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Expediency, the sin of ease and convenience
The question of expediency frequently arises to plague us; the question as to whether or not, under pressure of circumstances, to accomplish seemingly desirable ends, we should resort to things which, ordinarily, we would not do the question as to whether or not evil is to be condoned in some people, and some places, and under some circumstances, and not under others.
Expediency, in the terms in which we have referenced to, has been defined as “subordination of moral principle for the sake of facilitating an end or purpose; conducive to special advantage rather than what is universally right; characterised by mere utility rather than principle”and much has been written and spoken in justification of the uses of such false expediency in justification for employing evil devices with allegedly good motive. But the fact is that evil is where you find it, and the expedient of making an alliance with it is hazardous even when it would seem to serve good purpose. If evil comes with high credentials, it is still evil.
If it is found in places that are ordinarily above reproach, it is still evil. A public lie that deceives millions is fundamentally no different from a personal untruth from one man to another, except that its results are more far-reaching. An official proclamation based on falsehood
in any man’s country, even though it seems to be the expedient thing, is no different fundamentally from a vicious story whispered over the back fence. A misrepresentation of fact concerning a world problem is no different, fundamentally, from the
swindling of widows and orphans on a small scale, except that it is worse by the multiple of the number of lives it affects. Evil is where you find it, and it is what it is, no matter where you find it, or who proffers it, or for what purpose. And if we want to live in a world free from it, we must fight it where we find it, without regard to personalities or expediency; and we must be equally as wary of it when it comes with high credentials as when it comes with no credentials. On the question as to whether or not an allegedly desirable end justifies false and evil means, perhaps we can do no better than read again the immortal utterance of Abraham Lincoln:
“You will never get me to support a measure which I believe to be wrong, although by doing so I may accomplish that which I believe to be right.” He who makes an alliance with evil for a present advantage is inviting future trouble. False expediency always returns to be paid off. Perhaps it would not be amiss again to remind ourselves that every man should have a set of sound principles to which he can turn when any proposal is presented to him.
When a person has a sound and acceptable set of principles, the everyday decisions of life are
much less difficult. In some respects, perhaps, the problem could be compared with the procedure on a playing field: If a referee knows the rules, if he knows the principle that covers each play, he can immediately settle each situation. But if he doesn’t know, or if he doesn’t definitely decide, or if for any reason he departs from the rules of play, he finds himself in an embarrassing and untenable situation.
Expediency sometimes persuades people to meet pressing problems by compromising principles. But the part we sometimes forget is this: When once we have compromised a correct principle for any purpose, however justified it may seem at the moment, we are thereafter embarrassed by it. We and others can always look back and see that one exception was made, and if one was made, why not another? No matter what the pressure, no matter what the advantages, no matter who the personalities, it is always unfortunate when any person moves beyond the bounds of ethics or honour or honesty.
It is always unfortunate when a person’s principles become too flexible to be trusted, when a person is persuaded to step just a bit beyond safe bounds, for if he takes one step beyond bounds, why can’t he take two? And if he takes two, where can he stop? The fact is that when a person has once stepped beyond the bounds, he had made the next stopping point difficult to determine. And this is where basic virtues and proved principles play an indispensable part: They establish the point beyond which one knows he cannot safely proceed. Life can be simpler, safer, and more satisfying if a person has a sound set of principles from which no preferment or profit or persuasion could induce him to depart.
By Samuel Enos Eghan
Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie, the Member of Parliament for the Odododiodioo Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, has assured the Accra Street Academy of his support in achieving its mission of uplifting vulnerable children within the community to break the cycle of poverty. “Without the needed support, your efforts may go round in circles due to the enormity of the task. This should not be left on the shoulders of the Academy alone. You need support from both government and the private sector. With that, the Academy would be in a good position to shape the future of these children on the streets,” he said.
The Accra Street Academy, originally formed in 1985 as a boxing arena, now serves as a school for deprived children, with most of its population numbering hundreds of pupils being neglected children from the streets of Jamestown and its environs. Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie made these remarks at the annual stakeholders’ meeting and fundraising event held over the weekend under the theme “Empowering Street Children: Health and Wellness.” The event is one of the Academy’s annual programmes, organized to raise funds and other forms of support to aid the school in catering to the needs of the children and holding its Christmas get-together.
According to the MP, it is worth noting that these children are taught and provided with two meals and a snack daily through the support of benevolent members of society. In view of this, he promised to facilitate the acquisition of documents needed for the construction of an Astroturf within the school’s premises. He noted that “every child has the right to play, and therefore I pledged to do my best to secure the needed documents” for the project to commence.
The legislator disclosed that over the years, the academic programmes of the Accra Street Academy have transformed children surviving on the streets into successful adults. He therefore urged other members of society to partner with the school to “help pupils rise higher for a better Ghana.” In the 2025/26 academic year, 22 pupils were absorbed by the Accra Metro Education Directorate as they transitioned into various Junior High Schools, while still returning to the Accra Street Academy for academic support.
Ms. Yvonne Abba-Opoku, a chartered governance advisor and senior executive in the nonprofit and charity sector, stated that the best gift to give a child was education.
By Spectator Reporter
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Mrs Regina Kudom, Senior Midwifery Officer at the New Atuabo Health Centre in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, has urged expectant mothers to attend antenatal clinic regularly for safe delivery.
She revealed that “in Tarkwa and its environs many pregnant women prefer staying at prayer camps, we are not against that, you can be there, but when your time is up for your antenatal session make sure you attend.”
Mrs Kudom gave the advice when the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) observed the World Prematurity Day with pregnant women at New Atuabo, Huniso and Awudua health centres.
World Prematurity Day falls on November 17, every year, and it is celebrated to raise awareness about the challenges faced by pre-term babies and their families.
She said research suggested that sex during pregnancy could soften the cervix and potentially aid in labour preparation.
“That is the reason why we encourage pregnant women to have sex with their partners, if they do not have any health implications,” she added.
Mrs Kudom appealed to the GFGF to upgrade the New Atuabo health centre as the current structure was too small because they received many patients daily.
Madam Ayishetu Mohammed, Project Coordinator for GFGF, explained that they received donations from Project C. U. R. E and the items were given to health facilities in their operational area.
She stated that they noticed there were baby dresses, sanitary pads, and baby apparel, so they decided to distribute them among expectant mothers in three of their host communities.
Madam Mohammed said because the foundation was interested in preventive care, they brought a midwife from the Tarkwa Mine hospital to educate the pregnant women.
She extolled the midwives in New Atuabo health centre for the education they gave to the pregnant women and implored them to heed to the advice given during antenatal visits to reduce maternal deaths in the Tarkwa Nsuaem and Prestea Huni-Valley Municipalities.
Mr Paa Kwasi Egan, Deputy Chief Physician Assistance, emphasised that a pregnant woman being anemic meant she was not eating a balance diet, and added that, “Some of these women do not have money to buy food or visit antenatal clinics.”
He said when men follow their wives for antenatal visits, they would be educated extensively on why they should provide funds for their pregnant wives.
Mr Egan, therefore, encouraged all men to be involved in their pregnant wives’ antenatal care appointments so they could learn more about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. – GNA
