Features
Why NDC directive failed in Parliament
Mr. Fiifi Kwetey
Quite recently, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) issued a directive to its Members of Parliament (MPs) not to approve the nomination of ministers presented to parliament as a way of preventing the ruling government from carrying out its mandate of ensuring that the country achieves growth for the entire country.
The ministers were appointed to replace those who had resigned to explore their presidential ambitions for the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Some of the ministers were Hon. K.T. Hammond, who has now replaced Hon. Alan Kyerematen, and Hon. Bryan Acheampong, who has also replaced Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto.
DIVISIONS
The directive from the NDC was disobeyed, and this has brought tension within the party. The tension has also brought about some divisions within the NDC.
Why are all these things happening within the NDC?
Relationships, politics, religion and social aspects of Ghana’s environment make for interesting observations. Ghana is an interesting and peaceful country.
DEMOCRATIC NATION
It is a democratic nation, with the 1992 Constitution as the supreme law of the country. It has other laws, such as the various acts or legislation, rules, regulations, and others. There are what we refer to as existing laws, common laws and customary laws.
There is also a multiplicity of political parties engaged in their own activities.
Ghana is a secular state. There is one dominant religion. The leading religions are Islam, Christianity, and traditional.
HETEROGENEOUS SOCIETY
It is a country with a heterogeneous society. Ghana is a country in which numerous population groups have specific and distinct values and understandings. In a heterogeneous society many sets of shared meanings make up the society.
That notwithstanding, Ghanaians live peacefully, happily, and are lovely, but with challenges such as unemployment, social infrastructure, etc.
INTERMARRIAGE
They intermarry among themselves. For instance, a Chamba man is married to a Busanga, Kokomba or Wala woman, or an Ewe man is married to an Asante woman, or vice versa.
Ghana is both a politically and culturally oriented nation. We love and respect our cultures, traditions, and customs.
Though not from the same tribe or family, many of the citizens know themselves and are very close to one another. This is so because they are either school mates, classmates, workmates or religious colleagues, etc.
NEIGHBOURLINESS
When we take the Nima community for instance, where the majority of the inhabitants are Muslims, you will be amazed to see many Christians living in the homes of Muslims as tenants and doing everything together. It also happens in other communities. This is how Ghanaians relate to and live with one another. Muslims attend social programmes such as weddings, funerals and birthdays of their fellow Christians and vice versa.
RELATIONSHIP
In the politics of the country, many blood relatives belong to opposing political parties and live or relate well.
The current Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and a Member of Parliament for Damango, Hon. Abu Jinapor is a Cabinet Minister in the NPP government of Nana Akufo-Addo and is a direct and younger brother to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Yapei Kusawgu and the ranking member of Energy, Hon. John Jinapor. They have the same parents. Abu follows John directly, like how number two follows number one in that order.
Also, the current NDC Member of Parliament for Adentan, Hon. Mohammed Adamu Ramadan, is the direct brother of the Second Lady, Hajia Samira Bawumia, whose husband is the Vice President of the Republic. Both Samira and her husband are leading members of the NPP. The other brother of Samira is Abu Ramadan, who is also a member of the NPP after defecting from the People’s National Convention (PNC).
Other examples are the Yankahs: Kojo and Kwasi, the Osafo Maafos, Baba Kamara and Boniface Abubakar Siddiq, etc. They are either NPP or NDC. These people are together and relate happily.
We also know of some NPP members who are related to other members of the NDC. We are together, and we do everything together to promote our common interests. Our different political affiliations have never and will never divide us. This is how life must be. We all cannot support or belong to one organisation or grouping; we must scatter and bring happiness, joy, and assistance home.
Our loyalty is to our faith, followed by our united country, family, and any other consideration.
The current Speaker of our 8th Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Bagbin, is a founding member of the NDC but has been a political father to some people within the NPP. He was a classmate of the Interior Minister Hon. Ambrose Dery both at the faculty and at the Law School. His other classmate was Hajia Alima Mahama, a former Minister under Nana Akufo-Addo who is now an envoy to the United States.
Also find out the relationship between Hon. K.T. Hammond (NPP) and Hon. Dr. Kwabena Donkor (NDC), the late Sir John and General Mosquito of the NDC. They were very good friends until the former’s demise.
REPULSIVE FIAT
It was, therefore, disgusting when the National Democratic Congress issued a fiat asking its members in Parliament to reject the appointees of the President. It will never happen because of the numerous examples assigned. That was why the NDC directive failed.
For example, will John Jinapor ever vote against Abu’s nomination or vice versa? Relationships should be a priority before any other political consideration.
Politics should not have any place to create disaffection or division among us Ghanaians. We are all people with a common destiny.
Email address/WhatsApp number of author:
Pradmat201@gmail.com (0553318911)
By Dr. Kofi Amponsah-Bediako
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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