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Spare Ghanaians this terrible ordeal!
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A friend of mine called me the last time just after the passage of the controversial Electronic Levy (E-Levy) Taxation Bill on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 by parliament and wanted a confirmation from me about what transpired in parliament on that day because he was not in town that fateful day. His words were, “Editor, I am not at home, but I heard that the E-Levy bill has been passed by parliament without the involvement of the Minority side of the House. What happened and can you brief me about how it happened? I am so saddened because if this is true, then Ghanaians are finished. It will worsen the plight of the already suffering people of this country.”
E-LEVY AND HOW IT AFFECTS PENSIONERS
Another colleague senior journalist, now on retirement, also called, shortly after I had finished talking to the first caller to discuss with me how the E-Levy might affect the electronic transactions of the meagre pension allowance of pensioners under the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Pension Scheme. According to him, since the pension payment involves electronic transactions through the banks, it was obvious that SSNIT would pay the approved 1.5 per cent levy from the beneficiaries’ entitlements to the banks and in cashing the money from the banks, pensioners would also pay another 1.5 per cent, thus bringing the total taxation to three (3) per cent.That, he believes amount to double taxation of the poor and vulnerable pensioner. Based on our discussions and the fact that I have no knowledge about this financial transaction, I have asked an official of the Public Affairs Department of SSNIT to come out and educate Ghanaians about the whole transactions regarding the payment of pensions through the banks which is mandatory.
To the first caller, I explained to him how the bill was smuggled into the chamber under a Certificate of Urgency by the Majority side of the house because it was not part of the Order Paper for that day’s proceedings. The Minority side led by its leader Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, obviously angered, questioned the rationale behind the majority side’s motive to pull such a surprise saying “the E-Levy did not find expression in the business statement”. These were the words of the Minority Leader, “We have time and again warned and cautioned that we never want to be taken by surprise on a major economic policy bill of government and we will not accept that culture”.
MINORITY WALK-OUT IN PARLIAMENT
After returning from a 30 minutes break, the Minority, however, boycotted the chamber, cautioning that they did not want to have anything to do with the E-Levy debate and its subsequent passage. What was funny about the entire process was that whilst the Member of Parliament for Domi-Kwabenya, Madam. Adwoa Sarfo, was absent from the chamber because she had travelled outside the country, the NPP side carried an ailing member, the Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Minister, Mr. Ebenezer Kojo Kum, in an ambulance which was parked outside the chamber in their quest to make up the numbers in time of voting for the passage of the E-Levy bill. That seemed ridiculous and amazing because we cannot sacrifice the health of an MP for that advantage. The NDC Member of Parliament for Assin North, Mr. James Gyakye Quayson, who was embroiled in a court case concerning his nationality, was also not present in the chamber, making the NDC caucus to run short of a member and perhaps that was the reason the NDC caucus walked out of the chamber.
DEALING WITH THE ECONOMIC CRISIS
It is a fact that the economy of our country is seriously descending into the abyss and if care is not taken we will have serious crisis on our hands. The World Bank Country Director, Mr. Pierre Larporte, in his recent lecture, made it clear that the economic situation in Ghana was very serious. According to him, Ghana faces a tough time to restore macro-economic sustainability. He alluded to the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic had not helped Ghana but noted that even before the pandemic, there were signs that the situation was getting a little bit challenging and advised the government to be transparent with the people. Aside the World Bank Country Director’s sentiment, a number of good and great economists in our country keep making constructive and concrete suggestions that will help us out of our present predicament, but because of politics, their pieces of advice seemed to be ignored and are not being utilised by government to bring the needed economic recovery.
THE UNBEARABLE ECONOMIC HARDSHIP
Today, every Ghanaian can attest to the fact that our nation, Ghana, is in the state of total mess and confusion. Those at the helm of affairs are, indeed, not doing what is expected of them and the country continues to sink. The current hardships are unbearable and most Ghanaians are finding it difficult to make ends meet. Prices of goods and services across the country continue to soar high each and other day, with inflation at the highest level. The Cedi continues to depreciate and has lost value completely as against the dollar. The majority of the citizens find themselves in the poverty bracket while unemployment rate keeps growing.
Indeed, we cannot run away from the fact that the on-going Russian-Ukraine war has further heightened the economic hardship of this country and all other nations that depend on these war-torn countries for their major requirements. Like the President rightly alluded, even though Ghana is not directly involved in the war, issues unfolding, are having a severe impact on our economic activities. Our agriculture and construction sectors are feeling the greatest impact from the terrible conditions in Russia and Ukraine.
SELF-INFLICTED HARDSHIPS
However, it is important to state that the hardship being experienced by the people cannot be placed wholly on the on-going war in Russia and Ukraine. Most of these problems are self- inflicted and can be handled by ourselves. The extravagant lifestyles of some of our ministers and those in high positions of authority must be seriously checked. While those in authority expect the people to tighten their belt in the face of the economic challenges, some of them live affluently, riding in the most expensive cars such as V-8, Landcruisers, Mercedes Benz among others. Besides, the corruption in most of the public institutions in our country which is causing the nation to lose huge sums of money, should be dealt with so that the nation can rake in the needed and necessary revenue to prosecute its developmental goals.
For over five months now, the passage of the controversial E-Levy bill by parliament has been a mirage because Ghanaians were apprehensive and also of the opinion that its passage would affect their living conditions and deepen the woes of the already suffering people and push the unemployment rate high. However, the government feels that without the E-Levy, it cannot address the challenges of the country. Indeed, whether we like it or not, the bill has now been passed and Ghanaians would expect the government to use funds generated to address the economic challenges and bring the nation on a sound footing as it has promised.
GIVING GHANAIANS A HEARING
It is important to remind our various governments that without the people, they cannot rule or govern this nation. That is why it is necessary and prudent to always give the people a listening ear whenever they make their input in the governance of this our dear nation. It will be suicidal if governments try to force their ideas in whatever forms down the throats of Ghanaians to suffocate them.Ours, is a democratic rule not a dictatorship governance where people are forced to swallow the pill no matter how bitter it would be. Yes, the economic challenges are enormous but we must resolve as a team to deal with them squarely to bring our dear nation back on track.
Contact email/WhatsApp of author:
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By Charles Neequaye
The average modern Gold Coaster born and bred in Sikaman is an adventurous creature. Go to any part of the world and you’ll find Ghanaman diligently slugging it out either in the snow or in hot sweltering weather, earning a decent living.
Go to Guinea and see Ghanaman in the garb of a herbalist, curing the sick of various ailments. He makes the Guinean understand that not all diseases are caused by James Lucifer alias Jimmy Satan. On the contrary, most diseases are caused by kooko which can even attack the human nose and turn it upside down.
That kooko is also the cause of poverty and the internal bleeding of personal back-pocket economies. And that kooko can be cured using the chemistry underlying Sikaman herbal medicine which has been blessed by the gods of Larteh.
And before Ghanaman starts dispensing his herbal concoctions, he must attract the passing crowd with some Sıkaman-originated choreography, akin to a combination of adowa and agbadza, such that the dancer can easily dislocate a shoulder and start crying for his mother.
When the crowd is enough to form a quorum, Ghanaman must perform magic as a side-attraction, and proceed to sell his drugs. The drugs are genuinely made from potent herbs which the Pharmacy Board of Sikaman says it has no confidence in. Believe me, Ghanaian herbalists are practising in neighbouring countries like Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Benin, while we are discouraging them from practising in Sikaman.
Go to Las Palmas and see Ghanaman as a fisherman. He sails on Korean-owned boats and is forced to eat garlic and raw tuna for radiant health. The garlic is also supposed to protect him against witches. But sometimes, he is not good bedfellows with some Korean crew members, and once in a while a fight breaks out.
The typical Korean is a Kung Fu expert and before displaying a golden dragon data. He must first terrify Ghanaman with a Korean dance which consists of wild arms and leg throwing. But Ghanaman is usually not daunted. Why has he been eating cancer kenkey all years without developing cancer? It mean is a superhuman capable of countering Kun fu side-kicks to the ribs.
Anyhow Ghanaman’s most potent arsenal lies in his fists. If he is a southpaw, it mean left fist is probably insured and can cause damage. When Ghanaman lands a cassava blow and it lands on a Korean chest, it has the effect of a cruise missile. If there is no ceasefire a funeral cannot be ruled out.
Greenland
Go to Alaska and find Ghanaman there. Greenland, Iceland, Brazil, Argentina, Madagascar, everywhere and you’ll find him. He has become an international citizen and is generally lauded for his hardwork, sincerity and honesty.
However, some bad nuts are also condemned and despised.
The world and all its parts and corners are for the human race, and anyone can choose to live anywhere and earn a decent living so long as he doesn’t misconduct himself or become a social misfit and a law unto himself.
Sıkaman for instance accepts foreigners, and we are so liberal that people just come in through our borders and we welcome them with the best palmwine in town and goat light soup. Who cares about passports and visas? Our hospitality is, as it were legendary.
So we have Liberians, Nigerians, Sierra Leoneans, Togolese, Europeans, Americans, Scandinavians and Koreans in Sikaman. And some of them have misinterpreted our overzealous accommodation to mean “foolishness” and are misconducting themselves.
The newspapers carry stories of some unscrupulous Nigerians stealing, defrauding and collaborating with their Sikaman counterparts to rob people. You’ll find some good and law-abiding Liberians around but some other Liberians are in the business of fraud, robbery, money printing, money doubling, anything criminal.
Ghanaian hospitality can no longer be extended to such people. I do not think Ghanaians will be treated kindly either, when they misbehave anywhere in the world. Those who come from outside with the intention of bringing down their evil deeds and to practise them here professionally must be getting ready because Ghanaians are getting fed up with the menace.
These days, you’ll find strange people following you as soon as you emerge from a bank. If you are not careful, they’ll wrestle your briefcase from you and speed away in a waiting taxi.
Someone was just saying that many foreign criminals are flocking to Ghana because in their countries, they are enable to operate either because they are being looked for by the police for offences committed or fear instant justice at the hands of mobs. Ghanaians, it is said, are humanitarian in dealing with criminals.
Well, in some African countries, a thief who is being chased runs directly to the police station in his own interest and begs the officer at the counter to lock him up. Otherwise he’ll be lynched or be burnt to death. In Ghana, it is the opposite. The thieves run far away from the cop stations.
The criminals must reform and stay peacefully in Sikaman or quit. No court case!
This article was first published on Saturday September 5, 1998
The human condition is defined by two absolute, biological bookends: the commencement of complex cellular animation and its ultimate, irreversible cessation.
For centuries, medicine treated life and death as strictly separate states. Today, modern pathology and molecular biology reveal a more profound truth: the mechanisms that allow us to live are the exact same mechanisms that dictate how we die.
Understanding this relationship is no longer just a philosophical pursuit. It is a clinical necessity for managing public health in the 21st century.
Part I: How we live – The mechanics of animation
At its core, biological life is a continuous, high-stakes battle against entropy (the natural tendency of systems to degrade into disorder). To maintain form, consciousness, and function, the human body relies on three fundamental pillars:
1. Cellular respiration and energy production
Every second of human life is powered by the conversion of oxygen and glucose into Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), the universal energy currency of our cells. This process occurs within the mitochondria.
Without a constant supply of ATP, the microscopic pumps that maintain electrical gradients across our cell membranes fail, causing cellular collapse within minutes.
2. Homeostasis: The balancing act
To survive, the internal environment of the body must remain incredibly stable, regardless of external chaos. This balancing act, known as homeostasis, regulates:
Blood pH: Strictly maintained between 7.35 and 7.45.
Core Temperature: Ideally kept around 37°C (98.6°F).
Electrolyte Balance: Precise ratios of sodium, potassium, and calcium that allow nerves to fire and muscles to contract.
3. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
The ANS acts as the invisible conductor of life, split into two complementary branches:
Part II: How we die – The path of cessation
Death is rarely a singular event; it is a progressive biological cascade. Whether caused by old age, chronic illness, or sudden trauma, the final pathways of mortality generally follow a predictable trajectory.
1. The cellular horizon: Senescence and Apoptosis
Every time a human cell divides, the protective caps at the ends of its chromosomes-telomeres-shorten. Eventually, telomeres become so depleted that the cell can no longer divide safely. It enters senescence (a state of permanent arrest) or triggers apoptosis (programmed cell death). This gradual, systemic loss of cellular renewal is the underlying engine of aging.
2. The clinical cascade of somatic death
When the body can no longer maintain homeostasis, somatic death (the death of the organism as a whole) begins. This occurs in a distinct sequence:
1
Clinical Death
Zero to four minutes
The heart stops pumping blood, and respiration ceases. While breathing and circulation have ended, the body’s tissues still contain residual oxygen and cellular energy reserves. At this stage, resuscitation is often still possible.
2
Brain Death (Infarction)
Four to six minutes
Deprived of fresh oxygenated blood, the brain’s highly sensitive neurons begin to starve. Lacking ATP, the brain cells lose their electrical charge, swell, and begin to burst. Permanent, irreversible neurological damage occurs within minutes.
3
Biological Death
Hours to days
The organs fail entirely. Without central control or blood flow, individual cells throughout the body consume their final energy reserves. Enzymes that once aided digestion begin to break down the body’s own tissues from the inside out, a process known as autolysis.
Part III: The modern collision of life and death
In the modern era, the boundary between how we live and how we die has blurred. Historically, humanity died primarily from infectious diseases and acute trauma. Today, global mortality is dominated by non-communicable, chronic lifestyle diseases.
Modern Pathology: How we live (the cause) how we die (the result)
Cardiovascular disease, chronic stress, poor diet, and lack of sleep keep the sympathetic nervous system hyper-activated, damaging blood vessels .Occlusion of coronary arteries leads to myocardial infarction (heart attack) or ischemic stroke.
Metabolic syndrome over nutrition and physical inactivity overwhelm cellular mitochondria, leading to systemic insulin resistance. Multi-organ failure, chronic kidney disease, and severe vascular complications.
Neurodegenerative Disorders Chronic systemic inflammation and sleep deprivation prevent the brain from clearing metabolic waste. Gradual loss of synaptic connections, leading to dementia and the eventual loss of basic autonomic functions.
Conclusion: The unified theory of health
Ultimately, how we live directly shapes the path of how we die. The micro-choices of daily existence-how we manage emotional stress, the quality of our rest, our communal connections, and our nutrition-either preserve the integrity of our homeostatic systems or accelerate their decline.
True medical advancement is shifting away from merely extending the final, frail stages of biological death. Instead, the focus is turning toward optimising our living years-ensuring that the intricate, beautiful machinery of human animation runs smoothly until its natural, quiet conclusion.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
