SENDING OUT THE MESSAGE THAT NO ONE IS ABOVE LAW

In Ghana, like we have anywhere across the world, celebrities are respected, and sometimes, even deified.

That is because not only are they rare breed, but that they are also role models who inspire youth across nations and continents to aspire to higher heights in becoming assets to themselves, communities and nations.

We laud them because they offer society health and healing in managing diseases that affect the brain. As we would admit, refreshing music or a football match or athletic completion has ways in which it ignites the adrenalin in people to keep them in physical, mental and psychological shape.

Excesses

When we therefore find celebrities on drugs or caught in clearly criminal activities, the first reaction is to find out the reason for the person stooping that low and falling from the ivory tower that society has allotted to him because of his contribution to humanity in a special field.

We must therefore be worried when we hear reports that a musician is alleged to have fallen foul of the law in violently stamping his girlfriend’s right leg and kicking her in the genitals.

The incident, according to media reports, happened after discovering pictures of the victim with another man and phone chats that suggest infidelity on the part of the girlfriend. The barbaric act, the report adds, resulted in the victim sustaining a fractured leg and acute pains in the genitals.

Football insanity

Again, only a few days ago, there was another report about a footballer and Black Stars recent poach who misbehaved during a football match by chasing a spectator and pelting him with stones for allegedly booing at him.

Intriguingly, this footballer shoved off every attempt by the police to prevent him from having his way, and eventually hit his target in breaking a head, with the victim landing in hospital in an ambulance van.

Sad, but that is where we are getting to, because a section of the society, celebrities included, believe they have a right to be angry any day and act anyhow, as long as that anger is righteous in their warped estimation.

Excuses and remedies

While counsel for Doamekpor prayed for bail, saying his client was ready to pay the medical bills of the victim, the level of illegality and impunity surrounding the incident is nauseating. This is because the musician acted as if he owned the girlfriend and had a right to do whatever he wanted with the girl as a doll, who was merely satisfying her.

Even if there was a legal relationship, there was nothing in the report that suggested that there had been some lingering strains and stresses that could have triggered unintended violence in which the man may have overreacted to some act of equal violence that had emanated from the 23 year old.

As the proceedings unfold, the truth is sure to be established while the law takes its course. Even at this stage, however, we may begin to admit that a section of our celebrity class is becoming unduly arrogant and need to be restrained.

Supremacy of the law

This is important because while accomplished citizens, including politicians, captains of industry, doctors and lawyers as well as celebrities, need to be acknowledged, there is no earthly excuse for them to delude themselves into thinking they can be above the law.

Recently, we have seen some celebrities violating basic ethics and codes, in insulting Presidents and Justices. We have similarly seen and heard half-baked, unemployed graduate youth pretending to know everything and ending up, in the name of democracy, insulting traditional authorities and religious leaders.

It is the belief of the Daily Statesman that unless the law enforcement agencies clamp down on lawlessness in all its forms, our society will get out of hand. So that we do not degenerate as a nation and society, the Daily Statesman believes some ruthless application of the law is necessary, in getting people to begin respecting the law.