Former President of the Republic of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings, has lashed out about what he sees to be Ghanaians losing our social sense of responsibility.

Mr. Rawlings was addressing some assembly members of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly who paid a courtesy call on him at his office in Accra last Monday.

The former military leader, lamented on how what seems to be presently more relaxed laws and institutions has led to a rise in indiscipline and lawlessness in the country.

“There is so much freedom today which is not making people become responsible for their actions.” He said.

He compared the current situation to what has been in the past by saying, “In the olden days, we established structures at the local level that ensured that people who went contrary to the law were punished.”

“We set up tribunals with its members including opinion leaders in the communities who punished wrongdoing. Unlike today where our gutters are choked, you dared not throw rubbish into drains or defecate at the beaches,” he added.

The one-time fearsome military leader said the collapse of traditional courts has been a major contributing factor to the current situation, as it has paved way for offenders to go unpunished.

He said it has resulted in the depletion of the social sense of Ghanaians who now engage in insanitary practices, such as indiscriminate disposal of waste and open defecation.


Mr Rawlings seized the opportunity to urge the assembly members to learn the essence of the local governance structure to enable them appreciate the roles they play in the decentralisation process.

He also charged them to effect changes in their communities.