Last week’s public flogging of two persons at the forecourt of Na Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV Palace, the Overlord of the Waala Traditional Council, which went viral, has evoked the outpouring of sympathy, anger, fear and concern for them.
One does not need to be a lawyer or a security officer to observe that resorting to that mode of handling such sensitive matters that are so important to our cultural values and morality, often turns out to be counterproductive as the victims, unwittingly, gain the sympathy of the same society that abhors such behavior.
This newspaper is concerned about the modus operandi of that was employed to met out punishment to the two lovers for such behavior that seems to be gaining traction among the youth.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa, to personally react to the said video and to give reasons for denying that the youth took arbitrary action without his concern, Na Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, explained that flogging was part of the regulations put in place to instill discipline in the youth.
“Beside the flogging, parents of the boy and the girl will also agree to let the two get married and stay as a couple to serve as deterrent to the youth to live upright lives,” he said.
Indeed, we support any move to instill discipline and sense of morality in the youth, but it must be done within the ambit of the law. . However, the public flogging of the two love birds leaves much to be desired.
The Police, has moved in swiftly to arrest those who took part in the flogging. Whatever the outcome of the arrest, it should serve as deterrent to others, who might want to take the law into their hands to met out justice.
Where customary law, as in the regulation instituted by the Council and opinion leaders in the Wa municipality, clashes with public law, the public law takes precedence. The two involved in the sex video scandal that went viral, could be charged under indecent exposure, which is part of our laws.
We insist that, anyone who engages in sex, videos it and publishes it, must face the full rigours of the law. The paramouncy next time must choose the court over the public flogging.
