Politicians are very interesting people who never learn just like all other beings.
They never adhere to the old adage that the fallen of the dry leaves is a warning to the green ones. They soon forget who gave them the power until such a time that those who gave them the power come to them and take it away before some of them realised that they were humans after all. Even in that, some of them still remain drunk and dazed from hungover of political alcohol.
We have just had elections that came with Tsunamic results sweeping the political landscape despite the fact that some politicians took a comfortable lead and were cruising to victory but eventually found themselves at the other side of the table when it turned. I expected this to guide some of our politicians particularly those in government since it is widely believed that Ghanaians rejected the previous administration due to political arrogance and absolute power display but I guess the value is the same whether “Akpeteshie or Guinness.
The only difference was the privileges they enjoyed whilst in power and nothing more . Until such a time comes, whilst the politicians have power in their hands, they use it anyhow they like especially in countries like Ghana. It’s sad to see politicians on the nerve of the police at times especially when they succeed in victimising the police because they are in power. We need to check the overflow of political power over the police because it is getting dangerous.
Isn’t it funny when a politician says it openly that he will cause the transfer of police officers from Ashanti Region in present day Ghana ? That is a total display of arrogance of political power over the police and it’s sad. We must all find ways and means to end this because it is taking us far way down as a country and people.
When I heard that the Minister of education, Hon.Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh is reported to have said that he will personally talk to the IGP to have ASP Mr. Yusiff Tanko, the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer and Supt. Mr Klomega, commander of SWAT transferred from Ashanti Region, I asked where will they be transferred to? May be the honourable education minister should also mention it on air where he would want the two police officers to be transferred to so that we all know how powerful he is as a politician over the police.
Should they be transferred to Burkina Faso? Cote Dvoire? Togo? or may be into the Gulf of Guinea for them to be drowned in the sea for us to see display of his political power else it is the usual old case of targeted victimisation of police officers by politicians that we have gotten used to already . Apart from the neighbouring countries where obviously police officers cannot be transferred to due jurisdictional limitations as a result of geographical boundaries, everywhere that a police officer is transferred to within the territories of Ghana, police officer will always remain a police officer. A Ghanaian police officer of that matter so what changes if these police officers are transferred from Ashanti Region? Nothing much!
We have just bid farewell to a government whose deputy minister talked to the then IGP to move a police armour car all the way from Accra to Cape Coast to have police officers bundled like criminals to Accra for detention just because they stopped a deputy minister who was above the law at that time. Where lies is political power that he used to have those police officers who were then performing constitutionally mandatory duties at the time arrested? He is now a spectator when it comes to display of political power because Ghanaians became fed up with their political arrogance. Politicians dig the holes of their defeats long before they fall into it.
As if that is not enough, here we are, under a new government with the slogan of change seems pepetrating the evils of the politicians under the previous government against some innocent police officers. A minister of education feels he is too powerful to cause the transfer of police officers. It’s a shame and pity in present day Ghana for politicians to use their powers to twist and turn the police in a manner they like.
Granted that the police went beyond the required minimum force in their bid to control lawless KTI students, where does the honourable minister want them to be transferred? They should transferred to my home town in Apemenyim for them to go and repeat the same thing over there? Is it the case that these two police officers are baggage of problems and as typically of black mentality and way of doing things , instead of solving problems, we rather preferred transferring them or what ? I can’t get it right here.
Punitive transfers are very normal in the police but my beef this time around is how a politician who constantly called for change and only to come and to start compounding the problem of transfers used as a punishments instead of parts of job description and requirements in the police. What change should we the vulnerable ones in the police expect? Change of transfers to villages and remote areas that we have endured already ? We have had enough of that already under those who just left the administration of the country and preceding governments so no big deal about it . It is very normal to see and hear a whole minister calling for transfer of police officers on radio.
Politicians are the same whether in opposition or in government. Today in Ghana, political lawlessness is on ascendancy because of the behaviour of our politicians who feel they are powerful than the police because they can always determine the fate of police officers and in some circumstances machinate their dismissal. Political party foot soldiers these days have the urge and the impudence of calling for transfers and dismissal of police officers so for whole minister to call for it, it is much expected and not a surprise at all.
Many police officers these days are aligning themselves to political parties and politicians openly because our politicians are so powerful to make the life of a police officer miserable. Some have found comfort in the armpits of these politicians no matter how that place smells. There is no constitutional security for police officers to resist the oppressive political arrogance of these politicians so they turn us around as they please and it’s a big shame and a dark spot on our democracy that needs to be cleared.
We have reached the era where a politician should do his work as a politician and a police officer should also be allowed to enforce law and order. KTI students were lawless in the first place and that is what we should check so that these students who are the future of Ghana do not grow and become lawless and irresponsible as it is increasingly becoming. The police are not that much stupid to go and start to beat the KTI students who have been lawless as far as inter-school games are concerned.
If a police officer do not do his work up to expectations, the solution should not be transfer openly called by a politician particularly a minister of state. Just in case if the honourable minister education gets to read this, he should tell the IGP to have me sacked because we are getting tired of their political arrogance.
It’s actually a nonsense that must stop because we have had too many of them. We have too many smart alemac politicians on ego trip in Ghana. Is just too early to get on the nerves of the police under the much touted slogan of change.
Change is what we want to see. Positive one for that matter. I still don’t believe that the Hon. education minister said that though just that politicians are the same.
Ahanta Apemenyimheneba Kwofie III
dkwofie17@gmail.com
#Ahantadiarries_17_02_17
