Features
Let people of conscience speak out
It is said that evil thrives when good people keep silent. There has been a certain culture that is gradually gaining ground and if left unchecked, could result in a disastrous event that will engulf everybody, regardless of one’s location on earth.
Prior to 1939, certain events were taking place in Germany and although it was distasteful, leaders in other countries of the world, did not pay attention to it and did nothing about it.
Racism and authoritarian rule were being groomed in Germany with its attendant hatred for Jews, being escalated. If the world had spoken against this authoritarian and expansionist mentality of Hitler, with the requisite intensity that it could master, maybe we would not have a history known as the Second World War.
This war affected negatively many countries who were located nowhere near Europe. A similar one has started and this time the perpetrator is called Putin, who also with similar mentality like Hitler, has embarked on a similar trajectory.
Fortunately, the world has started a pushback towards his intentions and let us hope this can stop him and bring peace to the world at large.
A genocide is being perpetrated by a people that the world teamed up to save from extinction by Hitler during the Second World War, the Jews. What the Israeli Army is doing to Palestinians after the October 7 attack by Hamas can only be captured in one word, genocide.
UN personnel are being deliberately targeted, women and children are being murdered, and what is even worrying and insane at the same time is the use of civilians as explosive detecting dogs.
This is happening but the US Government has kept quiet and do not see this as a human rights abuse of gargantuan proportions. They are quick to threaten sanctions on countries who do not accept homosexuality but are not concerned by the war crimes being executed by the Israel Defence Force (IDF) and therefore Israel.
After signing an agreement with Hamas, Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, broke it to further his selfish personal and political agenda. However, should this war escalate, the potential consequences that may be unleashed, is quite huge. This can degenerate into a World War 3.
Remember the effect of COVID-19 on our socio-economic life in our country, even though we first heard of it in China? Again history has shown us that West African people were recruited and sent to war in places like Burma in Asia etc. during the Second World War.
A lot of them died for a war they did not initiate and was far away from them but it affected them. If war engulfs the whole of the Middle East, the likelihood of shipping routes being affected is high as well as the negative economic impact on nations that depend on these routes for their economic activities.
When COVID-19 became a pandemic freight charges tripled overnight. In Ghana this impacted negatively on basic food items like cooking oil, flour etc. In order to contain the pandemic, measures were taken which exacerbated the economies woes of countries such as ours, which were already grappling with economic issues.
We all know the effect of the Russia-Ukraine war on prices of flour and also cooking oil in this country. The war was not initiated by leaders of our country yet it affected us negatively. We must not therefore keep quiet when issues that have the potential of disturbing the peace of the world, is playing out.
Given our national debt situation, let us pray against any external influence that has the potential to hurt our economy.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’
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.
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
