Editorial: Quantson�s Analysis

Last week, an Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA)-organised roundtable discussion had one-time Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) chief, Kofi Bentum Quantson address very serious security matters in the country. We found the discourse healthy, especially as it offered the speaker and others a rare opportunity to share experiences on security matters. For the government, it offered them a chance to keep their fingers on the political temperature of the country. But that is where it ends. The gentleman expressed concerns about possible repercussions should politicians continue in their unacceptable path. We find his attempt at holding politicians responsible for society�s challenges as not only flawed, but historically unsound. The country�s challenges belong to all members of the society; politicians, civil servants, security personnel et al, although the former takes a chunk of the blame. The possible uprising which the former security chief predicted, for us, makes no sense because really, our country might not be the best of places and certainly not the worst. We know about the Haitis and others whose conditions are not better than ours. So what is the prediction from Mr. Quantson about? He talked about the intensity and repercussions of a people�s revolt which, according to him, are more serious than a coup or putsch. Such a revolt can be triggered when things get worse in a country with politicians in charge. We beg to differ with Mr. Quantson�s analysis and add that ours is not a defence of corrupt or bad governments. His virtual call for revolt against a non-performing government, after looking at his crystal ball, cannot be justifiable under any circumstance. At the end of the day, such an action from any part of the society is tantamount to a coup or better put, a usurpation of the people�s power. Such aberrations cannot receive our blessing at this stage of our country�s history. Previous coups, coming under varying garbs such as revolution or uprising, have garnered nothing for the country besides socio-economic retrogression whose repercussions we are still living with. We should only work hard to ensure a country where the citizenry enjoy the fruits of their labour, a country in which there is social justice and above all, good governance. We might not be happy with the pace, style and policies of the incumbent administration but are convinced they deserve to serve out their term. That is the democracy we opted for. Our expectations might be high about having a candy mountain Ghana or an Utopian state, having been promised such by President Mills when he was in opposition. Failure to achieve the foregone is no good reason to cast a spell of a so-called social revolution on the country. We say �tofiakwa� to such wild bloody prophecies. Ghana our beloved country deserves better.