Editorial
Put your faith and prayer into action (Part 2)
Ghanaians are known to be religious people who believe in God and follow religious practices in line with their beliefs.
We have Christians, Muslims and traditional believers. There are others who share faith in other religious practices, but no matter the religious faith or beliefs, Ghanaians must do all they can to put their faith into action.
It is not just enough to believe in God and keep to religious practices such as going to church every day in the case of Christians or regularly visiting mosques as seen in the case of Muslims.
Similarly, traditional believers should not just be seen to pour libations in line with their beliefs or engage in some other religious practices without showing real love to their fellow men and women found in their communities.
Being religious is good, but it should be able to transform our behaviour into meaningful actions such as eschewing social and financial vices. Again, it is important for religious people to participate actively in programmes and activities that will bring about rapid socioeconomic development in the country.
If all religious people can act in this way, it will go a long way toward overcoming many of the problems we face in this country. The issue of bribery and corruption is tearing the nation apart. However, many of the negative tendencies in society are usually undertaken by people who share faith in various beliefs related to religion.
It is unfortunate that religious people such as Muslims, Christians and other believers engage in practices that go contrary to their faith or beliefs. This is not to say that people of different faiths or beliefs are bad people who are not fit to live in the society.
Many of them are doing their best to eschew corruption, embezzlement of funds, dishonestly thwarting justice, or, in one way or another, contributing to the socioeconomic degradation of the country.
Within the Christian community, the clergy are heard preaching the word and encouraging their followers to do what is right for the purposes of national development.
In the same way, Muslim leaders and Imams teach their followers to strictly follow the Quran so as to keep away from what is ungodly. Traditional believers are also expected to lead good lives in line with their religious beliefs.
The Spectator believes that all Ghanaians, irrespective of their beliefs, must put into practice their religious faith and beliefs so that they can be seen to be living upright lives within and outside their places of worship.
We, therefore, expect all Ghanaians to eschew what is negative so that cheating, stealing, discrimination, destruction of one another and all other social vices can be minimised, if not completely eliminated.
If everyone, whether religious or non-religious, will keep to this principle and practice of doing only what is good, the nation will soon see tremendous growth in all sectors of the economy. When this happens, the gross domestic product will increase and national welfare will also increase in a way that will be good for every person in this great nation of ours.
The challenge is great, but it can be achieved if we all come together to follow our religious and non-religious beliefs to promote common growth in line with the overall national agenda.
Dear Editor,
I WRITE to condemn the circumstances under which an accident victim died recently after three major hospitals reportedly turned him away due to what has earned a place in our local parlance as ‘no bed syndrome.’
Reports suggested that this motor rider who got knocked by a vehicle was taken to three major hospitals – Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), and the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital – but they all claimed they had no beds.
But one may ask, would there ever be beds?
Such is the treatment Ghanaians endure every now and then when one visits our hospitals, especially the public ones which are run with the taxpayers’ money. Many a time when one visits the hospitals, the sight of patients admitted and lying on benches, and some sitting on chairs while receiving care, is visible to all; making one wonder why this particular motor rider was not admitted at any of the facilities, looking at his condition.
This leads to the reason for this letter, which is to bring out a perceived apathy against these motor riders, the majority of whom are referred to as ‘Okada’ riders.
Due to their recklessness on the roads and the inconvenience caused to commuters, people always speak ill about them; drivers equally have no regard for them. Every user of public transport would attest to this. These riders are blamed for every offence, even when it is obvious drivers may be at fault sometimes.
Motor riders have become like orphans on the road; people care less about them, and when they are unfortunately knocked down, no one cares about them.
This is the mischief our authorities and agencies, including the police, must seek to cure to make the road safe for all users.
These are young folks that want to make a living for themselves, and with no skill or education, ‘Okada’ rides have become their source of livelihood. They need the protection accorded drivers and commuters as well.
In other countries, some facilities have been provided to make their work safer, but in Ghana, we lack them, leaving them with no alternative than to share the available space with the cars.
What has happened should serve as a wake-up call on our authorities to aim to take a second look at the ‘Okada’ menace. With the numbers increasing, there should be a way to regulate them because no government would have the guts to ban it totally.
Drivers should be made to accept the reality that they are sharing the roads with them, and therefore the need for patience and tolerance.
For some of our hospitals, I suggest the Ministry of Health conduct their own investigations to see what patients go through in accessing medicare, which is even not for free.
Thank you, Editor, for the space.
F. Morgan, Kokrobite
Dear Editor,
THE heartbreaking death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah in a hit-and-run accident has exposed once again the failures in our health system.
Even more painful is the fact that his father had previously donated beds to some hospitals, yet when his son needed urgent care, he was moved from one facility to another because there were ‘no beds.’
This is not only tragic but unacceptable. How can a country lose its bright young citizens simply because hospitals cannot provide emergency treatment? The ‘no bed syndrome’ has become a national disgrace, and Charles’ death is a reminder that reforms cannot wait.
Our hospitals must be equipped to handle emergencies, and accountability must be enforced. If donations are made to improve facilities, then those facilities must serve the people when it matters most. Ghana cannot afford to keep losing lives to negligence and poor infrastructure.
Charles Amissah’s death should be the turning point. Let us honor his memory by fixing the system so that no family would suffer this kind of preventable loss again.
Princess Wonovi
Accra
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