Former Kumasi Mayor Sam Pyne has called on current Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, also known as Zuba, to apologise for his comments about using corporal punishment to tackle congestion in the city.
Mr. Pyne described Boadi’s comments as “unfair” and “undemocratic militarism,” stating that the Assembly has existing regulations and by-laws to handle such situations.
Mr. Boadi, addressing the media, indicated that traders and street hawkers who defy orders to vacate unauthorised spaces risk being beaten by his team during a planned decongestion exercise.
“When we say leave this space and you don’t leave the place, when I come there and my boys are with me and you are not lucky, we will beat you. If I am alone, you will be lucky. But if I have my 10 boys in their pick-up with me and their whips, trust me, we will beat you. Do that which is right and lawful,” he said.
The comments, which have triggered widespread criticism, came ahead of a major decongestion exercise set to begin on Wednesday, targeting those occupying pavements and unauthorised areas within the city.
In an interview on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, former Mayor Sam Pyne described the statement as “unfortunate” and “unfair to the traders.”
He urged Mr. Boadi to retract his words and seek a more lawful and humane path in enforcing the Assembly’s by-laws.
Mr. Pyne emphasised that the Assembly already has laid-out regulations for dealing with offences related to sanitation and street congestion.
He said, “Being the Mayor of Kumasi is one big challenge. Kumasi is a microcosm of Ghana, and it’s a place where you have an influx of more than 200 people every day. They come in and live. So you have issues and challenges, especially with sanitation. We have the by-laws of the Assembly. Every offence committed by inhabitants or the community within the Kumasi Metropolitan Area—the Assembly has established by-laws, punishments, and other penalties that are in tune with whatever offence one commits. Therefore, this kind of democratic militarism that he’s preaching is way off track.”
“Zuba is a friend, and I was one of the first to pledge my support to ensure that he succeeds. But he’s making such statements far too often. It’s very unfair, and I wish he would quickly come out and apologise for using those words. You cannot use your boys to flog people. The Assembly has its structures—we have the city guards, we have the task force, and others. So which of them is he going to use? Is he going to create a new army for himself to do those things, or what? I wish he would retract that statement, apologise, and look at other measures in line with the Assembly’s own regulations and rules so that the work will be easier for all of us.”
He noted that there are existing enforcement structures, including city guards and task forces, empowered to act within the confines of the law.
Source: Ghana/StarrFM103.5FM/Hamdia Mohammed
