Today’s edition of the paper carries a story about some observations in what appears to be a society in abyss authored by the Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo.
The story, justifiable so, pouts at what is turning out to be the norm in the country to insult or exhibit gross disrespect to persons who tower above the youth in age, status and class.
The recent incident which has ruffled feathers is about the patrons at the 2022 Global Citizen Festival, a public function booing at President Akufo-Addo when he mounted the podium to speak.
Thousands of patrons turned up at the event grounds to witness the international festival, with several local and international artistes performing. But when the President mounted the stage to address the crowd, people started chanting and hooting at the President, making it difficult for him to deliver his address.
Whatever the intention or purpose, this is very offensive and frowns on basic society ethos and discipline.
That is why The Ghanaian Publisher shares wthe sentiments of Prof Gyampo when he indicates the action is a clear departure from the values and norms of the Ghanaian society.
According to him, it is about time Ghanaians went “back to our values that found a decent way of expressing dissent”.
This is a worrying trend we have to look at. Today, the many fine strings of society that kept us together as a people have been torn apart because of civilization, modernity and cosmopolitan nature of the world.
This notwithstanding, we cannot throw our culture of courtesy, respect and civility to the dog. The Office and Position of the Presidency transcends the individual occupying it, must be respected by all, regardless of its occupant and irrespective of how we feel against the occupant of the Office.
The paper cannot agree more with Prof Gyampo that no nation develops without its culture, so it’s completely out of place to use bogus examples that are at variance with cultural values to justify acts of disrespect.