“Well done is better than well said” — Benjamin Franklin.
I was having a chat with a friend two weeks ago and he said something very profound. He said the week just gone by was going to give birth to very interesting events. No amount of persuasion could make him elaborate on the matter. All that he kept on saying was ‘let’s wait and see’.
The week has come and gone. And true to Kofi Django’s words, it has given birth to several interesting events. Unlike those who continue to stage-manage miracles on television, Kofi Django is indeed a great prophet!
The week started with news of the legendary Nigerian reggae musician, Ras Kimono, joining his ancestors in ‘Samanfoland’. I was particularly saddened by his demise because he and Alpha Blondy stimulated my interest in reggae music when I was growing up. May his soul find peace with its Maker, Jah!
After being silent for about a month, which was surprising considering their desperation, members of the Minority in Parliament have started the noise-making again. Their anger this time is on the National Identification Authority (NIA). Their beef is that the omission of the voters ID among the required IDs for the Ghanacard registration would disqualify many citizens.
They may have a very good point. But using it as a tool to gain political point is what irks many of their compatriots. After all, were they blind when they joined members of the Majority to pass the NIA bill?
Well, an appendage of Zu-za has taken the matter to the Supreme Court. So let’s keep our fingers crossed!
The death of a 70-year-old man as a result of ‘no bed’ syndrome by seven health facilities in the nation’s capital has once again brought to the fore the weaknesses in our health system. We all seem enraged by the sad event and are clamouring for solutions to the problems. But for how long?
We will lament for one or two weeks and then go to sleep, awaiting another calamity to afford us another opportunity to lament. What didn’t we hear after the demise of Suzzy Williams, Terry Bonchaka, Kwame Owusu-Ansah and Ferdinand Ayim? Did we not lament about road accidents and went silent until Ebony’s death? Frankly, my ears are tired of the lamentations!
I’m indeed enraged to hear that a country of close to 30 million people has only 54 ambulances. Yes, you heard me right! Only 54 ambulances! I’m even more enraged when those who wasted $2.4 million on faulty ambulances open their ‘smelly’ mouths to comment on the issue.
In the meantime, OccupyGhana has released a press statement with a plan for a comprehensive emergency response system in Ghana. A very nice plan with beautiful ideas, I must say! But nothing will come out of it if there is no sustained pressure on the government to act. We should not accept the ‘no money’ excuse because the government can do it if it is willing.
It is no secret that I have sympathies for this government. But the bitter truth is that the Nana Addo-led government has performed poorly when it comes to the health sector. The health minister has been disappointing, to say the least. How can he superintend over such a mess and still believe he is performing?
Abusuapanin, thanks to the Bearded Old Man above; Muslims climaxed the Ramadan fast with Eid-Ul-Fitr last Friday. The month-long exercise was not only spiritually uplifting, but also physically fulfilling. My prayer is that the Bearded Old Man should grant us life and good health to witness many more Ramadans!
The week also witnessed the commencement of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Kwame Okro’s Ghana is absent from the 32-nation tournament. Many of my compatriots have expressed their sadness at the absence of our motherland from the football Mundial.
But I beg to differ. If for nothing at all, the country has been spared the embarrassment of flying hard cash to pay players’ appearance fees. The country has also been saved from wasting money to fly party foot-soldiers under the guise of supporters. Our absence from Russia 2018 would also save the country from wasting money on commissions and committees to investigate wastage at the tournament.
In the meantime, the effect of the Anas’s tsunami has not subsided. All activities of the GFA have been suspended and a five-man committee formed to oversee the football affairs in the country. Massa, these are indeed trying times for Ghana football.
As you enjoy watching the Russia 2018 matches, be reminded that the pressure on the government to fix the mess in the health sector continues unabated. I’m tired of seeing my compatriots die like chicks. What about you? You see, I’m also engaged in lamentations, aren’t I?
See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!