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When will the enforcement of laws be prioritised in Ghana?
It is said that Ghana as a country has one of the best laws in the world but enforcement has always been the problem.
I am yet to hear of one person who has been prosecuted for not wearing a face mask even though there is a law to that effect.
The lack of adherence to the COVID-19 protocol as one goes through the city and towns of the country is a clear indication of the inertia towards being law abiding.
In commercial buses, you find some people not wearing the face masks and when you ask them, they have excuse for it. A pregnant woman was advised to put on her face mask and she calmly stated that she has one but putting it on makes it difficult for her to breathe. She added that in crowded areas she puts it on.
The funny thing was that she was on a bus and if that environment was not a crowded area, I wonder what her sense of a crowded area is.
When I was a child, I heard statements like: “The French people do not joke with their laws.” “When you go to Ivory Coast or Togo, when the police blow their whistle for you to stop and you do not stop, you are arrested and fined on the spot.”
Being someone who was brought up in a Christian home, respect for rules was part of my training, I loved the French people as a result of what I heard about their being firm with rules and regulations. It has been observed that, countries that have developed, have a characteristic of observance of rules and regulations.
There is a general belief that laws are not enforced in Ghana and this has been indelibly inked into the psyche of the populace. It has led to the situation where there is a certain inherent inertia towards doing the right thing and simply obeying the laws of the land.
This places a burden on those few people who would like to see the right thing being done at all times. Such people are seen to be too strict and in a lot of instances are seen as being odd. It has the tendency of demotivating people who want to be law abiding and, therefore, there is an urgent need for a different approach to doing things, otherwise we are going nowhere as a nation.
One of the main causes has to do with a lack of understanding of the harmful impact of this unwillingness to be law abiding.
The Bible puts it in Galatians 6:7 as, “We reap what we sow”. Sir Isaac Newton puts it as, “Action and reaction are equal and opposite”. In computer circles it is known as, “garbage in, garbage out”. In other words, whatever you obtain is as a result of a certain action or decision you previously took. Most things do not happen by chance in this world. When you go to the streets of say London and they are clean, it is as aresult of conscious effort to keep it that way by the citizens. Rubbish does not sweep itself off the streets; people take steps to keep the streets free from trash.
Even if God is the President of this country and people deliberately drop polythene on our streets after drinking sachet water, the streets would be dirty until God by his awesome power works a miracle to sweep the trash off the streets. Unfortunately for us, God does not do what he has given us the ability to execute, and would not come down to make our cities and towns clean when he has given us the wisdom and strength to do it ourselves.
We then turn around and begin to blame those in authority when it rains and floods invade our homes and destroy our property, forgetting that we poured rubbish under cover of darkness into our gutters thereby preventing free flow of water into the sea. There is a price to pay for any wrong decision we make.
There was news reportage on the arrest of some Nigerians at Kasoa, and it was detected after the arrest that they had entered the country illegally.
They had no passport yet had been able to enter the country and I was deeply worried. The conclusion the average rational human being would arrive at is that, they bribed their way into the country and were assisted by immigration officers or local residents along our borders.
What is worrying is the fact that we are in a period of alertness due to intelligence that suggests that terrorists have targeted our country.
Nigeria has been fighting Boko Haram for quite a long time now, especially in the northern part of that country.
If these people who had gained access to our nation’s capital were terrorists, only God knows the havoc they would have caused.
Some people had not considered the threat their action poses to the peace and security of our country and have assisted these foreigners to gain entry into Ghana.
Law enforcement is not the work of only the law enforcement agencies. It is a collective responsibility; for instance for effective policing, the general public must provide them with credible Intel for them to be able to arrest criminals. Most arrests the police have successfully carried out have been the result of information provided to them by ordinary citizens.
The problem is the trust issues that sometimes arises when informants after providing information gets exposed by some unscrupulous police personnel.
This cause people to become afraid in providing credible information to the police and their work in enforcing the law then becomes difficult.
There is, therefore, the need to put in place an effective whistleblowing system that will provide safety for any whistleblower, so that people would feel confident that their lives would not be in danger should they volunteer information.
There must be a review of our criminal laws so that people would be motivated to do the right thing and be law abiding.
The focus should be on removing the discretionary powers of our judiciary as much as possible so that influence peddling would be eliminated to the barest minimum. When there is a perception that the rich and powerful can get away with crime, we would never strive as a people for a law abiding culture.
It is only when people realise that we are indeed equal before the law, rich or poor, educated or illiterate, big or small, that a law abiding culture would become prevalent and law enforcement would become easy and effective.
A national consciousness awakening programme must be initiated to tune the national psyche towards adoption of right attitudes, and this would go a long way in changing attitudes in both young and old.
The surest way of ensuring the growth of our nation and rubbing shoulders with the developed nations is to develop a nation of law abiding citizens.
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. The same report found that managers spend an average of four hours per week dealing with conflict, and nearly 25 per cent of people think their managers handle conflict poorly or very poorly.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you’re trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved, here are seven steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
1. Don’t put it off
Facing conflict head-on is hard. However, waiting too long to address it can negatively impact your emotional well-being, focus, and the entire office environment. If you’re feeling angry, letting that emotion fester can also escalate it over time. This can make you less responsive to other points of view and make it harder to resolve the issue.
The sooner you can address the conflict, the better it will be for you, the person you disagree with, and your entire team.
2. Learn all you can about the problem
It’s important to determine the type of conflict you’re dealing with. Begin by considering the cause of the conflict. For example, ask yourself whether someone said something that upset you or if you have emotions of anger and resentment that stemmed from something that happened.
Then try to identify if it’s a task, relationship, value, or team conflict. Once you know what type of conflict it is, you can work to resolve it with specific tactics for that situation.
If you skip this step, you may waste time or escalate the situation further by trying to address issues irrelevant to the real conflict.
3. Actively listen
Listen attentively when people share their side of the story. Active listening is one of the most valuable professional skills you can possess. This type of listening involves not only hearing what the other person is saying but also listening to understand their point of view.
No matter your role in conflict, it’s easy to begin sharing your opinion with little regard for the other people involved. However, it’s important to learn about all sides of a disagreement to make well-informed decisions before drawing conclusions.
To reach a resolution, you must step back and prioritize listening over talking. Ultimately, that will encourage the other person to do the same when it’s your turn to speak. –source: betterup.com
Today, I focus on the Temple Of Praise Ministries International (TOP Church) in Helsinki, as I continue my description of personalities or institutions and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The TOP Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments that must be made known to the public. 
Some history
The Church was established in Finland in September 2016. Since its inception, it has steadily grown both spiritually and numerically, by the grace of God, as disclosed to me by Mr Matthew Anini Twumasi, the Presiding Elder of TOP’s branch in Finland. The TOP Church has other branches across Africa, Europe, and America.
The Church in Finland was founded with a vision to create a welcoming and dynamic community where people could experience God’s love and grace (see, www.topchurchfinland.org). According to Presiding Elder Matthew, the TOP Church operates within a unique environment where Christianity coexists with what is seen as a largely secular society.
Despite this, he submits, there are significant opportunities for outreach, unity, and demonstrating the love of Christ through service and community engagement.
Activities
Church services at the TOP Church are typically held on Sundays for the main worship. In addition, there are mid-week prayer sessions, Saturday prayer services, and a half-night service held on the last Friday of every month. “We also organise quarterly programs”, Elder Matthew added.
His impression of the Church so far has been positive. “It is a vibrant and welcoming community where members are committed to worship, fellowship, and supporting one another in faith”, he stated.
In sum, Elder Matthew said the Church continues to grow by God’s grace. “We remain hopeful and committed to spreading the Gospel, strengthening the faith of our members, and making a positive impact in society”, he continued.
Achievements
The TOP Church has a number of achievements and achievements. Some of the strengths include strong community bonds, cultural diversity, and deep commitment to spiritual growth.
I also remember that during the COVID-19 period, I heard that the TOP Church was one such bodies that hugely supported its members and others to cope with the situation.
According to Elder Matthew, the challenges facing the church include “adapting to cultural differences, engaging the younger generation, expanding outreach in a secular society, and securing a permanent place of worship”.
Role in the Ghanaian community in Finland
The TOP Church plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the TOP Church is a religious body for Ghanaian migrants in Finland and other nationalities who want to worship with them for diversity and better intercultural and multicultural understanding.
The Church also has mechanisms in place to support its members who are bereaved as a way to commiserate with them in times of death and funerals.
The Ghanaian community has played a vital role in the growth of the Church. Their strong sense of fellowship, dedication to worship, and active participation have helped build a solid foundation and attract others to the ministry, according to Elder Matthew.
Integration
By its activities, the TOP Church is helping to ensure integration of its members well into the Finish society.
This is important since social interaction and citizens’ well-being are an important part of the integration process.
The role of migrant associations and groups such as TOP Church acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
GHANA MATTERS column appears fortnightly. Written in simple, layman’s terms, it concentrates on matters about Ghana and beyond. It focuses on everyday life issues relating to the social, cultural, economic, religious, political, health, sports, youth, gender, etc. It strives to remind us all that Ghana comes first. The column also takes a candid look at the meanings and repercussions of our actions, especially those things we take for granted or even ignore. There are key Ghanaian values we should uphold rather than disregard with impunity. We should not overlook the obvious. We need to search for the hidden or deeply embedded values and try to project them.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
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