Recently, the US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer justified a new visa restriction policy targeting individuals involved in undermining democratic processes. Explaining that the new policy pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) included such individuals who undermine democracy through the manipulation or rigging of the electoral process; the use of violence to intimidate, coerce or prevent people from exercising their rights to freedoms of association and peaceful assembly, the use of measures designed to intimidate, coerce or prevent political party representatives, voters or members of civil society or the media from voicing or disseminating their views. Ghana is the fourth country in Africa where this restriction has been announced.
This may sound good news, since prior to every election in Ghana there are speculations of acts of violence and lawlessness. It is a fact that the first elections of this Fourth Republic, in November 1992, witnessed acts of institutionalized lawlessness and mass rigging by the PNDC government led by Flt. Lt Jerry John Rawlings which resulted to the opposition NPP writing a bestseller, The Stolen Verdict.
Post elections violence was recorded in places like Cape Coast in 1992, where an NDC executive member was murdered in an internal affair. In 2000, about thirty people died in Bawku during a dispute over results of the polls.In 2020 elections, five people were killed during an election related violence in this country.
Ghana has its share of violence, especially institutionalized violence in the past but the US never descended on us, so why now? I am not in any way defending violence in whatever form it takes. I am only asking, why now?
But most importantly, is America the one to stand up for people denied of their rights in their countries, when it denies the rights of some of its citizens?Even women’s rights cannot be guaranteed in the US, with the case of two women, whose only crime was that they were beautiful.
In August 2009, DebrahleeLorenzana, a business banker and staff of Citibank, New York, was fired for looking too attractive in her outfit. Even though other female staff members wore more risqué outfits than she did, Lorenzana was told by a manager, that her body was very different from the others. This is democracy in the land of freedom, called USA. What will be the US’ reactions if any of these two examples occurred in a developing world, like ours? Must a woman be punished for being attractive and beautiful?
In January 4, 2010 in Iowa, Mellisa Nelson, a dentist assistant who worked for dentist James Knight for ten years, was fired because she was too attractive. Her resignation letter was read to her in the presence of a pastor, who approved and endorsed this. Mr Knight thought that she was getting too irresistible and could wreck his marriage, so he sacked her and gave her only one month salary as ex-gratia. Mellisa never made sexual advances at Knight but always considered him a father figure. An all-male panel of justices of the Iowa Supreme court upheld Knight’s decision.
In the USA, only 7.1% of its citizens are LGBTQ+ but their rights seem to override that of the straight and godly 92.9% citizens. Is this what democracy, is about?
In 2018, Jack Philips the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado refused to bake wedding cake for gay couples. He did this based on his strong Christian belief.
He was fined $500.00 and he appealed against this but lost. The Appeal Court judge, Timothy Schutz said the colour of the cake, a pink cake with blue frosting requested by the LGBTQ+ customer expressed no message or imagery with any inherent meaning that would violate Jack’s rights in his strong Christian beliefs. This is America. Should this happen in a developing country like Ghana, what will the US say? And all these happened in a Democratic party era.
The US held its General Elections almost two weeks ago. Events leading to the US elections witnessed two assassination attempts on Donald Trump. And during the November 5, elections, there were cases of bomb threats and violence in states like Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Washington, DC and EVM (voting machines) malfunctioning at a Pennsylvania station.
Are these not the same acts the US is warning Ghana and others about? I will reiterate that I do not and will not support any acts that will undermine our democratic process, but for the US, coming down on us to behave ourselves, when it is liable to these acts of undermining democracy and people’s rights, begs the question.
Post elections disturbances by the Democrats in the aftermath of the elections, are attempts to undemocratically create unrests.For how can Kamala and the Democrats demand that people should fight for the promises she made?
Kamala and the Democrats should understand that Americans have democratically rejected her promises and so they should leave Trump alone.
If the US have good information that some people supported by some countries in Eastern Europe and Asia, want to use violence to topple our constitution, it should come out openly. But threatening to issue visa restrictions will never help. After all such people will not go to the US for anything.
May the Good Lord God, send His angels to guard and guide us, before, during and after December 7, 2024.
Hon. Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
