Unlawful Use Of State Power By The NPP

John Agyekum Kufour’s heedless insensitivity has assumed proportions unbecoming of a Head of State who is supposed to be a father figure for all---Ga, Ewe, Ashanti, Dagomba, rich, poor, weak, strong etc--- in this country, Ghana. This in fact is putting the life of all Ghanaians on the tenterhooks and the earlier somebody advices this man to exhibit some level of decorum in his use of the collective state authority vested in him, the better its for the safety, protection, wellbeing and contentment of us all.

It is has become very unambiguous that the man Kufour is simply ready to utilize the authority of the state in ways that are completely incompatible with developments around the country.

I was completely flabbergasted this morning (Thu, July 12, 2007) to see bulldozers pulling down peoples dwellings in and around the city of Accra by the city authorities as a way of bringing some level of sanity into the construction industry around the city, and to send the message nationwide that this kind of development will not be tolerated anywhere around the country.

The question, however, remains that: will that actually engender the desired orderliness in land tenure, administration and development in this country? The answer is absolutely NO!!!

If for seven good years Kufour could not, through his lieutenant ministers and other state functionaries put together any meaningful land policies which will free the land from multiple sales, preventable litigations and restore some sanity in land administration, as we all expected was going to be the case when they assumed leadership of this country, then he should be wise enough to understand that he has failed to provide the legal regime to bolster his property owning democracy ideology. And not until laws governing land administration tenure and development are reviewed to meet our present circumstances, he has absolutely no right utilize the powers of the state to punish Ghanaians assumed to have put up houses on waterways and unauthorized locations.

When the house of the Vice President, Alhaji Alui Mahama, in Mataheko-Dansoman was found to be allegedly constructed on waterway, what solution did they find for that bizarre case? People should try and find out about this and they will be amazed. So is it a case that if you are in power you are no longer a Ghanaian and the laws of the land do not apply to you just as it will apply to the ordinary Ghanaian?

Kufour should be reminded that he is first and foremost a Ghanaian, and his oath of office make wedge it on his body and soul to dispense to all including his vice, his family, the rich and, in deed, all manner of Ghanaians in all fairness.

Can you imagine you live in a country where even officials at the land commission and other ancillary organizations tasked to perform regulatory procedures regarding land accusation and its development have all become so corrupt that developers have no option than what we presently have on our hands whereby the development of our capital has become so haphazard that we are all at risk of being carried away by any little downpour.

The judiciary is even worse in the dispensation of justice, and the restoration of privileges to rightful owners of the lands in most case. With cases in the courts dragging for two years and so on, can we say that we have provided a regime that will regulate construction in an urban environment like Accra?

For the newly established property fraud unit of the police service, the least said about them the better. In fact, this institutions are fast becoming goldmines for operatives to milk individuals who are seeking some form of relieve from crooked landguards, prospective landsellers who duped their unsuspecting customers of huge sums of money.

Kufour can return to Kumasi and bulldoze the whole Kumasi in the name of sanity; Alui Mahama can return to the North and bulldoze all the huts to instill discipline; Asamoah Boateng can burn the sea out of rage, but they should thread carefully they don’t touch the wrong nerves. Do they know what it takes to even build a single-room in Accra with one’s own sweat?

From what I saw at Japan Motors in Madina recently, it is obvious that communities are beginning to organize themselves in ways that they can be able to protect their properties. And, in fact, this poses a serious security threat to the peace in Accra and its environs. Individuals, who are not landguards, are beginning to arm themselves with machetes, guns, and other weapons in the defense of their properties. Whole communities have networked themselves into vigilante groups in the protection of their properties and these are clear signals to the government that the days are over when you can get up and go break anybody’s building.

Kufour, must apply the power of the state with restraint, for the power of the state is the power of the people!!!