Features
When laws do not work …is there justification for abnegation of responsibility? (Part 1)
Two recent developments have given hope to the dream that someday officials of serious disposition would emerge on the public administration scene and change the narrative of non- enforcement of the law by those charged with responsibility to do just that.
Obviously, the two personalities who are men of the moment and who have introduced fresh breath into our work ethic are the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr. Henry Quartey and the Inspector-General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare. Their brilliant achievements at the dawn of their tenure are matters of public record. When the Police recently held an engagement with stakeholders of faith- based organisations on the need to enforce the laws pertaining to their activities, it was taken as a step towards the consolidation of law and order in our society. In particular, the undertaking by the religious bodies to take steps to reduce their noisemaking was gratifying.
There is every reason to believe that the religious bodies will be held to their word and the constant reminder that six decades of independence have not engendered respect for the laws on noise disturbance and the desirability of observing the rights of others not to be disturbed. It is the expectation that since excessive noisemaking is not the preserve of religious groups, the Police will enforce the law offending laws to cover the activities of drink bars, open air night clubs, street- side preachers, announcers at transport hubs, disc jockeys, drug peddlers, unlicensed information centres and shop keepers.
Excessive noisemaking is so entrenched that some members of the public are sceptical about the existence of institutions which have been empowered to control the menace. While it is true that the Police, Local Assemblies and the Environmental Protection Agency have been characterised by inertia in the discharge of this responsibility, the people are steeped in a culture of noisemaking.
The situation is so hopeless that the Daily Graphic of February 15, 2019, had to concede that it is “one nuisance that has been ignored or downplayed by society for a very long time, and in view of that many Ghanaians have come to accept excessive noisemaking as a way of life.” We cannot accept the unhealthy development especially when the institutional leadership can be goaded by national leadership to get their personnel to do the work for which they are paid.
PUBLIC The work of the control agencies would be enhanced if members of the public, individually and collectively, learn to take responsibility and refrain from conduct that would generate undesirable and excessive noisemaking. We have to respect the boundaries of others and recognise the wrongness of our noisy forms of worshipping, clubbing, marketing, mourning and in wanting every neighbour to know that we own powerful radios and sound systems.
POLICE Police role in checking noise offence is set out in the Public Nuisance part of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).Section 293 (1) of the Act empowers the police to arrest persons who operate facilities where people gather to play and dance to music without the written permission of the District Assembly. One could also be arrested for
assembling at such unauthorised places or for resisting orders to disperse from such places.
The Police can seize the musical equipment used at the venues pending eventual confiscation by the courts. The use of music to intentionally provoke, challenge, insult or annoy others violates section 295 and could result in arrests, prosecutions and fines. So would failure to heed warnings to desist from same.
It is an offence under section 296 (7) to ignore warnings and wilfully or wantonly make loud or unseemly noise by whatever means to annoy or disturb any person. It is important to remind the Police Administration of its November 18, 2004, GNA- reported pledge to enforce
this section and “hunt for and ensure the prosecution of individuals and corporate bodies that through their activities made excessive noises that were injurious to human health.” Hopefully, the time is ripe for redeeming the pledge. The enforcement of section 296 (8) which provides for the arrest and prosecution of any person who without the written permission of the
Local Assembly or Minister, plays music in public between eight in the evening and six in the morning would greatly reduce the incidence of noise disturbance.
It is the noisiest period in the country and it is doubtful if any Assembly would grant any such dispensation to a church or entertainment point.Police on night patrols should be able to visit any such premises and halt such activities if the supervisors cannot produce the required permit. Police power to deal with noise offence has been further enhanced by section 57 of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851) which authorises the Police, the Public Health Officer, owner of premises or his agent to arrest with
out warrant, any person who violates section 54 of the Act by engaging in or encouraging others to engage in noisy business on any premises and which disturbs others. THE LOCAL ASSEMBLIES The Environmental Health and Sanitation Departments of the Assemblies have primary responsibility for enforcing the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851) and the relevant Bye-laws of the Assemblies. Noise offence under the Act is in two parts; Noxious or Noise Disturbance and Public Nuisance. Section 54 of the Act makes it an offence for anyone to engage in or permit any noisy business which adversely affects the health of people in the neighbourhood. On summary conviction, an offender is liable to pay a fine or be imprisoned for each day of further offending. Section 57 authorises the arrest without warrant of a noisy offender by a health officer, among others.
When the arrest is made by a health officer, the person arrested must be handed over to the Police for prosecution within 48 hours. In any District or public place, a person who is determined by the Environmental Protection Agency to have committed public nuisance by defying warnings and persistently making loud or unseemly noise to annoy or disturb anyone could be arrested and upon summary conviction, fined, imprisoned or made to serve both punishments.
Bye- laws which are uniform in large parts provide Assemblies further and more specific basis to control noise disturbance in the localities. For instance, section 1 of the Awutu Senya East Municipal Assembly (Abatement of Noise) Bye- laws, 2013 prohibits the sale of records or other recorded music without the approval of the Assembly. Conditions attached are to ensure the public is not disturbed by the activities of the dealer.
By William K. Asiedu
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you are trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved. Last week we looked at three and this week is the remaining four steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
4. Find common ground
The best way to handle workplace conflict is to start with what you can agree on. Find common ground between the people engaging in conflict. If you are directly involved in the conflict, slow down and focus on results instead of who’s right.
If you are the mediator for conflict resolution between coworkers, observe the discussion and help point out the common ground others may not see.
5. Collectively brainstorm solutions
When deciding how to handle workplace conflict, it can be tempting to problem-solve on your own. Sometimes, it feels easier to work independently rather than collaboratively. However, if you want to achieve a lasting resolution, you will need to motivate your team to get involved.
Brainstorm possible solutions together, and solicit input from everyone involved on the pros and cons of each option until you settle on a solution that feels comfortable to everyone. This will help all team members feel a sense of ownership that can help prevent future conflicts.
6. Create an action plan
Once you have created an open dialogue around workplace conflicts, it is time to resolve them. Just like any other work goal, this requires creating a concrete plan and following through.
Create an action plan and then act on it. It does not matter what the plan is, as long as you commit to it and resolve the conflict as a result.
7. Reflect on what you learned
All conflicts offer an opportunity to grow and become a better communicator. Identify what went well and what did not.
Work with your whole team to gather learnings from the conflict so you can avoid similar situations in the future.
Today, I continue with my narration of personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland, with a focus on Mr Joseph Osei Amoah.
Mr Amoah is one of the senior members of the Ghanaian community in Finland and a top member of the Ghana Union Finland, an association of the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
He is an active and a well-respected person in the Ghanaian community in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah moved to Finland in the mid-1990s, and he has lived in Helsinki all this time.
Accomplishments and honours
It is important to recount accomplishments as part of the success stories of the personalities of Ghanaian descent in Finland in order to highlight their exploits both within the Ghanaian migrant community and in the wider Finnish society.
Mr Amoah holds a Master’s degree in Demography from the University of Helsinki. At the time he came to Finland in 1994, he had majored in Economics at the Bachelor’s level at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Sometimes affectionately called “Chairman” in the Ghanaian migrant community, Mr Osei is a former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) branch in Finland, assuming office around 2015, a few months after the branch was formed, until 2019 when he did not run again for the elections. He helped to bring vibrancy into the NPP Finland branch.
Religious life
Mr Amoah is a prominent member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland. In spite of his busy working life and other responsibilities, he remains a committed member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland.
He plays a key leadership role in the church, which is attended by many Ghanaian migrants and other African migrants, Finns, and those of other nationalities.
His position in Asanteman Finland
Mr Osei Amoah is an outstanding member of the Asanteman Finland, where he is the Gyasehene, a prominent position as a sub-chief in the Asante (and Akan) royal hierarchy, in the functioning of the traditional authority systemgenerally in Ghana.
The Asanteman Finland is an association formed purposely with the aim of supporting each other as well as to ensure unity among its members and others outside of the group.
One of its top priorities of Asanteman Finland is to display the Asante culture in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah finds this as very important since by upholding the traditional culture and heritage, the association enables its members and especially the young ones to get the chance to learn and appreciate Asante and Ghanaian cultural values. They do this through rites such as marriage, the naming ceremony, and death and funeral rites, which makes the people to learn more of their provenance and not forget their origins.
“My point is that, by displaying the traditional heritage it helps people to learn more about their provenance. For, I think it will be embarrassing to go home and see that even the young ones have much knowledge about how to perform certain rites whilst those of us in the diaspora may be deficient in understanding those practices”, he argued. It is also very important for the young ones who are born in Finland to learn what the culture of their original society is, he continued.
The Finnish educational system
Mr Osei has a lot to say about the Finnish educational system, which he sees as very good. “When we came to Finland, education was free. There were library books and manuscripts readily available in the library, and one could print or make as many photocopies as possible for your studies. There was more flexibility. One could read books and write exams on them for the necessary grades in order to complete your studies”. In his opinion, Ghana could learn much from the Finnish system, which is one of the best in the world.
He said the only initial challenge he found in Finland was how to master the Finnish language, without which it was difficult to get a job befitting one’s status after the studies. But things have changed today and there are many English courses so it is easy to study and get a job that matches your studies, especially in the area of ICT, he said.
His role in the Ghanaian community
Mr Osei Amoah has been very active in the Ghanaian community, as I have indicated earlier. He is still very active in the Ghana Union Finland, and has played a leadership in many functions organised by the Union, as a non-governmental organisation for the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
Mr Amoah has been a counsellor and mentor who has guided many young Ghanaian migrants on their career paths and has also been part in settling various kinds of conflicts between opposing parties or persons. In conclusion, I would say Mr Osei Amoah has succeeded in embossing his name in the golden pages of visionary Ghanaians in both Sweden and Finland.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
