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The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has likened the recent upsurge in violent acts in the country to the way thugs behave in a lawless society. Mr Pratt believes the country is slowly but surely inching towards a state of total anarchy. With some six months to go for the next general elections, not less than four incidents of violence - Nankpanduri in the Northern Region; Kpassa, in the Volta Region; Ekumfi Narkwa, Central Region and the latest being Hohoe also in the Volta Region - have been recorded in various parts of the country thus raising the political temperature; with some even claiming they are precursors to even more brutal conflicts ahead of the December polls. Contributing to discussions on Peace FM�s flagship programme, "Kokrokoo", the seasoned journalist expressed sadness that Ghana was gradually becoming a �banana� republic. Commenting on the Hohoe clashes where a dusk to dawn curfew was imposed on the community after indigenes of the area clashed with the Muslim settlers following the exhumation of a Chief Imam by the latter and the subsequent arson attack on the residence of the paramount chief of Hohoe, Torgbega Gabusu and the destruction of properties worth thousands of Ghana cedis, Mr Pratt argued that events leading to the incident stemmed from kindergarten causes. He slammed the growing trend where political parties tend to offer massive support to people who foment trouble or commit a crime saying it is leading to a 'gangster mentality'. To him, irrespective of family ties or party affiliation, one must be bold enough to call a spade a spade and condemn any act of violence and urged politicians not to associate or infuse politics into crimes being handled by the security service. �We are now working with a gangster mentality�those operating in the gangs are held in higher esteem by their fellow gang members. We are now turning the nation into a banana republic and I am sad. Let an NDC member commit a crime and let him be condemn by an NDC member, you will see how they would all slam the latter�If you have human beings who can exhume dead bodies, how can there be peace in the country? The sad part of the matter is that certain political parties always try to take advantage of the situation which needs to be solved holistically. They always tend to turn serious issues into an NPP and NDC political football match�, Kwesi Pratt lamented.