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The battle over alcohol
My bosom friend Joseph Kwame Korkoti has become overly concerned about the current war going on between two groups of pastors as to whether it is right or wrong for Christians to imbibe alcohol.
As a matter of fact, Korkorti’s expert opinion on the matter should have been sought.
On recent radio programme, two opposing groups of clergymen argued vehemently either in support or against alcohol. Korkorti was bewildered. He did not see their point. He did not even see their quarrel. What were they really driving at?
An article in the Mirror by my good friend and Apostle Kwamena Arhinful on the subject offered a brilliant analysis but tragically enough, he concluded poorly. But I understand him. It was the only way he could conclude without saying the Bible contradicts itself on the issue. As an apostle of Christ, he is not supposed to give conclusions that would inflame doctrinal sentiments.
My former bodyguard Napoleon Kwadzo alias Bonarparte summed up his conviction on the matter and refers to the Bible to make his point clear. “The Bible is against drinking not drunkenness. Furthermore, God chooses those he specifically wants to steer clear of alcohol like John the Baptist, Samson and the like. The others are free to quaff!”
I didn’t know the man who once protected my life was so biblical. When he drinks he quotes the Bible to support the dose and his conscience is clear. When he smokes, he quotes history and cites that Christopher Columbus could not have made it round the world without smoking tobacco.
Well alcohol is one controversial issue that has defied all forms of debate aimed at placing it in its proper place. Those who do not drink argue against it, quoting scripture over and over again. Those who drink also quote the Bible to support the number of ‘quarters’ they down. It is an interesting controversy.
I once spoke to a born-again Hungarian clergyman and asked him whether in his home country beer-drinking among Christians is regarded as a sin. He said Christians can drink some beer for refreshment but not as a habit or to satisfy an addictive urge; in effect you could drink so long as it was not habitual.
Well, other clergymen who are firmer friends with the Holy Spirit won’t agree to the imbibition of alcohol in any form. Korkorti was once arguing with a pastor and reminded him that the banku and okro soup he loves so much contains more alcohol than he could ever find in a glass of wine. The pastor told him to stop blaspheming.
When Korkorti started explaining the biochemical intricacies of the fermentation processes with respect to his reference to banku, the pastor stopped him at once because he thought Korkorti Asamoah was possessed by the evil one. He commanded him to come for deliverance.
Well some Christians permit alcohol during their wedding ceremonies, outdoorings and parties.
In fact, some pastors are properly charged even before they mount the pulpit. They are the believers in the age-old tradition that alcohol loosens the tongue.
And so long as the tongue is stiff, it must be forcibly loosened with supplementary doses. The word is then preached with vim till the pastor runs out of gas.
Alcohol is part and parcel of the lives of most people. They say it is their only source of happiness. One guy I have always known explains freely why alcohol is a faithful comrade.
“I don’t trust anybody in this world any longer .As for women I’ve finished with them, he says. “I have even been betrayed by my friends. They are treacherous. But I am assured that alcohol can never betray me. When I take my quarter my appetite is guaranteed, my happiness is complete.”
Others drink to enable them to cause trouble. If you want your in-law to stop interferring in your marriage, you only have to take quarter and the problem is solved. But in cases where the in-laws also take bitters, it can become a civil war. And hoes and cutlasses would feature prominently.
People drink alcohol for many other reason. Some say it is good for their waist and excites their libido in such a way that they are able to satisfy their sweet-hearts in ways unimaginable.
Others say it gives them free bowels, thereby removing phlegms and generally boosting their health. For others, they claim it helps them to think faster, and others say it gives them sound sleep complete with snoring and nightly contentment.
I remember sometime in 1989 when alcohol retailers were banned from selling bitters because some of them were not concocting the stuff properly and were thereby making it a health hazard. Well, some die-hards got angry and demonstrated in their homes and akpeteshie bars in protest. Before the demonstrations ended, most of them were in coma. They were dead drunk.
Today if alcohol is banned in Sikaman, there would be a social upheaval. It would be a mass insurrection against the government of the day. Thousands of believers with red and brown eyes blowing ‘fuse’ and wielding matchets and shovels will charge headlong towards the seat of government to demand that the ban be countermanded.
You are likely to see among them my uncle Kofi Jogolo, Kwapey, Adams, Blue Blue of Kintampo, Reverend Kofi Kokotako, Wisdom and Korkorti as the flagbearer.
But the problem is, is alcohol good for the body? The answer is no! A little bit of alcohol is said to be good for the heart. Anything beyond that is harmful to body tissues, brain cells, the nervous system, the stomach lining, the liver and even your manhood. If you drink too much, you can’t function.
Spiritually, it is not good for those who seek personal development and want to aspire towards a better relationship with God. The Holy Spirit indeed cannot work in our environment charged with the scent of “molasses” and the “fuse” of kpekpe.
But the fact we must also accept is that not all aspire to commune with the Holy Spirit. And if they don’t, what should they do? One man asked a catechist, “If I stop drinking akpeteshie, what would I drink. Palm oil?”
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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