Features
A soldier’s lingo
Sometime last week I watched a video clip on Facebook where a Drill Sergeant of the Ghana Armed Forces was taking new recruits through what I want to refer to as an orientation. What I saw, or heard, was very instructive and I picked a great lesson therefrom.
He said something to the effect that there were only two religions during their training period. You are either Muslim or Christian. If presently you are not either, you have to choose one of them. Then came the very profound statement. The Drill Seargent said again that it did not matter who brought them into the Armed Forces and that would not affect the course of the drills and the training.
This was profound for a number of reasons. First, it is clear that the trainers are aware that some of these young ones were brought in through influence peddling and political patronage as I had alluded to in an earlier article. Second, he was making it clear to the recruits that irrespective of how they were admitted; there would be no favouritism of any sort.
If any of the sponsors of those young recruits watched the video clip, I wonder what would be going through their minds. Would they say they had done their part and it was now left over to their charges to prove their mettle? Or will they try to influence the Drill Seargents as well? My honest prayer is that each and everyone of those sponsored recruits should fail to make the mark and get sent away.
The idea of protocol enlistment into our security services has gained currency over the last couple of years and, as a nation, we need to be overly worried about this development if nothing is done to check the canker. No more is this a circulating rumour to be wished away; it is the reality.
People come to me with varying stories of being turned away from some of the security services because they are not on what is termed “Protocol List.” It is in the Police Service, Immigration Service, Fire Service, Prisons Service and in the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority. You must go through someone to be enlisted; bottom line.
A Fire Service officer once told me in frustration how the service was inundated with protocol demands during the enlistment season of 2017. Ministers of State, Members of Parliament and other government officials brought their lists. In one case, an MP had brought a list of up to 500 people. According to this officer, it wasn’t the numbers that concerned them as much as the indiscipline of those who passed out. These young ones would not take orders from their superiors because they had godfathers behind them.
No one needs a sponsor to be enlisted into our security services. There are standards; academic, physical, health and mental aptitude to become a professional security person. We are likely to have a cripple saunter into a training ground to be enlisted in the very near future. Do you know why we do not have flatfoots, crotchet legs, bowlegs in the security services? Ask.
The story is told of a young man who completed his “O” Levels in 1966. In 1967 he happened to be in the Teshie area and saw other young men milling into a hall around the Burma Camp. He followed, thinking there was a job recruitment, only to realize that they were going to write an aptitude test to be enlisted in to the Armed Forces. He decided to give it a try and went to write the test. When a year and a half later he visited his village, he was dressed as a Flying Officer of the Ghana Air Force to the disbelief of his folks. He retired as a Squadron Leader.
Our Armed Forces are the only institution left standing on the scale of integrity, professionalism and high standards. To taint this institution with nepotism, favouritism, political patronage and influence peddling is to deliver the security of Ghana into the hands of dogs. If the senior men of the Armed Forces are not openly grumbling about this new trend it does ot mean they are not murmuring. You only need to get as close to know what they are thinking.
When I heard that retired Colonel Felix Aboagye had warned that the government’s avowed aim to impose this E-Levy on the nation was a recipe for a military putsch, I knew this could be a trigger, but there are underlying conditions as I have enumerated in this article. Our politicians must not think Ghanaians do not know what is happening. Jerry Rawlings once said that no coup will succeed unless the situation calls for it.
As time goes on, as I have stated in an earlier write-up, Ghana is likely to have Service Commanders who are where they are by political patronage. Then there will be dire consequences for the stability of this country. Captain Joel KwamiSowu has said it many times that one of the main reasons Nkrumah was overthrown was the fact that the Osagyefo wanted Ghana’s soldiers to be card-bearing members of the Convention People’s Party (CPP).
Are we not treading the same path by using subtlety to politicize the Armed Forces and other security services? It is not my prayer that our democratic experiment be scuttled but we delude ourselves if we think it cannot happen. Today, the “Boys” are in charge in Mali, Guinea Conakry and Burkina Faso, all ECOWAS member states. Let’s not forget that when the “Boys” start, the cycle gets completed in our subregion. Each time it happens ECOWAS suspends the country. If the numbers dwindle, will it be the “Boys’ who will revatalise it? It is my wish and hope it does not come to that.
The Drill Seargent in the video has spoken a soldier’s lingo.
Writer’s e-mail address
By Tony Prempeh
Features
The Palestinian martyr-Little Hind Rajab
THE wickedness of some people in our world is gradually getting out of bounds. From local arena to international arena, reports of wicked acts that defies logic, is on the rise.
Russia has attacked Ukraine and as a result, the economies of many countries have been negatively impacted. Residential apartments which have no military purpose. Just sheer wickedness and cruelty.
After this came the Brutal attack on Gaza by the Israel Defence Forces. Hospitals were bombed, buildings were razed down and civilians were deliberately targeted which is a war crime according to the Geneva Convention.
The IDF will release pamphlets in the skies informing them to move to certain specified areas. They move there with their families only to be bombed again without warning.
It was one of such movement from one place to another that, the family of a 5 year Palestinian girl called Hind Rajab and her family, travelling in a vehicle, were shot at by an IDF Tank.
This wounded girl managed to call emergency services to come and save them.
The sad thing is that while this brave little girl kept talking to the emergency response person on the phone, telling them that they should come quickly and that she was afraid.
She further told the response team on phone that any time she tries to speak, blood comes into her mouth and it soils her dress and she dies not want her mum to scold her so they should come quickly.
The response team rushed as usual to her location but they were also shot and killed, the driver and his assistant, in a vehicle clearly marked as an ambulance. Ten days later when they got to her location, Hind Rajab and her family were dead and their vehicle was riddled with 335 bullets.
The wickedness with which the IDF waged the war against Hamas, the administrative authority in Gaza, was unbelievable, given the damage to civilians both collateral and in most cases deliberate.
There are reports of some Doctors from the US and other countries, who have described how children they attended to, who were brought in dead, had evidence of sniper bullets.
A report by one of the media platforms, indicated that one of the IDF snipers who died recently, had bragged about shooting children in the abdomen so they will suffer before dying.
What baffles me in all these atrocities, is why Jews who have been saved by a collective action of the world, from Hitler and his Nazis from destruction, infamously known as the Holocaust, is now visiting mayhem on others, namely the Palestinians.
One begins to wonder if Hitler was right after all and that he saw something that the rest of the world did not notice about the Jews. I must admit that it is not all Jews that are racist. It is the Zionist who are the problem with their Talmud which teaches that Jesus is burning in hot feaces.
They deliberately teach their children to hate other people who are not Jews especially the Palestinians. They do not consider the Palestinians as humans and therefore they believe they have the God given right to treat them anyway anyhow.
Hind Rajab’s death has pricked the conscience of the world and countries which used to blindly support Israel, are now putting pressure on them to observe a ceasefire as part of a peace negotiation.
Let the world through the UN show that it does not support barbarism and that the illegal occupation of Palestinian lands by Israel, must come to an end.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
Features
Angioplasty: A comprehensive overview of the procedure and its applications
Angioplasty is a minimally invasive medical procedure used to widen narrowed or blocked arteries or blood vessels. The procedure involves the insertion of a catheter, a small tube, into the affected artery, followed by the inflation of a balloon to widen the artery. In some cases, a stent, a small mesh tube, may be placed to keep the artery open.
Indications for Angioplasty
Angioplasty is often used to treat conditions such as:
1. Coronary artery disease: Narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart.
2. Peripheral artery disease: Narrowing or blockage of the arteries in the legs or arms.
3. Atherosclerosis: Buildup of plaque in the arteries, which can lead to narrowing or blockage.
The Angioplasty Procedure
The angioplasty procedure typically involves the following steps:
1. Preparation: The patient is given local anesthesia and may be sedated to help them relax.
2. Insertion of the catheter: A small incision is made in the skin, and a catheter is inserted into the affected artery.
3. Guidance: The catheter is guided to the affected area using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy or angiography.
4. Inflation of the balloon: The balloon on the catheter is inflated to widen the artery.
5. Stent placement: A stent may be placed to keep the artery open.
6. Removal of the catheter: The catheter is removed, and the incision site is closed.
Benefits of Angioplasty
Angioplasty offers several benefits, including:
1. Improved blood flow: Angioplasty can help improve blood flow to the affected area, reducing symptoms such as chest pain or leg pain.
2. Minimally invasive: Angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure, which means that it requires only a small incision and can reduce recovery time.
3. Reduced risk of complications: Angioplasty can reduce the risk of complications associated with more invasive surgical procedures.
Potential Risks and Complications
While angioplasty is generally a safe procedure, there are potential risks and complications, including:
1. Bleeding or hematoma: Bleeding or bruising at the incision site.
2. Artery damage: Damage to the artery during the procedure.
3. Restenosis: Narrowing or blockage of the artery again after the procedure.
Conclusion
Angioplasty is a highly effective procedure for treating narrowed or blocked arteries or blood vessels. While it carries some risks and complications, the benefits of improved blood flow and reduced symptoms make it a valuable treatment option for many patients.
References:
1. American Heart Association. (2020). Angioplasty and Stenting.
2. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2020). Angioplasty and Stent Placement.
3. Mayo Clinic. (2020). Angioplasty: What You Need to Know.
4. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. (2019). Angioplasty and Stenting in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of angioplasty, including its indications, procedure, benefits, and potential risks and complications.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
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