Features
Publicans at the airport
- /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
&description=Publicans at the airport', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
&description=Publicans at the airport', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
The publicans were the most detested people in ancient Israel during the time of Jesus, when the Roman Empire ruled the nation as an imperial occupying power. They were Jewish tax collectors employed indirectly by the Roman government and classified by their fellow Israelites as collaborators of the enemies of Israel.
Roman businessmen usually established companies through which they would acquire certain Jewish provinces for renewable periods of five years, and charge taxes on behalf of the imperial government. These entrepreneurs would then employ local Jewish men in their acquired territories to collect those taxes comprising duties on imports and exports, bridge tolls, poll tax, and levies on merchants who came to Israel to buy and sell.
The position was open to bids and the highest bidder, invariably a wealthy Jew, got his proposal accepted and won the right to do business in the territory concerned. Such collectors would be given a threshold of revenue expected from them. Whatever they got over and above the threshold was theirs. And so, they used all kinds of unethical methods to collect it for the government and themselves.
First, they would impose a fictitious assessment on property or income and inflate the rates at their discretion in order to rake in a higher percentage of tax and make maximum profit at the expense of the hardworking and helpless people. Moreover, these unscrupulous tax collectors harassed the people and charged them on the spot.
And it did not end there. Hours or even minutes after your unpleasant encounter, you were likely to meet another tax collector who would also demand tax. Sometimes, the publicans were accompanied by Roman soldiers and the oppressed people had no recourse to justice anywhere.
For their corrupt practices, these cruel tax collectors were regarded by their fellow Jews as, not just traitors working for their oppressors, but also, as extortioners and leeches that drained the lifeblood of the people by their exorbitant taxes.
Even more condemning of these hated people were the rabbis, that is, the religious leaders, who considered them unclean because of their contact with the Romans. They excommunicated them from the synagogues, forbade them from exchanging their money at the temple treasury, and prohibited them from testifying as witnesses in court. Thus, despite the substantial wealth they made, these publicans were derided and ostracised from their own communities. Yet, in defiance, they furrowed their brows and shrugged off the jeers and sneers. Now, Israel is a democratic country; they are not under the hegemony of any empire, and thankfully, the publicans are nowhere to be seen.
But, sadly, the publicans have resurfaced, not in Israel, but in Ghana. They are everywhere but in this article, those on the radar are the kind operating at the airport. They are encouraged by the powers that be for the share they would get. The operations of this new breed remind me of a certain woman somewhere in the Ashanti Region nicknamed, “Maame Ap3nkwa nya wuo,” which translates to, “The woman who got death while looking for life.”
It happened that the woman’s pastor proclaimed a fast for the congregation with the following instruction: “You may do it continually for seven days from six to six, or you can fast-track it by doing three days dry fasting,” which implied that you could not drink any water or eat for three days. The woman weighed the options and chose the latter. After just one day, she realised that she was gasping for breath. In anguish, she exclaimed: “Ei, me b3 p33 nkwa anaa s3 owuo,” meaning: “Did I come seeking life or death,” That is how she got her name.
The inception of COVID 19 brought in its wake the loss of precious lives. The National Security Coordinator, Mr. Joseph Kyeremeh, a family friend, known among my siblings as K-Joe, succumbed painfully to the virus. Another heavyweight who was not spared by the deadly virus was Dr. Jacob Plange-Rhule, FRCP, FWACP, FGCP (July 27, 1957 –April 10, 2020), a Ghanaian physician, academic, and Rector of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons from October 2015 until his death in 2020.He was the private doctor of my first son about three decades ago in Kumasi, and one of the finest gentlemen I ever came across. How can I forget the loss of Nanabanyin Pratt, my own former Managing Director at New Times Corporation who, perhaps, in admiration of my straight talk, called me “Wogyafo.” You have to find out what that means.
Given the frequency and scope of death resulting from COVID, it became imperative for the Government to adopt stringent measures to stem the tide. As part of the interventions, personal protective equipment were supplied to healthcare workers. The wearing of masks was enforced while the use of sanitisers was also recommended. Mass gatherings were banned, compelling churches to go online, and become financially unstable. Funerals suffered a drastic cut in donations adding to the sorrow inflicted by a COVID-related death.
Another intervention adopted in the heat of the pandemic, was the introduction of a regime of testing by the Government to determine the COVID status of arriving international travellers, and prevent a situation where a positive person would slip into the country and spread the virus. The Ghana Airports Company Limited, in collaboration with a group calling itself the Frontier Healthcare Services Limited, is in charge of the programme at the Kotoka International Airport. All these measures were taken because we were seeking life. But, like the Ashanti woman in the tale related above, we are gasping for breath.
From the way things are going, I see some similarity between Israel’s ancient experience at the hands of the tax collectors and the imperial government. In those days, the Roman government just waited for what it deemed its fair share. Whatever the publicans imposed on the people was none of their business. I smell the presence of the publicans at the airport and other places. Fortunately, we are not under the hegemony of any foreign power. “Y3n ara asaase ni.”“This is our own land.” Yet, unfortunately, the publicans are operating as typical of them, with all impunity and the Government, through its agent, has given them the latitude to impose an unjustifiable and unbearable testing fee on the people.
In many jurisdictions the world over, the fee has been drastically reduced due to mass vaccination everywhere and the reduction in the spread of the virus. So, for what justifiable reason should the testing cost $50 for Ghanaian and other ECOWAS citizens, and $150 for other nationals? The most painful and irritating aspect of the whole thing is that even people with proof of being vaccinated within the stipulated timeframe before arriving, are still compelled to undertake the test.
Yet, according to information on their own website, passengers must possess a COVID-19 negative PCR test from an accredited laboratory in the country of origin. The test should have been done not more than72 hours before the scheduled departure time from the country of origin. You take all this precaution, and they still insist on taking the test and charging you unjustifiably.
Annoyingly, they have the guts to tell travellers arriving from the US or UK, with all their stringent testing regimes that they have tested positive for COVID and must be quarantined at a hotel at their own expense, which is all part of the grand scheme to extort money from people.
Is the Government not just folding its arms and waiting for its “fair share” of the revenue from the “publicans?” Have they considered the pain it takes to make $50? That is more than GH¢300 which is somebody’s monthly pay in Ghana in this day and age. Miss Mercy Agyei-Ankomah, a former English language teacher at the Juaben Senior High School, now based in Vietnam, says she used to be paid GH¢1,500, Do you know how much that is in dollars? It is about $250. That means Frontier Healthcare Services charge a fifth of a teacher’s monthly salary for a few minutes they spend testing an arriving passenger.
For all you know, the Government just gets a token while the collectors pocket the biggest chunk of the money accruing from the testing. That is the way it worked in ancient Israel. There must be an immediate intervention to save passengers from this rip off by these latter-day publicans.
In January, the MP for North Tongu, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa described the fees as an extortion and cautioned that if the cheating was not stopped by February, Parliament would intervene. Please, Homourable, February ended a long time ago, and March has already crossed the half-way mark. We are anxiously waiting for your next move.
Meanwhile, another legislator, Mr. Davis Opoku Ansah, the MP for Mpraeso Constituency, has added his voice to calls for a drastic reduction of the fees, saying that even though we need to keep track of the virus and deal with it through interventions like testing, we must reduce the charges because they are harming trade and tourism.
Whoever the cap fits, let them wear it. Over to you, Joe Lartey!
Contact:
teepeejubilee@yahoo.co.uk
By Tony Prempeh
“A woman who abandons her baby in a dustbin at Kasoa Lorry Station is not always a wicked woman. Sometimes, she is a wounded woman whose mind has broken, whose family has rejected her, and whose society has left her with only one terrible option: disappear or be disgraced.”
That is the hard truth Ghana must hear.
In the last 10 days alone, our nation has been confronted with the same painful headline, twice.
Case 1 – Kasoa Main Lorry Station, Central Region: A newborn baby girl was found abandoned inside a dustbin at the public toilet of the Kasoa Main Station. A woman who went to use the facility discovered the infant and raised an alarm. Commercial drivers and bystanders quickly retrieved the baby and rushed her to the Kasoa Polyclinic for emergency medical care.
Case 2 – Asante Bekwai, Ashanti Region: On Thursday morning, August 20, 2026, a two-week-old neonate was reportedly abandoned by an unknown nursing mother at Bekwai in the Ashanti Region. Residents who came across the child raised the alarm. The baby was admitted to the Bekwai Government Hospital as police commenced investigations.
Let me be clear from the start: Newborn abandonment is wrong. It is dangerous. It is criminal. And it can kill. This article does not excuse it. But if we only arrest and shame, we will never stop it. We must treat the root, not just punish the fruit.
What exactly is newborn abandonment? – The two definitions
The Legal Definition: Under Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), Section 96, and the Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560), abandonment of a child under 12 years is a criminal offence. It is classified as exposure and abandonment, punishable as a misdemeanor or felony. The law sees the mother as a perpetrator.
The Psychological definition: In clinical textbooks, newborn abandonment is defined as the intentional, permanent relinquishment of all parental rights, care, and responsibilities over an infant within the first 28 days of life without making formal, legal arrangements for care.
To understand this crisis properly, we must not confuse it with child abandonment. Newborn abandonment happens within 0-28 days of life, often driven by acute panic, denial of pregnancy, or postpartum psychosis where the attachment bond never formed. Child abandonment, on the other hand, involves toddlers to teenagers where a bond existed but collapsed over time due to chronic poverty, family breakdown, or parental burnout. One is an acute crisis of the first month; the other is a chronic breakdown over years. Both are harmful, but they need different interventions.
Psychologically, newborn abandonment is the ultimate rupture of the primary attachment bond. Think of a 19-year-old university student who secretly gives birth alone in her hostel room, wraps the crying baby in a polythene bag, and drops it at a refuse dump at midnight. That is not just a crime scene; it is a scene of extreme panic and psychological dissociation.
Why would a mother carry a baby for 9 months and then abandon it?
This is the question every Ghanaian asks. If you wanted to abandon it, why not abort? The answer is deeply psychological:
1. The psychodynamics of denial of pregnancy: This is a profound defense mechanism, not a lie. The mother’s subconscious mind completely rejects the reality of the pregnancy. She does not gain weight normally, feels no kicks, does not seek antenatal care, and genuinely convinces herself she is not pregnant until sudden, shocking labour pains take her by surprise in a toilet or bedroom.
2. Fantasy of a dissolving problem: This is called cognitive avoidance. She believes “my boyfriend will come back,” “my mother will forgive me,” or “something miraculous will happen before birth.” So she waits, paralyzed, until the baby is here.
3. Barriers to safe abortion: Deep religious guilt, moral anxiety, fear of dying from a back-alley abortion, lack of money for a safe procedure, and family laws force her to carry to term even when she feels incapable.
4. The shock of reality and acute panic: Upon delivery, the physical presence and crying of the newborn shatters all denial. Confronted with immediate exposure, shame, and reality, her brain enters a trauma response — “fight, flight, or freeze.” For many, it becomes “flight” — physically escape the threat of exposure to survive socially. That is why babies are left in places where others will find them -lorry stations, churches, hospitals.
Source:
Counselor Prince Offei, CPAC’s founder, is a leading Mental Health Professional, Marriage Counsellor, Author, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, and Spectator Newspaper Columnist. He writes on relationships, marriage, parenting, special needs support, and their connection to mental health. For therapy, counselling, or enquiries, contact Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Accra on 0559850604 / 0551428486.
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
Features
Environmental stewardship is an act of worship: The Islamic response to climate change, environmental degradation (Part 4)
The environmental consequences of illegal mining have reached alarming levels in Ghana. Several major rivers, including the Pra, Ankobra, Offin, Birim and Tano, have experienced significant pollution from illegal mining activities, increasing the cost and complexity of water treatment while threatening the availability of potable water for millions of citizens (Water Resources Commission, 2024; Ghana Water Limited, 2024). These developments underscore the urgent need for stronger environmental governance and collective action.
Islam equally emphasises accountability in governance. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught that every leader is responsible for those under his or her authority (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 7138; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1829). This principle extends to public officials entrusted with environmental regulation, traditional authorities responsible for communal lands, mining companies, local assemblies, and community leaders. Environmental protection cannot succeed
where accountability is absent.
At the same time, addressing galamsey requires more than law enforcement. Sustainable solutions must tackle the underlying socio-economic realities that drive individuals into illegal mining. Many young people are motivated by unemployment, poverty, and limited economic opportunities. Islamic principles of social justice therefore call for the creation of alternative livelihoods through sustainable agriculture, vocational training, responsible small-scale mining under strict environmental standards, entrepreneurship, and skills development. Environmental protection and economic empowerment should not be viewed as competing priorities but as complementary goals that promote human dignity and national development.
Faith communities also have an indispensable role to play. Mosques, churches, schools, traditional councils, and civil society organisations possess significant influence in shaping public attitudes and behaviours. Imams, in particular, should consistently remind congregations that wealth acquired through actions that destroy communities and Allah’s creation cannot be regarded as a blessing. Religious education should cultivate environmental ethics alongside spiritual devotion, reinforcing the understanding that protecting rivers, forests, and farmlands is an expression of gratitude to Allah and a fulfilment of the trust of Khalifah.
Ultimately, the struggle against galamsey is more than a campaign to protect natural resources; it is a struggle to uphold justice, preserve human dignity, and honour the trust that Allah has placed upon humanity. Lasting solutions will require strong governance, responsible citizenship, sustainable economic opportunities, and renewed moral leadership. Only when these elements
work together can Ghana safeguard its natural heritage for present and future generations.
Water conservation, waste management and sustainable development: Practical expressions of Islamic stewardship
Religious education should cultivate environmental ethics alongside spiritual devotion, reinforcing the understanding that protecting rivers, forests, and farmlands is an expression of gratitude to Allah and a fulfilment of the trust of Khalifah.
Ultimately, the struggle against galamsey is more than a campaign to protect natural resources; it is a struggle to uphold justice, preserve human dignity, and honour the trust that Allah has placed upon humanity. Lasting solutions will require strong governance, responsible citizenship, sustainable economic opportunities, and renewed moral leadership. Only when these elements
work together can Ghana safeguard its natural heritage for present and future generations.
Islam is not merely a religion that condemns environmental destruction; it also provides practical guidance for preserving and sustaining the natural world. Through its teachings on moderation, cleanliness, conservation, and responsible consumption, Islam cultivates an environmental ethic that remains remarkably relevant to contemporary challenges such as water scarcity, pollution, waste management, and climate change. These teachings encourage Muslims to become
responsible custodians of Allah’s creation in both private and public life.
Water conservation: A sacred responsibility
Water occupies a unique position in Islam as the source of life and an essential element of worship. Allah says, “And We made from water every living thing. Then will they not believe?” (Qur’an 21:30, Sahih International). This verse reminds believers that water is not merely an economic resource but a divine blessing upon which all living creatures depend. The importance of water is further reflected in Islamic acts of worship. Muslims perform ablution (wudu) before the five daily prayers and ritual bathing (ghusl) under prescribed circumstances.
Yet, despite its central role in purification, Islam strongly discourages wastefulness. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once advised one of his companions not to waste water while performing ablution, even when using water from a flowing river (Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 425). This timeless guidance establishes the principle that abundance does not justify extravagance.
Conservation remains a religious obligation regardless of the apparent availability of natural resources.
This Prophetic teaching carries profound implications for contemporary Ghana. Illegal mining has severely polluted many rivers, increasing the cost of water treatment and limiting access to safe drinking water for numerous communities. Climate change has also intensified seasonal variability in rainfall, placing additional pressure on freshwater resources (IPCC, 2023). Against this
backdrop, conserving water is no longer simply an environmental preference—it is a moral imperative grounded in Islamic teaching.
Water conservation should therefore become a shared responsibility among households, educational institutions, industries, and places of worship. Simple practices such as repairing leaking pipes, harvesting rainwater, protecting riverbanks, avoiding contamination of water bodies, and promoting efficient irrigation contribute to safeguarding one of Allah’s greatest blessings. Every effort to preserve water is an investment in public health, food security, and the
wellbeing of future generations.
Unfortunately, indiscriminate disposal of refuse remains a significant challenge in many communities. Plastic waste clogs drainage systems, contributes to flooding during the rainy season, pollutes rivers and beaches, and threatens marine ecosystems. Open burning of waste further degrades air quality and poses serious health risks, particularly for children and the elderly (UNEP,2024).
The author is Chief Imam of Katamanso Municipal and Certified Counsellor and Governnace Expert.
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
