Features
Is Government Official one a ghost?
This is an election year and so the usual fear of chaos arising out of the aftermath of the elections has engaged the attention of stakeholders.
We hear of appeals for peace to prevail before, during and after the elections. Elections are held to elect leaders to steer the affairs of governance in the country to improve the welfare of the masses.
If this is the objective and leaders understand this, then those competing for leadership roles as well as the electorate should conduct themselves in a manner that should be peaceful.
It should never be chaotic since it is a competition of ideas and therefore the superior ideas and message should hold sway. However, if the objective is different from what elections is all about, but a certain selfish agenda, then it becomes “I must win at all cost” issue which then has the potential of creating chaos.
There is a popular saying that politics is a dirty business but I disagree. It is only when the players involved throw the ethics of the profession to dogs, then it becomes dirty.
This brings to mind the players of the current contest for the election of the President of Ghana in the 2024 presidential elections scheduled for December. We have the former President John Dramani Mahama as the flagbearer of the main opposition party, the NDC.
We also have the current Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia leading the government in power, the NPP as their flagbearer, there is Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyeremateng of the Movement for Change, Nana Kwame Bediako, an independent Candidate, Percival Kofi Akoaloo, of the Liberal Party of Ghana, Hassan Ayariga of the Action People’s Congress among others.
All these people are campaigning with the promise that they have what it takes to transform the fortunes of the country and better the destinies of the people in the country.
Underlying all the promises of these individuals is the question of their integrity. It is therefore imperative to settle the debate once and for all as to the identity of Government Official one.
The need to know who is referred to as Government Official one in the Airbus Scandal is of paramount importance because the person identified only as Government Official one, has been described by a court of competent jurisdiction as a bribe taker and therefore a corrupt person.
He was further described by the facts made available in court as an elected official and that he deliberately orchestrated a plan to defraud Ghana.
It was speculated that given the facts of the case which involved a certain Samuel Adams Mahama and this same name appeared in a book titled ‘My First Coup D’état’, written by the former President, John Dramani Mahama, then the former President is the person being referred to as Government Official one.
If that is the case, then given the requirement of integrity as part of the criteria for qualification as a presidential candidate, then the former President must be disqualified as a presidential candidate.
Our country has suffered from bad leadership which has enabled corruption to thrive to the detriment of national development and it must come to an end. The former Special Prosecutor (SP), Mr Martin Amidu, published a report in which he declared that, Government Official one is no other person than former President John Dramani Mahama.
The former President has not sued him for defamation, which to the average rational person, lends credence to the claims of the former SP. The current SP has also hinted that he will make known his findings on the identity of Government Official one and so we urge him to do it quickly to prevent the possibility of electing a fraudster and therefore a thief as President.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
THE typical itinerant salesman in Sikaman is a herbalist. He is normally a slim macho with the capacity to perambulate the expanse of area covering the triangle of Accra-Tema-Ashiaman. In short, he can walk a total of 60 miles a day, marketing a product that cures every disease, including poverty. 
The door-to-door herbal pharmacist advertises his product by word of mouth. He has nothing to do with the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). After all, his concoctions do not feature on FM stations.
Those herbalists who cannot walk to propagate the herbal gospel, liaise with drivers of mass transportation and their mates. They are, therefore, given the chance to sell their products on Benz buses that ply the routes.
Normally, the herbalist starts his sales message with a prayer and Bible study. He asks the passengers to bow down their heads in supplication to God the father, the son, the Holy Spirit.
When a herbalist asks the passengers to close their eyes and bow their heads, Moslems on board naturally feel offended. They feel that the herbalist has no right to assume that every passenger is a Christian. They think such an assumption is an affront to Islam.
So a Moslem on board will raise the hand for a point of order. He’ll remind the herbalist that it would be in his own interest to mind his language.
“Be careful the way you address people in a public place. Not every person here is a Christian,” he’d state assertively.
Of course, the herbalist will promptly ignore him, but would all the same “watch” his tongue. Who knows whether or not the Moslem brother is inspired by Quoranic zeal to defend the tenets of Islam to the hilt?
When he starts saying, “Wallahi!” and “Inshallah!” it could be the beginning of proclaiming Islam as supreme, a point which must be driven home with talibanic precision.
So the herbalist must tread carefully lest he steps on fire.
The herbalist could even add a measure of mirth to it all, by announcing that Christians on board today have very interesting company on the journey, but that should not detract from the business of the day.
The Moslem brother will weigh the words carefully and offer a wry smile.
He must be careful the occasion does not degenerate into the use of semantics and proverbial oration to deride his conviction that public utterances must be mindful of religious sensibilities. He has made his point very clear and expects that it is taken in good faith in the interest of a peaceful journey.
The herbalist will now open the New Testament and preach salvation, stating clearly that salvation can come only through Jesus Christ and NOBODY else.
The Moslem brother will now start twitching his moustache. The visible and almost revolutionary reflexes of his upper lip can be an indication that sentiments have begun superseding reason, and the outcome could well be tragic now shift uneasily in his seat.
The time has come for him to also express his right to the religion of his fore-bears. He’ll put his hand into his pocket and rise to his feet. The time has indeed come!
This article was first published on Saturday, September 9, 2006
When the cause of a particular problem like sickness, disease, sudden illness, a social issue etc. are not known, it stands to reason that resolving it becomes a huge challenge.
Citizens would understand the government when public announcements are made to the effect that government is trying to find a solution to the issue, even though it is taking a while for it to be resolved because citizens are rational beings.
On the other hand, if the solution to a particular issue is known to everybody but the government for whatever reason, is dragging its feet in resolving it, citizens become frustrated and begin to lose trust in their leaders.
One such issue is the heavy traffic along a section of the Kasoa – Odokor road. A short stretch of bad road between the traffic light at the Weija Government Hospital and the entrance to the entrance of the overhead that leads to the N1, is the cause of the problem but nothing is being done about it, day after day, week after week, month after month. Thus is clearly unacceptable.
Another issue that requires urgent attention is the lack of pavements along a lot of streets in parts of the various Municipal Assemblies. Exercise is a prerequisite for long life and healthy living and for those of us who it has become a way of life, this issue of people putting up structures right to the edge of the drains beside the roads, are making life difficult for us.
We are compelled to walk along the roads, putting our lives at serious risk. Pedestrians should never be compelled to compete with vehicles on our streets and roads. Roads and streets are made for vehicles and pavements are made for pedestrians. That is the norm. Any attempt to normalise a situation where pedestrians are mingling with vehicles is insanity.
It is the road regulations that makes it so and therefore district or municipal assemblies are to take responsibility and ensure that spaces for pavements are not encroached upon. Citizens have rights that must be protected by their leaders and making pavements available to pedestrians, is one of them.
When we hear of teachers having sex with students, it appears it is something recent. It is not a new phenomenon. It has been there since Adam. Perhaps this issue is getting much attention due to the proliferation of social media. It was an open secret in times past when Teachers were in relationships with female students and some married them immediately after completion of school.
Some teachers were also known to be having unholy interactions with female pupils but due to the times that these acts occurred, human rights issues and the awareness around it, allowed such unscrupulous teachers to get away with their crimes.
Now we are in a different era and so a Headmaster is now in hot waters. He is alleged to have raped about 19 female students and as usual, some officials tried to cover it up and are also in hot waters and their actions or inactions in the matter are under investigation.
Why the man has been allowed to roam freely without being arrested is simply mind boggling. It appears that the law applies differently, depending on who you are. This issue came to public attention sometime in August this year, yet the police had not arrested or invited this man for question regarding the rape allegation.
It has come out that he is a Constituency Secretary of the ruling party and the question in the public domain is that, is it because he is a political figure that is why he is still walking around without questioning? I believe in the rule of law so let us hold our breadth and let the proper thing be done.
The police must however be seen to be active in this matter. God bless.
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