Former President Jerry John Rawlings has decried the indignity that has engulfed the Ghanaian society at all levels.
He declared: “There was a time when we carried ourselves with so much dignity we did not need the coercive machinery of the handcuff or guns to our heads to do the right thing.”
Former President Rawlings, who was speaking at a meeting with the National Road Safety Commission last Friday, called on leadership at all levels to also lead the campaign against indiscipline on the roads.
Naturally earned respect
“We have destroyed the fundamentals of naturally earned respect and replaced it with the power of elected or assumed authority and find ourselves in the world of coercive power and money,” he stated.
Flt Lt Rawlings said it was time drivers who caused deaths on our roads were prosecuted on manslaughter charges and sentenced appropriately.
In his view, describing road traffic crashes as accidents was very erroneous, saying this allows for people to get away with manslaughter and it perpetuates itself as no one is prosecuted.
Dashboard camcorders
The former President also called for the promotion of the sale of dashboard camcorders by the Road Safety Commission as evidence provided by such cameras could lead to the successful prosecution of traffic offenders.
He also mentioned the poor quality of vehicles imported into the country without the necessary checks and the poor state of tyres, faulty lighting and non-use of reflectors.
Presidential election
As Ghana draws closer to the presidential and parliamentary elections in December, the Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission, Mrs Mary Obiri Yeboah, has expressed the commission’s gratitude to President Rawlings for agreeing to host the delegation at his office and for his advocacy on road discipline and sought his continued support
Mrs Obiri Yeboah said it was disheartening to see people on motorbikes without helmets and party supporters in buckets of vehicles driving recklessly. She urged party supporters to stay alive to vote on the election day. She called on the former President to heighten the advocacy at every opportunity he has to speak.
A board member of the commission, Dr Kweku Rockson, said road safety was a shared responsibility and commended the former President for his strong stance on the matter.
“When people like you talk about road safety it carries a lot of weight and assists in our work,” Dr Rockson said.
The board member explained that the commission played more of an administrative role and had no legal powers to apprehend errant drivers.
He said efforts were being made to review the legal framework establishing the commission so it could have some punitive powers.
Present at the meeting were David Asafo Adonteng, Martin Affram, Aphonse Tengeh, all directors of the commission, road safety advocates, Nana Annor Amihere and ACP Victor Tandoh(retd), Deputy Director, Wisdom Fiatui, and other managers and staff of the commission.
Dr Anthony Dzegede, Dr Kwesi Djokoto and Kobina Andoh were members of the Rawlings delegation.
Source: Daily Graphic
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I am glad you are beginning to understand that since Adam, there has been corruption and God who was the most righteous has been working at purging it slowly and painfully. It was therefore wrong for any man to take a gun, under the guise of a revolution and pretend that he can cower all men into righteousness and overthrow a constitution. I hope you will not take the gun again. What we need to do is to strengthen our institutions to do the right thing because Jerry John Rawlings will become weak, powerless and die one day (that is inevitable) but our institutions will grow stronger and be around for a long time (if not forever). Thank God that you were able to reinstall the constitution you overthrew. I will not hold it against you because it is part of our painful growth process. You will realize, however, that if we all allow the institutions to work, our children, including Ezenator will have a role to play in those institutions and people will look at them and praise our leadership. Nya abotare wai, due ne amane hunu
ALL THAT AMOUNTS FOR GREATER PRECAUTION /.... PLEASE DRIVERS SAVE LIVES .THE BOSS HAVE SPOKEN
You kill people and collect $5 million dollars from Abacha who is more corrupt than you.
***barred word***
the evil you planted some years ago has now germinated in to the ***barred word*** brigade we see in government today
When we cancelled civics in our training of the children who would be leaders tomorrow was when we lost the respect and dignity and we must reverse that issue back to the classroom and the tomorrow would be definitely different. That is the canker that must be uprooted.
I couldn't agree more !!!!!!; this man of a fatherless 'latrine' child with no proper home training ; killed people under the guise of probity ; accountability and transparency but forgets that he himself did not have a clue as a head of state ; the man was consumed with hatred envy and left the governance of the country to a bunch of Kriminal families including ; PV Obeng ; the Tsikata brothers ; the Ahwoi brothers now with their dirty hands in any and Kwesi Botchway to mess up the country ; today the same full who had no clue talks about dignity and moral ; this full talks from his backside and the wind that comes out is rather toxic ;the dot should just ***barred word*** !!!!!!!!AND STOP THROWING DUST IN THE EYES OF GHANAIANS !!!!!!!!!
JJ created the path for these looters. He even paved the way for them. He claimed they were men of accountability, probity and integrity. When some of us challenged his assertion, JJ castigated us. Today, listen to the bullllllllshitttt he is saying!!! Fuuuuuuuuuuulish Flight lieutenant!!!! i spitttt on youuuuuu (with phlegms)
Jerry, This is what you thought your cohorts. The Ahowis and so on. They are singing your tune.State cannot build decent roads because you destroyed State Construction and PWD. Bank for Housing and Construction is no more. A Defunct State indeed.
OH JERRY RAWLINGS!!! POWER AND MONEY???? ASK YOUR WIFE ABOUT THE MONEY PART - BESIDES, YOU ARE VERY WELL STEEPED IN THE POWER PART. SO WHAT ARE YOU CRYING ABOUT???