Former National Security Minister, Kofi Totobi Quakyi, says the Akufo-Addo administration’s handling of rising tension in the country is synonymous with walking through a minefield with blinders on.

According to him, government’s obsession with its image and hold on power have successfully blinded it to the volatile mood in the country which could potentially escalate into a national crisis.

He stated that the tension in the country already occasioned by the harsh economic realities being suffered by citizens, testing the limits of their endurance, has in recent times been exacerbated by the stifling of fundamental human rights and shooting of citizens as seen in the Ejura Shooting.

“For many young people, their anxiety about their prospects has morphed into anger, and their mood now is disturbingly close to rage. And yet, legitimate and admirable efforts to register their displeasure in the form of the peaceful #FixTheCountry protests are being unwisely and intentionally frustrated by the State in one of the more farcical displays of bare-faced hypocrisy in recent times,” he said in an opinion piece dated July 1.

“This paints a picture of a government that is more concerned with its image and hold on power than by the embers emanating from the current national mood. The Akufo-Addo administration must be careful not to pour fuel on those sparks, for we may not be able to contain the inferno,” he added.

He advised government to “overcome this political myopia” and start showing “genuine empathy and concern for the frustrations of the youth and engage them in more serious and sincere ways.”

“This generation will not be tamed into obedience. When our young people tire of being brutalized while peacefully demanding justice and accountability, they may resort to extremist measures or settle for vengeance. Either way, we will all be worse off,” he said.

He further advised the government not to choose the path of casual indifference but instead show true leadership and sincerity through his actions to ensure transparency and accountability.

“The scenes we witnessed on live television demand complete transparency and full accountability in the form of a credible investigation that the Ghanaian public can support and believe in,” he said.

He stated that the constitution of a Ministerial inquiry would not meet the public’s demand for justice as previous recommendations made by committees of enquiry in similar situations as experienced in the Ejura Shooting had come to naught.

“A mere Ministerial inquiry does not meet the mark, as confidence in same is undermined by this administration’s nonchalant approach to past enquiries of that nature and subsequent refusal to accept, let alone implement, recommendations as was the case with the Emile Short Commission findings,” he said.