Features
Speaking the truth and damning the consequences
Sometime last week, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, did something amazing but justifiable and that demonstrated the type of King he has been and further, strengthened the respect most Ghanaians have for him. No wonder, he continues to be used as a channel by successive governments to resolve most of the hydra-headed and dreadful chieftaincy disputes and other problems in the country.
SHOCKING HIS AUDIENCE
The revered King shocked his audience in his speech delivered at the first edition of the Regional Consultative Dialogue on Small-Scale Mining in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional Capital, when he exposed the Regional Minister, Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah and the Lands Minister, Mr. Samuel Abu Jinapor, who have apparently asked him in confidence, to stick to the speech that had been prepared for him in order not to generate controversy in the country. But knowing this great King for what he is, he rather made the secret intention of these two personalities to him known to the gathering, explaining that it was necessary to stress these issues which he believed were obstacles to winning the galamsey war.
Hear him, “Yesterday (Tuesday), the regional minister and my son (Samuel) Jinapor came to me and said, ‘Nana, please say what is in the speech and I said alright I will.’ They felt I will say something else that is controversial”.
The Asantehene was reported to have said in plain language that, ‘on issue of galamsey, when we divide the audience in this room into 10, 30 per cent of them will know those involved in galamsey…if you are not truthful, we will keep deceiving ourselves and be organising conferences such as this’. He told the gathering that, on his part he had already warned his chiefs and elders against their participation in such illegalities and that he would not hesitate to strongly sanction such infraction. According to him until the government and all stakeholders confronted the truth about the galamsey threat, the fight would be unsuccessful.
PROFOUND SPEECH BY ASANTEHENE
This is a profound speech from a great leader who does not mince words and must be applauded by all right thinking Ghanaians who are interested in the fight against this illegal business which continues to threaten the survival of our dear nation, Ghana. Just as his strong and straight to the point remarks received thunderous applause from audience in the auditorium, the entire nation must take a serious view of the wise counselling from the Asantehene, if we really mean serious to fight this canker which for so many years had destroyed our water bodies, farm lands, food crops, the forests and drinking water. At the moment, our sources of water are polluted to the extent that the colour of drinking water is brownish, thereby posing serious threat and danger to the lives of Ghanaians.
INVOLVEMENT OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN GALAMSEY
The most worrying aspect of the situation is the complicity of chiefs, elders, opinion leaders and even powerful forces in government who are deeply connected to this illegal, dirty and dangerous business. They have sold their conscience to the so-called Chinese businessmen for peanut and they keep plundering and polluting our environment with abandoned glee. Just visit some of these galamsey sites and you will be shocked about the extent of damage caused to the environment by these so-called small-scale illegal miners. Even the activities of these illegal miners have been extended to places of abode and people’s room just for the sake of money. Children who are supposed to be in school, are being used as child labourers in some of these mining sites with their pictures trending on social media. The continued usage of these sophisticated machines, excavators and other degradable equipment to destroy our God-given environment are difficult to imagine.
IMPORTATION OF WATER IMMINENT DUE TO POLLUTION
If this dangerous and dirty illegal business is not brought to a halt as quickly as possible, it would not be long when this country starts importing water for the citizens because, already, the extent of pollution of our sources of drinking water is quite unimaginable. You cannot just withstand the offensive scent of water that flows into our homes from the laid- out pipelines. The impunity of it is that these Chinese nationals who have dominated the business and are on the fore-front continue to use our military and other security personnel to threaten and attack Ghanaians who oppose their wicked activities and we look on unconcerned. I don’t think this situation can be tolerated or allowed to persist in their home country China, where security of the state is on high alert. I toured China on a number of occasions and I know what I am saying. It is just not impossible for a foreigner to transact such an illegal business in that country, period!
HIDING THE TRUTH WILL AFFECT FIGHT AGAINST GALAMSEY
As righty pointed out by the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, if government and other stakeholders decide to hide the truth and sit back for the galamsey threat to continue, this fight will be unsuccessful. We will expect the President as the Chief Executive of the state to lead this crusade now than ever, without fear or favour, partisan and other considerations to fight this dangerous canker in our midst.
It is a fact that previous administrations tried to confront the menace in various ways but to no avail just because the very people who were then at the forefront to deal with the problem, were themselves deeply engrossed in the business. Allegations were ripe about some politicians using proceeds from this illegal business to fund their political campaigns. Those eras were gone and we need to tackle the problem head on in a more purposeful and aggressive manner because of the serious dimension it has taken.
SUSPENSION OF LICENCES TO FRESH MINERS
If it can be possible, the government should suspend the issuance of licences to small-scale miners, deal with the situation on the ground first to an appreciable level before thinking of starting of issuing new licences to prospective small-scale miners with genuine papers. This will be a step towards sanitising the business to conform to the rules and regulations of the business. The use of excavators and other heavy earth moving equipment in small scale mining, should be banned outright because that is the root cause of the extensive destruction of the environment and our water bodies.
HOLDING REGIONAL MINISTERS, DCEs LIABLE
The Regional and District Coordinating Councils under whose jurisdiction some of these small-scale mining businesses operate, must liaise with their various security councils to stem the tide of the activities of these illegal operators as a step towards dealing with the situation. The Regional Ministers and District Chief Eexecutives of these coordinating councils who serve as chairmen of their security councils, must be held liable for any infractions in this illegal business.
EMULATING ASANTEHENE’S COMMITMENT
It is important to acknowledge the forthrightness and commitment by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II towards the fight against this disturbing phenomenon. His determination and steadfastness about the worrying situation, are issues that should prick the conscience of every Ghanaian, guide other traditional leaders and people in positions of trust to do what is just and right in our quest to confront this illegal galamsey business entirely from our society. How many of our traditional leaders will have the courage to resist attempts of being gagged by our politicians to conceal or supress the truth?
The truth must always prevail and reign supreme.
Contact email/WhatsApp of author: ataani2000@yahoo.com
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Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you are trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved. Last week we looked at three and this week is the remaining four steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
4. Find common ground
The best way to handle workplace conflict is to start with what you can agree on. Find common ground between the people engaging in conflict. If you are directly involved in the conflict, slow down and focus on results instead of who’s right.
If you are the mediator for conflict resolution between coworkers, observe the discussion and help point out the common ground others may not see.
5. Collectively brainstorm solutions
When deciding how to handle workplace conflict, it can be tempting to problem-solve on your own. Sometimes, it feels easier to work independently rather than collaboratively. However, if you want to achieve a lasting resolution, you will need to motivate your team to get involved.
Brainstorm possible solutions together, and solicit input from everyone involved on the pros and cons of each option until you settle on a solution that feels comfortable to everyone. This will help all team members feel a sense of ownership that can help prevent future conflicts.
6. Create an action plan
Once you have created an open dialogue around workplace conflicts, it is time to resolve them. Just like any other work goal, this requires creating a concrete plan and following through.
Create an action plan and then act on it. It does not matter what the plan is, as long as you commit to it and resolve the conflict as a result.
7. Reflect on what you learned
All conflicts offer an opportunity to grow and become a better communicator. Identify what went well and what did not.
Work with your whole team to gather learnings from the conflict so you can avoid similar situations in the future.
Today, I continue with my narration of personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland, with a focus on Mr Joseph Osei Amoah.
Mr Amoah is one of the senior members of the Ghanaian community in Finland and a top member of the Ghana Union Finland, an association of the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
He is an active and a well-respected person in the Ghanaian community in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah moved to Finland in the mid-1990s, and he has lived in Helsinki all this time.
Accomplishments and honours
It is important to recount accomplishments as part of the success stories of the personalities of Ghanaian descent in Finland in order to highlight their exploits both within the Ghanaian migrant community and in the wider Finnish society.
Mr Amoah holds a Master’s degree in Demography from the University of Helsinki. At the time he came to Finland in 1994, he had majored in Economics at the Bachelor’s level at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Sometimes affectionately called “Chairman” in the Ghanaian migrant community, Mr Osei is a former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) branch in Finland, assuming office around 2015, a few months after the branch was formed, until 2019 when he did not run again for the elections. He helped to bring vibrancy into the NPP Finland branch.
Religious life
Mr Amoah is a prominent member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland. In spite of his busy working life and other responsibilities, he remains a committed member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland.
He plays a key leadership role in the church, which is attended by many Ghanaian migrants and other African migrants, Finns, and those of other nationalities.
His position in Asanteman Finland
Mr Osei Amoah is an outstanding member of the Asanteman Finland, where he is the Gyasehene, a prominent position as a sub-chief in the Asante (and Akan) royal hierarchy, in the functioning of the traditional authority systemgenerally in Ghana.
The Asanteman Finland is an association formed purposely with the aim of supporting each other as well as to ensure unity among its members and others outside of the group.
One of its top priorities of Asanteman Finland is to display the Asante culture in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah finds this as very important since by upholding the traditional culture and heritage, the association enables its members and especially the young ones to get the chance to learn and appreciate Asante and Ghanaian cultural values. They do this through rites such as marriage, the naming ceremony, and death and funeral rites, which makes the people to learn more of their provenance and not forget their origins.
“My point is that, by displaying the traditional heritage it helps people to learn more about their provenance. For, I think it will be embarrassing to go home and see that even the young ones have much knowledge about how to perform certain rites whilst those of us in the diaspora may be deficient in understanding those practices”, he argued. It is also very important for the young ones who are born in Finland to learn what the culture of their original society is, he continued.
The Finnish educational system
Mr Osei has a lot to say about the Finnish educational system, which he sees as very good. “When we came to Finland, education was free. There were library books and manuscripts readily available in the library, and one could print or make as many photocopies as possible for your studies. There was more flexibility. One could read books and write exams on them for the necessary grades in order to complete your studies”. In his opinion, Ghana could learn much from the Finnish system, which is one of the best in the world.
He said the only initial challenge he found in Finland was how to master the Finnish language, without which it was difficult to get a job befitting one’s status after the studies. But things have changed today and there are many English courses so it is easy to study and get a job that matches your studies, especially in the area of ICT, he said.
His role in the Ghanaian community
Mr Osei Amoah has been very active in the Ghanaian community, as I have indicated earlier. He is still very active in the Ghana Union Finland, and has played a leadership in many functions organised by the Union, as a non-governmental organisation for the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
Mr Amoah has been a counsellor and mentor who has guided many young Ghanaian migrants on their career paths and has also been part in settling various kinds of conflicts between opposing parties or persons. In conclusion, I would say Mr Osei Amoah has succeeded in embossing his name in the golden pages of visionary Ghanaians in both Sweden and Finland.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
