The difficulty of stopping crimes in Ghana is a vindication of the merciless actions taken by J. J. Rawlings

I had always been in two minds about the late former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings. I see him as the origin of most of the indiscipline actions going on in Ghana. I see him as very divisive and the originator of the racist divisions among some tribes in Ghana.

I see him as the mastermind and orchestrator of the disappearance of some innocent and equally bad people in Ghana during his revolutionary military junta era. I see him for so many bad things, especially, the hatred the other tribes have for Ashantis.

However, he can’t be bad through and through. An Akan proverb has it that, “Onipa bone ni biara wo ni nkae da,” to wit, “Every bad person has their remembrance day,” By this proverb, no matter how bad one is or had been, there may come a day that people will wish he or she was around at that present time.

This is because he or she could have easily solved the problem that may be confronting the people. Thus, such a bad person could at least be remembered for one good thing he did at a particular time.

Now, no matter how bad Rawlings was, I can give him credit for one thing. He never hesitated to deal mercilessly with criminals, especially murderers, when they were caught. The arsons, murders, armed robberies, and kidnappings as are ramifying and taking place in Ghana at the moment were foreign to the country during the tyrannical reign of the late former President J. J. Rawlings, especially, when he was the Head of the Military Governments, the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), and the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).

He would speedily put such criminals to exterminatory punishment of firing squad, by applying the Mosaic Law of “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” In those days, there were fewer crimes apart from those allegedly sponsored or committed by the government as in the case of the murder of the three Accra High Court judges and the retired military Major Acquah.

I have been moved to publish this candid opinion of mine following a WhatsApp video and pictures of a young man caught with a freshly chopped human head in his hands with several chopped human heads lying on the floor as were forwarded to my page on Thursday, August 26, 2021.

It is very sickening to see such true videos and images of crimes being committed in Ghana on daily basis but without any indication of them coming to an end sooner. Is it because the current civilian administration is too soft on crimes? I can’t, and will never, get it.

Why is the NDC National Chairman Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo still not facing any serious trial after all his planned and probably, executed and executory evil plots against Ghanaians? Is the legal system letting him off by its usual but very silly tactical postponements not to blame for the uncountable number of crimes in committal in the country? The system is partly to be blamed.

Finally, Rawlings is appearing a saint today, despite his atrocious actions as are stated in the earlier paragraphs. His crimes pale to nothing compared to the murders, arsons, acts of sabotage, and the official corruptions that are on the ascendency in the country today.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has no excuse not to bring such crimes down. He should arrange a meeting of all his security experts and leaders of the security agencies with the Chief Justice present to find quick ways of fighting the crimes of murder, arson, and armed robbery as are scarily taking place in Ghana. There should be no ifs and buts, but to solve the problems of insecurity as are confronting the nation.

If the death penalty delivered within days of arresting an arsonist or murderer will solve the problems, so be it!