Editorial
COMMENT: Let’s give peace chance
The United Nations observed the International Day of Families on Thursday, May 15, and the International Day of Living Together in Peace last Friday, May 16.
The good news is that both festivities call for an action-driven strategy to resolve disputes and advance harmony in order to foster peace, understanding, and unity.
The International Day of Families is a celebration of all kinds of families with the goal of fostering closer ties between them. That the United Nations (UN) plans and encourages a range of events to honour the Day on this unique day is inspiring.
More encouraging is the fact that the celebration contributes to increasing awareness of the various family-related and family-affecting issues, such as gender inequality, healthcare, education, violence, and prejudice.
It is a public holiday in other countries, and the intention is for parents to spend an additional day with their children and extended family, which surely strengthens the bonds within the family. This bolsters the theme for this year’s International Day of Families, “Family-Oriented Policies for Sustainable Development.”
Since living together as a family offers its members warmth, love, friendship, emotional support, and security – especially amongst couples and their children – the celebration should be encouraged.
In a similar vein, the International Day of Living Together in Peace is observed to consistently mobilise the global community’s efforts to advance tolerance, peace, inclusion, understanding, and solidarity.
Every year, May 16 is celebrated globally to support the goal of living and acting as one, unified in variety and differences, in order to create a sustainable world of harmony, peace, and solidarity.
Around the world, people observe a minute of silence at noon on this day. Peace conferences and workshops are arranged to commemorate the day, and others participate in intercultural dialogue.
Saying no to violence, embracing diversity, understanding one another even during disagreements or conflicts, avoiding discrimination, appreciating others, and treating everyone with decency and respect are all necessary for living in peace.
Since unresolved disagreements result in strained relationships, stress, and even mental health difficulties that eventually influence productivity, creativity, and general well-being, every effort must be made to coexist peacefully.
The Spectator believes that an act of compassion, forgiveness, and tolerance that results in the cessation of conflicts is necessary for peace to reign.
Therefore, in order to facilitate the work of the National Peace Council, we implore families, communities, ethnic groups, religious organisations, government representatives, and other parties involved in conflicts to give peace a chance and encourage reconciliation.
A more peaceful and successful society will result from our acceptance of peace since it will encourage collaboration, economic expansion, social stability, improved well-being, less conflict, and trust.
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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