the exercise is fully conducted.
These traders are people who are doing legitimate businesses to fend for their families and what makes it worse for them is their current predicament where some of them have lost almost everything to the recent fire outbreak that gutted the Blue Light arena at Adum in the business centre of Kumasi. The traders are in pain and statements like the ones uttered by the Kumasi Mayor will only attract a coordinated rebellion instead of compliance.
The Way Forward
Mr President, the first step to achieving the desired results within the Kumasi central business area and to make your reset agenda in the region successful is to call the Mayor to order. He must not portray himself as a dictator or else he will make no progress. People move into repelling mode against acts of suppression and most importantly to prevent dictatorship.
The Kumasi Mayor may fail to achieve his objective to decongest the business place if he continues to assume the posture of him vrs the traders instead of applying an appropriate measure to help them appreciate his exercise. Therefore, I suggest these things for consideration towards having a win-win situation.
- Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi must first backtrack on his aggressive approach.
- The Kumasi Mayor must thoroughly engage the traders using the concept of dialogue. People easily comply with orders when they understand the relevance of the change. If they don’t understand or appreciate it, no amount of force can cause the necessary changes. The force should be the last resort after all other options have been exhausted.
- In all of the Mayor’s remarks, I am yet to hear him talk about an alternative place for the traders to motivate them to move from the pavements and unauthorized places. Telling the traders to find their own alternative places will result in the same situation he is trying to eliminate because they will settle back in unauthorized areas.
In as much as I totally support the decongestion exercise, we must admit that the authorities have sat aloof for the traders to mount their businesses in the unauthorized places for decades. It appears that they almost own their spots and with their entrenched mindsets, such force like flogging them will only be met with heightened aggression and the goal of the decongestion exercise will be lost at the end.
To the Kumasi Mayor, your objective should be to get the traders off the pavements without treating them like recalcitrant subordinates. These people are not your children neither are they criminals who you want to compel the courts to imprison to satisfy your seemingly egoistic quest to be seen as the supreme leader of Kumasi.
Mr President, I conclude by saying the buck always stops with you, therefore you can’t pretend not to have noticed the vile statements of your appointee. Your silence could mean you are in support of the Mayor’s inhumane approach to do the right thing. Of course, you don’t need to directly influence the work of your appointees but when it is a flagrant violation of the laws of the country, I bet to differ!
Dear Mr President, I pray this gets your attention. Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Adu Gyamfi Ameyaw
CC:
1. Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine
2. Mayor of Kumasi, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi
3. All Men and Women of Conscience in the Mahama Administration
Source: Ghmessenger.com
