This is serious. This is not just politics or another political issue. This is not a debate for social media entertainment. This is not something we can laugh off, justify because of what others did in the past, or compare in a contest of who suffered more. This is no longer about who is louder or more correct. This is about our peace. This is a threat to our peace. This is about our democracy. This is a danger to our democracy. This is about our shared future as a country. And the sooner we admit that, the better chance we have of saving what is left of our national conscience.
If we continue justifying wrongs by pointing to previous wrongs, we will one day wake up in a country we no longer recognize.
What we are witnessing is a dangerous cycle. A cycle that feeds itself over and over again. The NDC, now in power, refers to the 2019 Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence as a reason for their silence or as a justification for the very atrocities they now oversee or enable. They point to the brutal attack on people like Hon. Sam George and others. Sam George, unfortunately, is now on social media supporting the violence, boldly claiming they have not even started yet. Started what exactly?
Before 2019, the NPP also referred to previous violent episodes under the NDC. They spoke of the Talensi by-election violence in 2015, the unrest and clashes during the 2008 and 2012 elections, and other scattered incidents across the country. So here we are, trapped in a never-ending loop of blame and revenge.
But the deeper pain is not only the violence itself. It is the people who try to explain it away or justify it. And sadly, they are not strangers. They are not anonymous trolls. They are people we know. People we respect. People of influence. People with moral authority. People who pray in public. People who hold hands and lift their voices in prayer. People who bow in mosques, who pour libation in shrines, who sit beside us in church pews. People who speak about truth and God with confidence.
And yet these same people are the ones who look away. These are the same people who do not mind if someone is beaten, harmed, or even killed, so long as it is not one of theirs. So long as it is someone else’s child. So long as it benefits their side.
To what end?
When injustice occurs, they go quiet. Or they speak without compassion. Or worse, they defend the violence. Some say, “Where were you when this happened in 2019?” Others sneer, “Now you see how it feels.” Some say, “It is not right, but they deserve it.” As though pain is justified when felt by others. As though injustice becomes acceptable when it does not affect your household.
Is this how we want to live? Is this the depth to which we have sunk?
To what end?
Because it happened to your side yesterday, it must happen to mine today? Because Mr A was attacked, Mr B must suffer next? Because your people bled then, now it is our turn? Is this the justice we are proud to promote? Is this the example we are setting for our children?
Let me speak plainly. The NDC is in power. And yes, what is happening now is under their watch. In as much as I would love to direct this call to them, I am also speaking directly to the NPP of whom I am known to be a sympathizer. Today, we are the victims. We are the ones crying foul. We are the ones feeling what others once felt. And yes, it is true that in times past, our hands have not been clean either.
But please, I beg, let this be where it ends. Let it end with us.
When the tides turn again. And they will. Do not repay this hurt with more hurt. Do not say, “We will show them.” Say instead, “We will never let this happen again.” That is what real strength looks like. That is leadership. That is courage. That is the kind of future Ghana needs. You have the power to stop this cycle. Use it.
Choose not to retaliate. Choose not to return fire for fire. Choose peace. Choose restraint. Because in truth, no one wins in violence. No one ever has.
And beyond politics, all of us must look in the mirror. Every one of us. Myself included. We are all part of the problem. Whether through our actions or through our silence. Some of us with our words. Others with our tribal jokes, our laughter at the suffering of others, our likes and shares, our blind loyalty, and our excuses. Some of us only cry foul when our side is in pain. Some of us only call for calm when we are in opposition. That is why the cycle never ends.
But it must end. And it must end now.
We must rise and say, “This cannot go on.” This trend must stop somewhere. Let that place be here. Let that time be now.
Let us not wait for our turn in power to finally say the right thing. Let us not clap for violence just because it benefits us today. Let us not call for peace only when it suits us. That is not leadership. That is selfishness.
You cannot kill today and say it is fine because others were killed yesterday. That is not justice. That is revenge. You cannot justify a slap today because someone else was slapped before. That is not principle. That is blindness. And if you were part of the problem yesterday, you do not get to pretend you are innocent today. We are all guilty in one way or another.
And yet, this is a country that loudly claims to love God. We all do. Christians pray every Sunday. Muslims pray five times a day. Traditionalists pour libation and seek truth. But what does it mean if we do all this and still clap for bloodshed? What is the point of our prayers if our hearts are hardened?
Every day we pray, but we turn our backs on justice. Every day we speak of peace, but we defend brutality. Every day we act spiritual, but we are indifferent to the pain of others. How is that godliness?
No one should die just because they want to vote. No one should be beaten because of the colour of their shirt. Journalists should not be harassed for reporting the truth. Elections should not feel like preparing for war.
Ghana deserves better.
Violence does not choose sides. Today it is them. Tomorrow it could be you. Or someone you love. Violence does not obey political boundaries. It does not respect loyalty. And when it arrives, it leaves nothing but broken families and lost lives.
So again, I appeal to the NPP. When your time comes again, do not repay evil for evil. Do not plan revenge. Plan peace. Be the leaders you wished you had today. Let Ghana see that a better way is possible.
And to all of us, regardless of faith or belief, let us rise. Let us speak up. Let us stop waiting for permission to do what is right. Let us stop cheering for wrong just because it benefits us. That excuse has expired.
Ghana is all we have. Let us protect her. We can disagree and still respect one another. We can support different parties and still live in peace. We can vote and still go home safely. That should not be too much to ask.
So let me say this as clearly as I can:
. Not when the next person dies. Not when the next election comes. Not when power changes again. Not when the violence finally reaches your doorstep.
It must end now.
We have all contributed to the pain. Let us all now contribute to the healing.
Let us choose a better path. Let us choose peace.
Let this be the generation that broke the pattern.
Let the cycle end with us.
.
By Victor Raul Puobabangna Plance from Eggu in the Upper West Region of Ghana
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