Features
Let us never forget -Part 1
There is a popular saying that forgive and forget. It is a good advice but there are certain events, which forgotten, can repeat themselves and create problems for us, as a country.
June has become a month of enormous significance in the life of this country called Ghana. About a month ago, we had cause to remember victims of the June 3 disaster.
This is an event that will be remembered not for joy but for sadness regarding the loss of lives and property and injuries sustained by the survivors.
The scar this sad event left on the psyche of the nation, will forever remind us of the need to prioritise safety in our environmental planning activities.
About 46 years ago, on June 26, 1979 to be precise, some military men both active and retired, were executed by firing squad after being found guilty by courts which lacked transparency.
Again on June 30, 1982, another event concerning the murder of three Justices and a retired military officer occurred, as attested by the busts in front of the Supreme Court building.
The reason why it is important to revisit these events is a certain narrative gaining momentum currently in the country, that we need a coup to bring some order and also help resolve our numerous socio-economic challenges.
I believe I have a responsibility as a senior citizen, to advise the Gen-Zs who have become enchanted by what Ibrahim Traore is doing in Burkina Faso.
What we should realise is that each country has its own history and it serves as an important guide to future events. Again, you cannot pick one instance and make a hasty generalisation that a coup is the way to go.
Check the history of coups all over the world and you can only arrive at the conclusion that, the worst democratic rule is better than an administration under a military junta. Our history of coups in this country has not been a pleasant story and gives credence to this assertion and conclusion.
In this country, mayhem was visited on innocent civilians for no apparent reason. Women were stripped naked and paraded along the streets and in some cases were positioned and ordered to spread their legs, for people to come and view their what mama gave them.
That was what came to be known in Ghana as ‘eye han, eye kanea’. People’s shops especially women, were taken over forcefully and their wares mostly cloth, auctioned to the public without recourse to any lawful process.
People’s lives were destroyed overnight and others were tried in what can best be described as kangaroo courts and sentenced to prison.
All it took was for someone to put a false charge on you and your life will be in serious jeopardy. A lot of people had to flee this country for fear of their lives because of false accusations levelled against them.
Since when, did it become a crime in this country to go for a loan from a bank in this country or in the whole world for that matter?
One of the military personnel who were executed by firing squad, Maj. General Felli, his crime was that, he had contracted a loan of 50,000 Cedis to invest in Agriculture. How can a man be murdered for this reason?
The stories that were told by people who were victims as well as witnesses at the hearings organised by the National Reconciliation Commission, were just heart wrenching. I vividly recall, a man collapsing in the witness box as he recounted how his vehicle was suddenly taken from him, while on his way to an appointment.
The next day, Chairman of the commission, announced that the man had passed on after he was rushed to the hospital.
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.
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