By Kofi Akordor
Last week, the Ministry of Transport announced, as a short-term measure, that a task force would be deployed on the roads to impound vehicles that were originally designed for carrying cargo but have found themselves as passenger vehicles. The ministry said as a long-term solution, it had started the process of sponsoring a legislation which would place a total ban on the conversion of cargo vehicles into contraptions for human beings.
Under normal circumstances, this piece of news should have sent a glow into the hearts of many Ghanaians for very good reasons. For those who may not remember, there was once a breed of vehicles plying our roads called, Watonkyene. These were vehicles which came into the country originally designed by their manufacturers to carry only three persons – the driver and two others – to carry goods at the back to their destinations.
Through the ingenuity of our welders at Kumasi Suame Magazine and other roadside workshops, these vehicles were converted into passenger carriers. Unfortunately, most of these craftsmen did not bother about the construction and use of requirements specified in the Road Traffic Act (2004), Act 683 and the Road Traffic Regulations (1974) LI 953; that is if they were aware of their existence in the first place, which spelt out how those conversions should be done.
These crudely made conversions did not take into account balance and stability of the vehicles when fixing seats on them. The seats themselves were made of iron and patches of foam and leather. On top of these vehicles had been built special cargo holds adding to their load burden.
It was not surprising that these Watonkyene became mobile coffins anytime they were involved in an accident. The fatality rates were very high because one, they were excessively overloaded and two, the seats were not properly designed for passenger comfort and safety.
Official action to stop these vehicles from plying the roads did not yield much because it did not go beyond verbal condemnations, appeals, sporadic threats and warnings. All noise about banning them from plying the roads was mere hot air. These Watonkyenes remained on the roads for as long as their owners cared and passengers were compelled by circumstances to patronise them.
Thank God, age has caught up with most of them so they are very rare, especially on the major highways. But it will not be a surprise to see them in full business in the rural areas where passengers have no choice but to join any available thing on wheels.
There are many other vehicles which came into the country as cargo vehicles but which found their way on the roads as passenger vehicles. A lot of the commercial buses including the infamous Benz 207 were not originally designed for passenger use. How they got licensed and were given roadworthiness certificates as passenger vehicles by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) is still a mystery.
Incidentally, the DVLA and the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service — two major institutions that played no mean role in keeping these dangerous vehicles — are also part of the task force, and Mrs Dzifa Attivor, the Deputy Minister of Transport, announced that they would carry out the operation of removing the vehicles from the roads. Straightaway, we are in the danger of failing in this serious mission.
This is in addition to the fact that we have failed in similar missions in the past. Apart from the story of Watonkyene, we have not been able to enforce the ban on the selling of alcoholic beverages at our lorry parks. The ban only comes alive when we are celebrating our ritualistic road safety campaigns during Easter and Christmas. After that we recoil into our shells to wait for another road safety season or when we are confronted with another ghastly accident in which many people lose their lives.
There was a time when certain category of vehicles was banned from carrying passengers on long distances. The drivers of these vehicles, it was argued, indulged in speeding and so the only solution was to stop them from doing long distances which would stimulate their appetite for speeding.
That argument did not sound logical anyway, since an accident could occur between Tudu in Central Accra and Achimota through recklessness, carelessness or negligence. In any case drivers found a better way of circumventing the ban by segmenting their journey. So in Accra, they will load Nsawam passengers, at Nsawam they will load passengers for Suhum until finally they are in Kumasi. The ban did not work because in the first place as stated earlier, the argument did not sound logical. Two it was not enforceable because you cannot just look at the face of a driver and tell that he had been driving for more than 30 kilometres. Or how do you convince yourself that a passenger who was disembarking from a Nissan Urvan bus at Kejetia Lorry Park in Kumasi joined the vehicle in Accra? It was a laughable experience and that closed the chapter on the ban placed on Nissan Urvan, Toyota Hiace and other mini buses from doing long distances.
Few people will claim they are not aware of the ban on preaching and sale of herbal concoctions on public transport vehicles. Meanwhile, serious-minded passengers will tell you how they have become victims of these noisy preachers and drug peddlers on daily basis on commercial vehicles. And these things happen in Accra every day under the very noses of the law enforcement agencies. We are yet to see a single driver being taken to court for allowing his vehicle to be used as a chapel or chemical shop contrary to law to serve as a deterrent to other prospective offenders.
The transportation sector is where national indiscipline has been given a baptism of acceptance most. See how commercial drivers speed on the shoulders of Accra roads with impunity. We are waiting for some innocent schoolchildren to be mowed down and sent to their premature graves or a minister’s vehicle rammed into before coming back to sermonise about careless driving. Many years after the banning of illegal tinted windows, the windows are becoming darker and darker.
The ban — whether by legislation, regulation or pontification, will be meaningless, in fact useless, unless it is backed with the will to enforce it. For now, we can just take consolation in the fact that this is a new one coming from a new team and hope things will be better.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
C.K Gyamfi, Azumah Nelson left to rot
By Kofi Akordor
IT is the tradition in many countries to honour exceptional achievers by naming national monuments, important landmarks and strategic installations after them. The idea has always been to immortalise the works and ideals of such great men and women and to inspire others to follow their trail, thereby stretching the frontiers of knowledge and human achievement.
In Ghana, we have not been very good at determining who a national hero or icon is and the achievements of some people and their contributions to national development have gone unnoticed, unrecognised, unrewarded, or a combination of some or all of these.
A few of the places that have been named after some of the great sons and daughters of this country do not have any spectacular attraction to the local or foreign visitor. A clear example is the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum situated right here in the heart of Accra, the capital city of this country, which prides itself as the first Black nation south of the Sahara to disentangle itself from colonial rule.
Until a few weeks ago, when the celebration of the first Founder’s Day was drawing near, the mausoleum was in shambles. We are told a Chinese construction firm came to the rescue to wipe the disgrace from our faces when foreigners who have heard so much about our First President decided to use the occasion to visit some historical monuments in the country, especially those that have something to do with the Founder of the Nation.
This type of ‘Shabo shabo’ repair works should not end with this year’s celebration. The mausoleum should be upgraded to give it international status and to give meaning to our declaration of Dr Kwame Nkrumah as the Founder of the Nation and whose name will continue to act like a magnet to bring in scholars, politicians and ordinary tourists to the country.
Apart from the neglect of Nkrumah’s mausoleum, the three major roundabouts on the Ring Road in Accra, named after J.B. Danquah, Kwame Nkrumah and Obetsebi-Lamptey, do not measure up to the stature of these great men. It is easy for any foreign visitor to be making enquiries about the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, while still driving or walking around the place.
As for Tetteh-Quarshie, it is a name many motorists in Accra dread to hear because it always reminds them of chaos, confusion and exasperation. Very soon, that place which is to edify the man who brought the first cocoa beans to Ghana will become another slum infested with traders and all the things that go with street hawking. But who will begrudge them, if men in authority did not find anything wrong in siting a shopping mall there?
Talking about neglect of national monuments brings to attention the deplorable sporting facilities named after Mr Charles Kumi Gyamfi and Azumah ‘Zoom Zoom’ Nelson, two of the greatest sportsmen ever produced by this country. C.K. Gyamfi made his mark in football just as Azumah Nelson made his in boxing.
Mr Gyamfi was a great footballer who became the first Black person to play in the German Bundesliga, when he played for Fortuna Düsseldorf in 1960. It was while playing in Germany that President Nkrumah invited him to take over the coaching of the Black Stars after Josef Ember deserted the team unceremoniously in 1961.
Mr Gyamfi proved his mettle and led the Black Stars to their first Africa Cup triumph in 1963. In 1965 and again in 1982, coach Gyamfi was on the bench of the Black Stars to their victory in the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunis and Tripoli respectively. It is on record that C.K. Gyamfi is the first African coach to have won the Africa Cup on three occasions. This record was only equalled five years ago by Mahmoud El-Goharri of Egypt.
The exploits of Azumah Nelson in the boxing ring is universally recognised and acknowledged. Apart from everything, Azumah Nelson holds the singular honour of being the longest reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) champion when he reigned at both the Featherweight and Super Featherweight divisions.
Apart from the honour they brought to themselves, these gentlemen made Ghana proud in their time. Therefore, when the Kufuor Administration decided to name the Kaneshie Sports Complex and the football academy at Winneba Sports College after Azumah Nelson and C.K. Gyamfi respectively, there were no voices of dissent.
In fact, it was generally agreed that for once, we were on the path to self-recovery. President Kufuor, himself being a sports fan and administrator, who chaired Kumasi Asante Kotoko’s board, had his fair share of the glory for that decision.
Unfortunately, the conditions at the now Azumah Nelson Sports Complex and the C.K Gyamfi Sports College at Winneba have debased the spirit behind the change of names. Any foreign boxing enthusiast who visits the country and wants to pay homage to Azumah Nelson by visiting the sports complex named after him will leave this country, saying a silent prayer for a country that had lost focus, that is, if it ever had one. Elsewhere, the complex would have reflected the true symbol of the name it bears. It will be a place where young men and women nursing the ambition to make their careers in boxing will make their second home.
The Azumah Nelson Sports Complex should not have been given that name and left to rot. No matter our poverty level, that complex should have been provided with a modern boxing gym to groom the up-and-coming ones, to rekindle more interest in the sport and to make it more possible for the country to raise more boxers with the pedigree of Azumah Nelson and those who will even do better.
The Azumah Nelson Sports Complex should have been well-developed to its fullest completion as envisaged by General I.K. Acheampong, whose idea it was to build such a complex for the youth of this country in the regions.
There should have been well-designed and developed facilities for all the sporting disciplines, hostels for the sportsmen and women who will use the facility and recreational amenities to make it an attraction for regular sporting activities.
Unfortunately, we have reduced the Azumah Nelson Complex to a den of thieves and drug addicts, a brothel for prostitutes and their pimps, a haven for mosquitoes, snakes and other unfriendly beasts and a free range for those who do not have access to any toilet facility.
The Azumah Nelson Sports Complex is no inspiration to any young man nursing the dream of becoming a boxer in future. It is not a place that evokes the awe and aura engendered by the man in his active days. It is an Azumah Nelson abandoned and left to rot.
The least said about the C.K. Sports College, the better. This is a place that is supposed to be the breeding ground for young talents. A place where coaches and trainers will go from time to time to improve upon their skills and knowledge and thereafter, impart them to their students elsewhere. A place the mere mention of which will evoke memories of the great exploits of the man C.K. Gyamfi and other great footballers produced by this country.
In fact, it should be a place that will serve as a great monument and a symbol of Ghana’s achievements in football on the continent and beyond. This is a place many great international footballers, coaches and others who are associated with the game of football in particular and other sporting disciplines in general will want to visit with great anticipation.
Like the Azumah Nelson Sports Complex, the C.K. Gyamfi Sports College exists only in name. A reflection of the little importance we attach to great things that could bring immeasurable rewards to this country. A reflection of a people who have no pride in their history. A people who have no place for worth and substance.
As they stand now, the two facilities have done more harm than good to the achievements and images of these great sportsmen. It is not too late to redeem ourselves by giving a fitting facelift to the Azumah Nelson Sports Complex and the C.K. Gyamfi Sports College in Winneba to reflect the true image of the two personalities and what they represent in the history of this country.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
IT is the tradition in many countries to honour exceptional achievers by naming national monuments, important landmarks and strategic installations after them. The idea has always been to immortalise the works and ideals of such great men and women and to inspire others to follow their trail, thereby stretching the frontiers of knowledge and human achievement.
In Ghana, we have not been very good at determining who a national hero or icon is and the achievements of some people and their contributions to national development have gone unnoticed, unrecognised, unrewarded, or a combination of some or all of these.
A few of the places that have been named after some of the great sons and daughters of this country do not have any spectacular attraction to the local or foreign visitor. A clear example is the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum situated right here in the heart of Accra, the capital city of this country, which prides itself as the first Black nation south of the Sahara to disentangle itself from colonial rule.
Until a few weeks ago, when the celebration of the first Founder’s Day was drawing near, the mausoleum was in shambles. We are told a Chinese construction firm came to the rescue to wipe the disgrace from our faces when foreigners who have heard so much about our First President decided to use the occasion to visit some historical monuments in the country, especially those that have something to do with the Founder of the Nation.
This type of ‘Shabo shabo’ repair works should not end with this year’s celebration. The mausoleum should be upgraded to give it international status and to give meaning to our declaration of Dr Kwame Nkrumah as the Founder of the Nation and whose name will continue to act like a magnet to bring in scholars, politicians and ordinary tourists to the country.
Apart from the neglect of Nkrumah’s mausoleum, the three major roundabouts on the Ring Road in Accra, named after J.B. Danquah, Kwame Nkrumah and Obetsebi-Lamptey, do not measure up to the stature of these great men. It is easy for any foreign visitor to be making enquiries about the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, while still driving or walking around the place.
As for Tetteh-Quarshie, it is a name many motorists in Accra dread to hear because it always reminds them of chaos, confusion and exasperation. Very soon, that place which is to edify the man who brought the first cocoa beans to Ghana will become another slum infested with traders and all the things that go with street hawking. But who will begrudge them, if men in authority did not find anything wrong in siting a shopping mall there?
Talking about neglect of national monuments brings to attention the deplorable sporting facilities named after Mr Charles Kumi Gyamfi and Azumah ‘Zoom Zoom’ Nelson, two of the greatest sportsmen ever produced by this country. C.K. Gyamfi made his mark in football just as Azumah Nelson made his in boxing.
Mr Gyamfi was a great footballer who became the first Black person to play in the German Bundesliga, when he played for Fortuna Düsseldorf in 1960. It was while playing in Germany that President Nkrumah invited him to take over the coaching of the Black Stars after Josef Ember deserted the team unceremoniously in 1961.
Mr Gyamfi proved his mettle and led the Black Stars to their first Africa Cup triumph in 1963. In 1965 and again in 1982, coach Gyamfi was on the bench of the Black Stars to their victory in the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunis and Tripoli respectively. It is on record that C.K. Gyamfi is the first African coach to have won the Africa Cup on three occasions. This record was only equalled five years ago by Mahmoud El-Goharri of Egypt.
The exploits of Azumah Nelson in the boxing ring is universally recognised and acknowledged. Apart from everything, Azumah Nelson holds the singular honour of being the longest reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) champion when he reigned at both the Featherweight and Super Featherweight divisions.
Apart from the honour they brought to themselves, these gentlemen made Ghana proud in their time. Therefore, when the Kufuor Administration decided to name the Kaneshie Sports Complex and the football academy at Winneba Sports College after Azumah Nelson and C.K. Gyamfi respectively, there were no voices of dissent.
In fact, it was generally agreed that for once, we were on the path to self-recovery. President Kufuor, himself being a sports fan and administrator, who chaired Kumasi Asante Kotoko’s board, had his fair share of the glory for that decision.
Unfortunately, the conditions at the now Azumah Nelson Sports Complex and the C.K Gyamfi Sports College at Winneba have debased the spirit behind the change of names. Any foreign boxing enthusiast who visits the country and wants to pay homage to Azumah Nelson by visiting the sports complex named after him will leave this country, saying a silent prayer for a country that had lost focus, that is, if it ever had one. Elsewhere, the complex would have reflected the true symbol of the name it bears. It will be a place where young men and women nursing the ambition to make their careers in boxing will make their second home.
The Azumah Nelson Sports Complex should not have been given that name and left to rot. No matter our poverty level, that complex should have been provided with a modern boxing gym to groom the up-and-coming ones, to rekindle more interest in the sport and to make it more possible for the country to raise more boxers with the pedigree of Azumah Nelson and those who will even do better.
The Azumah Nelson Sports Complex should have been well-developed to its fullest completion as envisaged by General I.K. Acheampong, whose idea it was to build such a complex for the youth of this country in the regions.
There should have been well-designed and developed facilities for all the sporting disciplines, hostels for the sportsmen and women who will use the facility and recreational amenities to make it an attraction for regular sporting activities.
Unfortunately, we have reduced the Azumah Nelson Complex to a den of thieves and drug addicts, a brothel for prostitutes and their pimps, a haven for mosquitoes, snakes and other unfriendly beasts and a free range for those who do not have access to any toilet facility.
The Azumah Nelson Sports Complex is no inspiration to any young man nursing the dream of becoming a boxer in future. It is not a place that evokes the awe and aura engendered by the man in his active days. It is an Azumah Nelson abandoned and left to rot.
The least said about the C.K. Sports College, the better. This is a place that is supposed to be the breeding ground for young talents. A place where coaches and trainers will go from time to time to improve upon their skills and knowledge and thereafter, impart them to their students elsewhere. A place the mere mention of which will evoke memories of the great exploits of the man C.K. Gyamfi and other great footballers produced by this country.
In fact, it should be a place that will serve as a great monument and a symbol of Ghana’s achievements in football on the continent and beyond. This is a place many great international footballers, coaches and others who are associated with the game of football in particular and other sporting disciplines in general will want to visit with great anticipation.
Like the Azumah Nelson Sports Complex, the C.K. Gyamfi Sports College exists only in name. A reflection of the little importance we attach to great things that could bring immeasurable rewards to this country. A reflection of a people who have no pride in their history. A people who have no place for worth and substance.
As they stand now, the two facilities have done more harm than good to the achievements and images of these great sportsmen. It is not too late to redeem ourselves by giving a fitting facelift to the Azumah Nelson Sports Complex and the C.K. Gyamfi Sports College in Winneba to reflect the true image of the two personalities and what they represent in the history of this country.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Is our God deaf?
By Kofi Akordor
I heard them approach. They were singing on top of their voices. It was one of those days when sleep was not easy coming. But strangely it was approaching that magic hour of the day when almost every living thing suddenly succumbs to the forces of Nature and loses some kind of consciousness. It was about 4 am, and sleep was coming at last. Then suddenly, this approaching noise.
I started saying a silent prayer. “Lord, let this cup pass by me for I desperately need a few hours sleep before the day breaks. Whether by design or accident, the singing ended just when those responsible reached a few metres behind my bedroom window.
I knew God had answered my prayers. Then the megaphone crackled to life and there was outpour of biblical incantations. This went on for some minutes until I could bear it no longer. Even at the risk of being labelled the devil incarnate, I went out to confront those who had invaded my peace and tranquillity and would not want me to enjoy my inalienable right to peaceful sleep after the day’s toils and tribulations.
The confrontation took them by surprise. Who in God’s name could stop them from preaching His Word? They have had their way for far too long to believe that they can be brought to order. At least if those doing the preaching are so possessed that they would not want to rest their bodies and souls, those of us doing the listening need some peace.
Mine is only one encounter with these so-called men of God. On Friday, September 4, 2009, the Daily Graphic carried a letter from one Ms Ayemuzor Sedem of Teshie Tsui Bleoo who poured out her frustrations at the activities of a church close to her house. According to the lady, this church operates as if there is no law in the country about noise-making.
On Monday, September 7, 2009, another reader, Mr Erasmus Tagoe of Accra, used the medium of the Daily Graphic to express his indignation at how churches have been allowed to operate in the country as if this place is a jungle. The churches are now everywhere — residential areas, street corners, schools, on public buses, in the bushes and forests — and no one including the assemblies, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the police seem to care. Mr Tagoe went further to demand the registration and licensing of churches before they could operate, at least if that would bring them under the control of the laws of this country.
In another letter published in the Daily Graphic of Friday, September 4, 2009, one Edward Edmond Eduful of Kasoa in the Central Region recounted his ordeal, when he had to be sprayed with spittle from a self-styled evangelist on a commercial vehicle he joined from Kasoa to Accra. Even though there is a ban on preaching on commercial vehicles, Mr Eduful did not get the support of many people on board the vehicle and he had to suffer alone.
These are just a few recent complaints about the activities of churches and evangelists that have been brought to the attention of the reading public and the authorities. Similar complaints have been made in the past without any positive response from those who were expected to act.
Since no referendum has been held on the subject, it may not sound rational to conclude that these views are representative of the feeling of the majority of Ghanaians. There is, however, one simple truth. That is the churches and the so-called evangelists are breaching the laws of the land so far as noise-making and preaching on commercial vehicles are concerned. Until the laws are changed or amended, we expect order to prevail.
For far too long, some of these churches, especially those that go by the name charismatic, have operated with impunity as if there is no law in this country. Most of these churches are sited in residential areas contrary to law and make deafening noise in the name of worshipping God. Let nobody stand in the way of anybody who wants to worship God his/her way. In the same way, let no one deny any individual his/her right to peaceful rest after a hard day’s work.
A friend who lives in one of the communities of Tema said if going home early meant taking a rest after a week’s work, then he was better off spending his Friday evenings in town until late in the night when, thank God, the church near his house would have closed. Another colleague said out of desperation, they had to carry their sick mother to a nearby church for healing because the old lady would know no peace in the house because of the noise from the church.
The law on noise-making has become like the numerous laws that we have in the country which exist only on paper.
I do not want to believe that God the Creator Himself, who gave us the sense of hearing, is Himself so deaf that we have to scream at the top of our voices before getting our supplications to Him. I also would not want to believe that God has turned his back on people in countries where worshipping is done under tolerable noise levels. After all, He has asked as in the Holy Scriptures, to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
In fact it could be argued with some amount of justification that people in developed countries who spend less time making noise in the name of worshiping God have enough time to rest and wake up more refreshed and able to think about solving their problems. They are able to feed themselves and send surplus food to us which we receive with relish, when we have more arable land and better climatic conditions than them. Some have landed human beings on the Moon more than 40 years ago and are targeting Mars. They yield tangible dividends because God helps those who help themselves with hard work.
We make the most noise about worshipping God, using almost all our productive hours doing that, yet we are the most impoverished, the most marginalised, the most deprived and the most despised. Surely that cannot represent the true image of God, in which He made us.
By all means, let us praise God. Let us put our problems and requests before Him. Let us sing His praise in joyful tunes.
God is doing wonderful things in our daily lives and we need to acknowledge that. But let us pause and ask, is our God deaf? Surely no! That is why we do not need that much noise when we want to reach Him. He will hear us even in whispers. In any case it is because of the overzealousness of religious fanatics that we have laws to regulate our activities. The laws must, therefore, be made to work.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
I heard them approach. They were singing on top of their voices. It was one of those days when sleep was not easy coming. But strangely it was approaching that magic hour of the day when almost every living thing suddenly succumbs to the forces of Nature and loses some kind of consciousness. It was about 4 am, and sleep was coming at last. Then suddenly, this approaching noise.
I started saying a silent prayer. “Lord, let this cup pass by me for I desperately need a few hours sleep before the day breaks. Whether by design or accident, the singing ended just when those responsible reached a few metres behind my bedroom window.
I knew God had answered my prayers. Then the megaphone crackled to life and there was outpour of biblical incantations. This went on for some minutes until I could bear it no longer. Even at the risk of being labelled the devil incarnate, I went out to confront those who had invaded my peace and tranquillity and would not want me to enjoy my inalienable right to peaceful sleep after the day’s toils and tribulations.
The confrontation took them by surprise. Who in God’s name could stop them from preaching His Word? They have had their way for far too long to believe that they can be brought to order. At least if those doing the preaching are so possessed that they would not want to rest their bodies and souls, those of us doing the listening need some peace.
Mine is only one encounter with these so-called men of God. On Friday, September 4, 2009, the Daily Graphic carried a letter from one Ms Ayemuzor Sedem of Teshie Tsui Bleoo who poured out her frustrations at the activities of a church close to her house. According to the lady, this church operates as if there is no law in the country about noise-making.
On Monday, September 7, 2009, another reader, Mr Erasmus Tagoe of Accra, used the medium of the Daily Graphic to express his indignation at how churches have been allowed to operate in the country as if this place is a jungle. The churches are now everywhere — residential areas, street corners, schools, on public buses, in the bushes and forests — and no one including the assemblies, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the police seem to care. Mr Tagoe went further to demand the registration and licensing of churches before they could operate, at least if that would bring them under the control of the laws of this country.
In another letter published in the Daily Graphic of Friday, September 4, 2009, one Edward Edmond Eduful of Kasoa in the Central Region recounted his ordeal, when he had to be sprayed with spittle from a self-styled evangelist on a commercial vehicle he joined from Kasoa to Accra. Even though there is a ban on preaching on commercial vehicles, Mr Eduful did not get the support of many people on board the vehicle and he had to suffer alone.
These are just a few recent complaints about the activities of churches and evangelists that have been brought to the attention of the reading public and the authorities. Similar complaints have been made in the past without any positive response from those who were expected to act.
Since no referendum has been held on the subject, it may not sound rational to conclude that these views are representative of the feeling of the majority of Ghanaians. There is, however, one simple truth. That is the churches and the so-called evangelists are breaching the laws of the land so far as noise-making and preaching on commercial vehicles are concerned. Until the laws are changed or amended, we expect order to prevail.
For far too long, some of these churches, especially those that go by the name charismatic, have operated with impunity as if there is no law in this country. Most of these churches are sited in residential areas contrary to law and make deafening noise in the name of worshipping God. Let nobody stand in the way of anybody who wants to worship God his/her way. In the same way, let no one deny any individual his/her right to peaceful rest after a hard day’s work.
A friend who lives in one of the communities of Tema said if going home early meant taking a rest after a week’s work, then he was better off spending his Friday evenings in town until late in the night when, thank God, the church near his house would have closed. Another colleague said out of desperation, they had to carry their sick mother to a nearby church for healing because the old lady would know no peace in the house because of the noise from the church.
The law on noise-making has become like the numerous laws that we have in the country which exist only on paper.
I do not want to believe that God the Creator Himself, who gave us the sense of hearing, is Himself so deaf that we have to scream at the top of our voices before getting our supplications to Him. I also would not want to believe that God has turned his back on people in countries where worshipping is done under tolerable noise levels. After all, He has asked as in the Holy Scriptures, to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
In fact it could be argued with some amount of justification that people in developed countries who spend less time making noise in the name of worshiping God have enough time to rest and wake up more refreshed and able to think about solving their problems. They are able to feed themselves and send surplus food to us which we receive with relish, when we have more arable land and better climatic conditions than them. Some have landed human beings on the Moon more than 40 years ago and are targeting Mars. They yield tangible dividends because God helps those who help themselves with hard work.
We make the most noise about worshipping God, using almost all our productive hours doing that, yet we are the most impoverished, the most marginalised, the most deprived and the most despised. Surely that cannot represent the true image of God, in which He made us.
By all means, let us praise God. Let us put our problems and requests before Him. Let us sing His praise in joyful tunes.
God is doing wonderful things in our daily lives and we need to acknowledge that. But let us pause and ask, is our God deaf? Surely no! That is why we do not need that much noise when we want to reach Him. He will hear us even in whispers. In any case it is because of the overzealousness of religious fanatics that we have laws to regulate our activities. The laws must, therefore, be made to work.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
LORD, LET THE BRT PROJECT WORK (SEPT 8, 2009)
ABOUT two weeks ago, a 15-member delegation, led by Mr Joe Gidisu, the Minister of Roads and Transport, left this country on a three-nation tour of two continents — Europe and America — with one mission, and that was to see how the Bus Road Transport (BRT) system operate in those countries.
The study tour, as that trip could be appropriately described, took the team to the United Kingdom, Brazil and the Republic of Colombia.
To ensure that nothing escaped notice, the composition of the team was structured such that it had politicians, who are the decision makers; technocrats and bureaucrats, who are implementers; and media practitioners, including a disc jockey, who are the eyes and ears of the general citizenry. That may be an indication of how serious we are about the BRT.
Some people have argued that the nation could have cut down cost by inviting a few experts from those countries to come and spend a few days here to impart their knowledge and experience to our engineers and politicians instead of that huge delegation criss-crossing the globe.
I think seeing is believing and it is, therefore, proper that our people, including the minister responsible for the transport sector, saw with their own naked eyes what BRT means and how it has contributed to the free flow of vehicular traffic in major cities like London in the United Kingdom, Curitiba in Brazil and Bogotá in Colombia.
These are cities that share certain characteristics with Accra, our capital city. I am referring to both physical size and population. If, therefore, the BRT system is working to near perfection in those cities, making intra-city transportation fast and easy, then there is no excuse why Accra, and for that matter any Ghanaian city, can be different.
As if God is on our side to make sure that the study tour was not in vain, three major funding institutions, namely the World Bank, Agence France Development and the Global Environment Fund, according to Dr D.D. Darko of the Department of Urban Roads, have released US$95 million to support the country’s Urban Transport Project. The BRT, according to Dr Darko, is a major component of the urban transport project.
The truth is that Accra is a choked city, neither because it is bigger than any of the three cities mentioned earlier, nor could it be imagined that it had more vehicles plying its streets than those of the aforementioned cities. The fact is that, the three countries — UK, Brazil and Colombia — have bigger economies than ours and their citizens are wealthier and consequently, as could logically be expected, have more vehicles on their roads.
The sad truth, however, is that our city authorities abandoned city planning many years ago. Where roads were to pass, according to city maps, has been taken over by other structures, including buildings, container shops, kiosks, hotels and whole markets. A distressed motorist could be driving on what appeared to him to be a road until suddenly he is confronted with a huge gate of a mighty house.
Apart from clear cases of encroachment on city lands, most Accra roads do not measure up to the standard of many major cities of the world. They are narrow, poorly constructed and easily consumed by floods after the slightest drizzle.
For a city like Accra, the roundabouts are just too many. We still have roundabouts at strategic intersections like Kwame Nkrumah Circle and Obetsebi-Lamptey Circle, when there should be flyovers to distribute traffic smoothly and to give beauty to the capital.
The Tema end of the motorway is a clear example of how our planners and political leaders have been overtaken by events. This was a motorway which was constructed nearly 50 years ago and that roundabout was created when residential areas beyond Michel Camp on the Accra-Ho road and settlements beyond the roundabout on the Accra-Aflao roads were not in existence. That roundabout should be upgraded to a flyover to ease the headache of motorists during rush hours.
We failed and made a mess of the Tetteh-Quarshie project, when we wasted precious money that did not bring any relief to motorists or add any aesthetic beauty to the city. What we have now is a poorly designed road project which people mistake for an interchange. That jungle does not befit the great name associated with it.
I am sure those who returned from the three-nation study recently would tell us what an interchange really is and whether Tetteh-Quarshie qualifies to be called one.
The police barrier on the outskirts of Tema, known as Jerusalem Gate in those days, has now become like a bridge that has been swallowed up by the waters of a river. The best place to situate that barrier now should be beyond Afienya. As it is now, the Jerusalem Gate is a Gate of Hell that adds to an already bad situation in the mornings and evenings.
Accra is our national capital and the country’s largest city, which must be given proper facelift to make it live up to that status. All roads leading to Accra should be developed into multi-lane carriageways.
Most major cities have alternative transport systems for commuters to choose from — rail, underground and road. We are poor, so we claim to be, so we shall not be thinking of the underground now. Our railway system has been rehabilitated verbally several times without concrete action.
The BRT system is the cheapest among the various alternatives and this is one area we should not fail the people of this country. As Dr Darko indicated, we can start with some of the heavy traffic routes like the Adenta-Madina-Legon-Accra, Kasoa-Mallam-Kaneshie-Accra and Tema-Nungua-Teshie-Accra routes.
The system, as the delegation found out during its study tour, is already working in many countries. Let not its introduction here become a mere talking shop, where daily assurances would be given without any serious action. Let us not use the greater part of the US$95 million and other funds that may be secured in future, on feasibility studies, meetings, workshops, seminars and education campaigns to the detriment of the project itself.
The same middle pavements which Dr Darko stated would be used to develop the BRT lanes can also carry trams, if the authorities will begin to factor that into their plans for the future.
My heart missed a beat when I read what Dr Darko said, that the government was upbeat about the project and that work was being done at different levels to ensure that the project took off in the next couple of years.
That was where my fear lies. Once it is not immediate, but in “a couple of years”, I know we are in serious trouble and we may end up in one of those high-talking projects that end before it begins. We have built enough castles in the air. I wish this time, we have the BRT on the ground.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
The study tour, as that trip could be appropriately described, took the team to the United Kingdom, Brazil and the Republic of Colombia.
To ensure that nothing escaped notice, the composition of the team was structured such that it had politicians, who are the decision makers; technocrats and bureaucrats, who are implementers; and media practitioners, including a disc jockey, who are the eyes and ears of the general citizenry. That may be an indication of how serious we are about the BRT.
Some people have argued that the nation could have cut down cost by inviting a few experts from those countries to come and spend a few days here to impart their knowledge and experience to our engineers and politicians instead of that huge delegation criss-crossing the globe.
I think seeing is believing and it is, therefore, proper that our people, including the minister responsible for the transport sector, saw with their own naked eyes what BRT means and how it has contributed to the free flow of vehicular traffic in major cities like London in the United Kingdom, Curitiba in Brazil and Bogotá in Colombia.
These are cities that share certain characteristics with Accra, our capital city. I am referring to both physical size and population. If, therefore, the BRT system is working to near perfection in those cities, making intra-city transportation fast and easy, then there is no excuse why Accra, and for that matter any Ghanaian city, can be different.
As if God is on our side to make sure that the study tour was not in vain, three major funding institutions, namely the World Bank, Agence France Development and the Global Environment Fund, according to Dr D.D. Darko of the Department of Urban Roads, have released US$95 million to support the country’s Urban Transport Project. The BRT, according to Dr Darko, is a major component of the urban transport project.
The truth is that Accra is a choked city, neither because it is bigger than any of the three cities mentioned earlier, nor could it be imagined that it had more vehicles plying its streets than those of the aforementioned cities. The fact is that, the three countries — UK, Brazil and Colombia — have bigger economies than ours and their citizens are wealthier and consequently, as could logically be expected, have more vehicles on their roads.
The sad truth, however, is that our city authorities abandoned city planning many years ago. Where roads were to pass, according to city maps, has been taken over by other structures, including buildings, container shops, kiosks, hotels and whole markets. A distressed motorist could be driving on what appeared to him to be a road until suddenly he is confronted with a huge gate of a mighty house.
Apart from clear cases of encroachment on city lands, most Accra roads do not measure up to the standard of many major cities of the world. They are narrow, poorly constructed and easily consumed by floods after the slightest drizzle.
For a city like Accra, the roundabouts are just too many. We still have roundabouts at strategic intersections like Kwame Nkrumah Circle and Obetsebi-Lamptey Circle, when there should be flyovers to distribute traffic smoothly and to give beauty to the capital.
The Tema end of the motorway is a clear example of how our planners and political leaders have been overtaken by events. This was a motorway which was constructed nearly 50 years ago and that roundabout was created when residential areas beyond Michel Camp on the Accra-Ho road and settlements beyond the roundabout on the Accra-Aflao roads were not in existence. That roundabout should be upgraded to a flyover to ease the headache of motorists during rush hours.
We failed and made a mess of the Tetteh-Quarshie project, when we wasted precious money that did not bring any relief to motorists or add any aesthetic beauty to the city. What we have now is a poorly designed road project which people mistake for an interchange. That jungle does not befit the great name associated with it.
I am sure those who returned from the three-nation study recently would tell us what an interchange really is and whether Tetteh-Quarshie qualifies to be called one.
The police barrier on the outskirts of Tema, known as Jerusalem Gate in those days, has now become like a bridge that has been swallowed up by the waters of a river. The best place to situate that barrier now should be beyond Afienya. As it is now, the Jerusalem Gate is a Gate of Hell that adds to an already bad situation in the mornings and evenings.
Accra is our national capital and the country’s largest city, which must be given proper facelift to make it live up to that status. All roads leading to Accra should be developed into multi-lane carriageways.
Most major cities have alternative transport systems for commuters to choose from — rail, underground and road. We are poor, so we claim to be, so we shall not be thinking of the underground now. Our railway system has been rehabilitated verbally several times without concrete action.
The BRT system is the cheapest among the various alternatives and this is one area we should not fail the people of this country. As Dr Darko indicated, we can start with some of the heavy traffic routes like the Adenta-Madina-Legon-Accra, Kasoa-Mallam-Kaneshie-Accra and Tema-Nungua-Teshie-Accra routes.
The system, as the delegation found out during its study tour, is already working in many countries. Let not its introduction here become a mere talking shop, where daily assurances would be given without any serious action. Let us not use the greater part of the US$95 million and other funds that may be secured in future, on feasibility studies, meetings, workshops, seminars and education campaigns to the detriment of the project itself.
The same middle pavements which Dr Darko stated would be used to develop the BRT lanes can also carry trams, if the authorities will begin to factor that into their plans for the future.
My heart missed a beat when I read what Dr Darko said, that the government was upbeat about the project and that work was being done at different levels to ensure that the project took off in the next couple of years.
That was where my fear lies. Once it is not immediate, but in “a couple of years”, I know we are in serious trouble and we may end up in one of those high-talking projects that end before it begins. We have built enough castles in the air. I wish this time, we have the BRT on the ground.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
If only talking could build a nation
By Kofi Akordor
There were those who were generally referred to as armed chair politicians. These are people who are not ministers of state, parliamentarians or political party activists. In short, they are not in mainstream politics but are adept in political discussions. They do not have privilege of access to radio or television studios to engage in free discussions; neither do they have the penchant for writing in the newspapers.
However, at the least opportunity offered by a gathering, whether at a funeral, a wedding or a gathering of two or more to celebrate alcohol consumption, the armed chair politician will indulge himself in political arguments, condemning or praising public office holders or offering solutions to all national problems.
Whichever way you look at it, the armed-chair politicians played and continue to play important role in our political milieu, especially in the days when the voices of dissent were hushed because of the harsh conditions prevailing on the political landscape. They were the voice of the voiceless and initiators of public debates on topical national issues. They also fuelled the rumour mill and fed the public on what was happening within the corridors of the political establishment.
Today, the role of the armed-chair politicians has not diminished in any way, except that a new breed of commentators on social and political issues, who are more biased towards the latter, have taken over prominence as a result of the liberalisation of the airwaves, thanks to the 1992 Constitution that has guaranteed freedom of speech and expression to citizens.
These are people who move from one radio station to another and still manage to fix themselves at one or two television stations throughout the day, pushing the agenda against or for a political party or any other institution directly or indirectly.
The role of these commentators, which has assumed a professional character, cannot be ignored. Governments that take these commentators for granted do so at their own peril. In a liberal political environment such as the one we are enjoying in this country, there is room for some people to do the talking while others listen.
The social commentators who spent all day talking can be pardoned. After all, they are making a living and they have those who are ready to listen to them. If only their discussions will be well-informed, objective, and impartial (devoid of partisanship) and centre on pressing national issues, we will say the nation is the winner. It is such open discussions that nurture a healthy democracy.
The worry of the majority of Ghanaians is about another group of people who have made talking a bigger part of their work. We are referring to our politicians, especially those who have found themselves in government and who spend a greater part of their time talking.
During the campaign period, politicians promise the electorate everything. But the story becomes different after they enter political office and that is when the fruitless talking starts.
Newly-appointed ministers have to embark on familiarisation tour of areas under their jurisdiction for week to ‘acquaint themselves’ of the problems being faced by institutions under their ministries. All these time more talking goes on, reminding the people of the promises they made on the campaign platform, without forgetting to tell them about the damage done to the economy by the government they came to replace.
The inspection tour and talking cut across from district executives, parliamentarians, and ministers of state to the Presidency. It is all promises, pledges, assurances and expressions of commitment to do one thing or another. It may be too big an assignment for me. But the social scientists may try it and I will not be surprised if they come out with a conclusion that our government officials spend greater part of their tenure talking than focusing on matters of state. That is why we need to sit up.
By all means, government officials must use every opportunity to explain policies to the people and to solicit their support and confidence, but it appears we are building this nation through talking with very little action. If government officials and their bureaucrats and technocrats are not on the road talking and doing inspections, then they are holding a series of meetings that bring very little at the end of the day.
A daily schedule of a minister looks like this: Opens a conference in the morning, presides over a meeting and possibly attends an evening programme in one of the numerous modern hotels in the capital. Other days are used to tour the regions and districts to have first-hand experience of problems there. That leaves very little time for serious thinking, planning and execution.
Our Presidents do not fare better either. Apart from other things, they must create space for chief mourners who are constantly calling on them to announce the death of a great son or a great daughter. By the time the last delegation departs, they are too tired, so they retire and wait for the following day to start it all over. Some may say it is our culture to spend all our productive hours worrying about or celebrating the dead.
We have built enough roads with our mouths to make the autobahns of Germany look like farm roads. We have used our mouths to construct enough schools to take all our children off the streets and put them comfortably in classrooms instead of leaving them under the tree shades which has become their shelter against hostile weather conditions.
The latest Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results showed that just a little over 50 per cent of those who sat for the examination qualified to progress to the senior high schools (SHS). Is that why there is so much noise about bringing qualitative change in our educational system? What the results mean is that about half the population of this year’s candidates are already on their way to join the pool of the marginalised and deprived whose means of survival can be anything but decent.
We have done everything with our mouth from the construction of hospitals, and provision of potable water to anything that could have transformed this country into a paradise by now. What we have failed to do is to sit down and think, plan and act.
The recent rains exposed how poor our roads are. It also exposed the corruption and mismanagement that had permeated our construction industry and town planning.
For a country of its size and natural resources, Ghana could have done better, if our leaders had not indulged in more talking than acting. There is too much poverty, deprivation and misery around to allow for loose talk. The indiscipline on the roads is not something that could be fought with daily lectures without concrete decisions to enforce discipline. Our traffic lights do not work and no-one seems to be in charge. Drivers of passenger vehicles have turned the shoulders of city roads into expressways and we seem to be impotent to act.
We continue to make boastful noises that agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. Meanwhile, we have made food imports a lucrative business, while our fertile lands lie uncultivated.
A government delegation just returned from a three-nation tour of UK, the US and Colombia to understudy operation of the Bus Road Transport (BRT) system in those countries. Those countries succeeded in operating that system not just because they had the money, but they also had the determination to do what they knew was good for them. We hope it does not become another ‘looking without doing’. There is a lot to do to overhaul our transport system. Apart from upgrading our roads, especially bringing Accra city roads to international standard, we need to exploit the use of other means of city transport, including trams on some of the busy and heavily congested routes.
At the peak of the busy period, we seem to be trapped in our own capital city by heavy traffic. It should not be a matter of no funds, that is an old story; it is a matter thinking and acting.
If mere talking were to do the trick, the fishermen at James Town in Accra would have been the proud owners of a modern fishing harbour promised them by the previous government. If mere promises or talking were to do the construction, Ghanaians would have by now been travelling from Accra to Paga on a fast train as was promised them some years ago. We have failed in these two projects not because of lack of funds, but because we are not able to determine our priorities, coupled with the lack of the conviction to pursue our targets with determination.
In the absence of any clear-cut national development agenda vigorously pursued under a committed and visionary leadership, we think talking will do the trick. Talking may soothe our pains and give us some hope in the interim but ultimately leave us empty at the end of it all. Those who want to talk can be left to do so, but we want more action from our leaders than talking.
There were those who were generally referred to as armed chair politicians. These are people who are not ministers of state, parliamentarians or political party activists. In short, they are not in mainstream politics but are adept in political discussions. They do not have privilege of access to radio or television studios to engage in free discussions; neither do they have the penchant for writing in the newspapers.
However, at the least opportunity offered by a gathering, whether at a funeral, a wedding or a gathering of two or more to celebrate alcohol consumption, the armed chair politician will indulge himself in political arguments, condemning or praising public office holders or offering solutions to all national problems.
Whichever way you look at it, the armed-chair politicians played and continue to play important role in our political milieu, especially in the days when the voices of dissent were hushed because of the harsh conditions prevailing on the political landscape. They were the voice of the voiceless and initiators of public debates on topical national issues. They also fuelled the rumour mill and fed the public on what was happening within the corridors of the political establishment.
Today, the role of the armed-chair politicians has not diminished in any way, except that a new breed of commentators on social and political issues, who are more biased towards the latter, have taken over prominence as a result of the liberalisation of the airwaves, thanks to the 1992 Constitution that has guaranteed freedom of speech and expression to citizens.
These are people who move from one radio station to another and still manage to fix themselves at one or two television stations throughout the day, pushing the agenda against or for a political party or any other institution directly or indirectly.
The role of these commentators, which has assumed a professional character, cannot be ignored. Governments that take these commentators for granted do so at their own peril. In a liberal political environment such as the one we are enjoying in this country, there is room for some people to do the talking while others listen.
The social commentators who spent all day talking can be pardoned. After all, they are making a living and they have those who are ready to listen to them. If only their discussions will be well-informed, objective, and impartial (devoid of partisanship) and centre on pressing national issues, we will say the nation is the winner. It is such open discussions that nurture a healthy democracy.
The worry of the majority of Ghanaians is about another group of people who have made talking a bigger part of their work. We are referring to our politicians, especially those who have found themselves in government and who spend a greater part of their time talking.
During the campaign period, politicians promise the electorate everything. But the story becomes different after they enter political office and that is when the fruitless talking starts.
Newly-appointed ministers have to embark on familiarisation tour of areas under their jurisdiction for week to ‘acquaint themselves’ of the problems being faced by institutions under their ministries. All these time more talking goes on, reminding the people of the promises they made on the campaign platform, without forgetting to tell them about the damage done to the economy by the government they came to replace.
The inspection tour and talking cut across from district executives, parliamentarians, and ministers of state to the Presidency. It is all promises, pledges, assurances and expressions of commitment to do one thing or another. It may be too big an assignment for me. But the social scientists may try it and I will not be surprised if they come out with a conclusion that our government officials spend greater part of their tenure talking than focusing on matters of state. That is why we need to sit up.
By all means, government officials must use every opportunity to explain policies to the people and to solicit their support and confidence, but it appears we are building this nation through talking with very little action. If government officials and their bureaucrats and technocrats are not on the road talking and doing inspections, then they are holding a series of meetings that bring very little at the end of the day.
A daily schedule of a minister looks like this: Opens a conference in the morning, presides over a meeting and possibly attends an evening programme in one of the numerous modern hotels in the capital. Other days are used to tour the regions and districts to have first-hand experience of problems there. That leaves very little time for serious thinking, planning and execution.
Our Presidents do not fare better either. Apart from other things, they must create space for chief mourners who are constantly calling on them to announce the death of a great son or a great daughter. By the time the last delegation departs, they are too tired, so they retire and wait for the following day to start it all over. Some may say it is our culture to spend all our productive hours worrying about or celebrating the dead.
We have built enough roads with our mouths to make the autobahns of Germany look like farm roads. We have used our mouths to construct enough schools to take all our children off the streets and put them comfortably in classrooms instead of leaving them under the tree shades which has become their shelter against hostile weather conditions.
The latest Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results showed that just a little over 50 per cent of those who sat for the examination qualified to progress to the senior high schools (SHS). Is that why there is so much noise about bringing qualitative change in our educational system? What the results mean is that about half the population of this year’s candidates are already on their way to join the pool of the marginalised and deprived whose means of survival can be anything but decent.
We have done everything with our mouth from the construction of hospitals, and provision of potable water to anything that could have transformed this country into a paradise by now. What we have failed to do is to sit down and think, plan and act.
The recent rains exposed how poor our roads are. It also exposed the corruption and mismanagement that had permeated our construction industry and town planning.
For a country of its size and natural resources, Ghana could have done better, if our leaders had not indulged in more talking than acting. There is too much poverty, deprivation and misery around to allow for loose talk. The indiscipline on the roads is not something that could be fought with daily lectures without concrete decisions to enforce discipline. Our traffic lights do not work and no-one seems to be in charge. Drivers of passenger vehicles have turned the shoulders of city roads into expressways and we seem to be impotent to act.
We continue to make boastful noises that agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. Meanwhile, we have made food imports a lucrative business, while our fertile lands lie uncultivated.
A government delegation just returned from a three-nation tour of UK, the US and Colombia to understudy operation of the Bus Road Transport (BRT) system in those countries. Those countries succeeded in operating that system not just because they had the money, but they also had the determination to do what they knew was good for them. We hope it does not become another ‘looking without doing’. There is a lot to do to overhaul our transport system. Apart from upgrading our roads, especially bringing Accra city roads to international standard, we need to exploit the use of other means of city transport, including trams on some of the busy and heavily congested routes.
At the peak of the busy period, we seem to be trapped in our own capital city by heavy traffic. It should not be a matter of no funds, that is an old story; it is a matter thinking and acting.
If mere talking were to do the trick, the fishermen at James Town in Accra would have been the proud owners of a modern fishing harbour promised them by the previous government. If mere promises or talking were to do the construction, Ghanaians would have by now been travelling from Accra to Paga on a fast train as was promised them some years ago. We have failed in these two projects not because of lack of funds, but because we are not able to determine our priorities, coupled with the lack of the conviction to pursue our targets with determination.
In the absence of any clear-cut national development agenda vigorously pursued under a committed and visionary leadership, we think talking will do the trick. Talking may soothe our pains and give us some hope in the interim but ultimately leave us empty at the end of it all. Those who want to talk can be left to do so, but we want more action from our leaders than talking.
IF ONLY TALKING COULD BUILD A NATION (SEPTEMBER 1)
There were those who were generally referred to as armed chair politicians. These are people who are not ministers of state, parliamentarians or political party activists.
In short, they are not in mainstream politics but are adept in political discussions. They do not have privilege of access to radio or television studios to engage in free discussions; neither do they have the penchant for writing in the newspapers.
However, at the least opportunity offered by a gathering, whether at a funeral, a wedding or a gathering of two or more to celebrate alcohol consumption, the armed chair politician will indulge himself in political arguments, condemning or praising public office holders or offering solutions to all national problems.
Whichever way you look at it, the armed-chair politicians played and continue to play important roles in our political milieu, especially in the days when the voices of dissent were hushed because of the harsh conditions prevailing on the political landscape.
They were the voice of the voiceless and initiators of public debates on topical national issues. They also fuelled the rumour mill and fed the public on what was happening within the corridors of the political establishment.
Today, the role of the armed-chair politicians has not diminished in any way, except that a new breed of commentators on social and political issues, who are more biased towards the latter, have taken over prominence as a result of the liberalisation of the airwaves, thanks to the 1992 Constitution that has guaranteed freedom of speech and expression to citizens.
These are people who move from one radio station to another and still manage to fix themselves at one or two television stations throughout the day, pushing the agenda against or for a political party or any other institution directly or indirectly.
The role of these commentators, which has assumed a professional character, cannot be ignored. Governments that take these commentators for granted do so at their own peril. In a liberal political environment such as the one we are enjoying in this country, there is room for some people to do the talking while others listen.
The social commentators who spent all day talking can be pardoned. After all, they are making a living and they have those who are ready to listen to them. If only their discussions will be well-informed, objective, and impartial (devoid of partisanship) and centre on pressing national issues, we will say the nation is the winner. It is such open discussions that nurture a healthy democracy.
The worry of the majority of Ghanaians is about another group of people who have made talking a bigger part of their work. We are referring to our politicians, especially those who have found themselves in government and who spend a greater part of their time talking.
During the campaign period, politicians promise the electorate everything. But the story becomes different after they enter political office and that is when the fruitless talking starts.
Newly-appointed ministers have to embark on familiarisation tour of areas under their jurisdiction for week to ‘acquaint themselves’ of the problems being faced by institutions under their ministries.
All these time more talking goes on, reminding the people of the promises they made on the campaign platform, without forgetting to tell them about the damage done to the economy by the government they came to replace.
The inspection tour and talking cut across from district executives, parliamentarians, and ministers of state to the Presidency. It is all promises, pledges, assurances and expressions of commitment to do one thing or another. It may be too big an assignment for me. But the social scientists may try it and I will not be surprised if they come out with a conclusion that our government officials spend greater part of their tenure talking than focusing on matters of state. That is why we need to sit up.
By all means, government officials must use every opportunity to explain policies to the people and to solicit their support and confidence, but it appears we are building this nation through talking with very little action.
If government officials and their bureaucrats and technocrats are not on the road talking and doing inspections, then they are holding a series of meetings that bring very little at the end of the day.
A daily schedule of a minister looks like this: Opens a conference in the morning, presides over a meeting and possibly attends an evening programme in one of the numerous modern hotels in the capital. Other days are used to tour the regions and districts to have first-hand experience of problems there. That leaves very little time for serious thinking, planning and execution.
Our Presidents do not fare better either. Apart from other things, they must create space for chief mourners who are constantly calling on them to announce the death of a great son or a great daughter.
By the time the last delegation departs, they are too tired, so they retire and wait for the following day to start it all over. Some may say it is our culture to spend all our productive hours worrying about or celebrating the dead.
We have built enough roads with our mouths to make the autobahns of Germany look like farm roads. We have used our mouths to construct enough schools to take all our children off the streets and put them comfortably in classrooms instead of leaving them under the tree shades which has become their shelter against hostile weather conditions.
The latest Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results showed that just a little over 50 per cent of those who sat for the examination qualified to progress to the senior high schools (SHS). Is that why there is so much noise about bringing qualitative change in our educational system?
What the results mean is that about half the population of this year’s candidates are already on their way to join the pool of the marginalised and deprived whose means of survival can be anything but decent.
We have done everything with our mouth from the construction of hospitals, and provision of potable water to anything that could have transformed this country into a paradise by now. What we have failed to do is to sit down and think, plan and act.
The recent rains exposed how poor our roads are. It also exposed the corruption and mismanagement that had permeated our construction industry and town planning.
For a country of its size and natural resources, Ghana could have done better, if our leaders had not indulged in more talking than acting.
There is too much poverty, deprivation and misery around to allow for loose talk. The indiscipline on the roads is not something that could be fought with daily lectures without concrete decisions to enforce discipline.
Our traffic lights do not work and no-one seems to be in charge. Drivers of passenger vehicles have turned the shoulders of city roads into expressways and we seem to be impotent to act.
We continue to make boastful noises that agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. Meanwhile, we have made food imports a lucrative business, while our fertile lands lie uncultivated.
A government delegation just returned from a three-nation tour of UK, the US and Colombia to understudy operation of the Bus Road Transport (BRT) system in those countries. Those countries succeeded in operating that system not just because they had the money, but they also had the determination to do what they knew was good for them.
We hope it does not become another ‘looking without doing’. There is a lot to do to overhaul our transport system. Apart from upgrading our roads, especially bringing Accra city roads to international standard, we need to exploit the use of other means of city transport, including trams on some of the busy and heavily congested routes.
At the peak of the busy period, we seem to be trapped in our own capital city by heavy traffic. It should not be a matter of no funds, that is an old story; it is a matter thinking and acting.
If mere talking were to do the trick, the fishermen at James Town in Accra would have been the proud owners of a modern fishing harbour promised them by the previous government.
If mere promises or talking were to do the construction, Ghanaians would have by now been travelling from Accra to Paga on a fast train as was promised them some years ago.
We have failed in these two projects not because of lack of funds, but because we are not able to determine our priorities, coupled with the lack of the conviction to pursue our targets with determination.
In the absence of any clear-cut national development agenda vigorously pursued under a committed and visionary leadership, we think talking will do the trick. Talking may soothe our pains and give us some hope in the interim but ultimately leave us empty at the end of it all. Those who want to talk can be left to do so, but we want more action from our leaders than talking.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
In short, they are not in mainstream politics but are adept in political discussions. They do not have privilege of access to radio or television studios to engage in free discussions; neither do they have the penchant for writing in the newspapers.
However, at the least opportunity offered by a gathering, whether at a funeral, a wedding or a gathering of two or more to celebrate alcohol consumption, the armed chair politician will indulge himself in political arguments, condemning or praising public office holders or offering solutions to all national problems.
Whichever way you look at it, the armed-chair politicians played and continue to play important roles in our political milieu, especially in the days when the voices of dissent were hushed because of the harsh conditions prevailing on the political landscape.
They were the voice of the voiceless and initiators of public debates on topical national issues. They also fuelled the rumour mill and fed the public on what was happening within the corridors of the political establishment.
Today, the role of the armed-chair politicians has not diminished in any way, except that a new breed of commentators on social and political issues, who are more biased towards the latter, have taken over prominence as a result of the liberalisation of the airwaves, thanks to the 1992 Constitution that has guaranteed freedom of speech and expression to citizens.
These are people who move from one radio station to another and still manage to fix themselves at one or two television stations throughout the day, pushing the agenda against or for a political party or any other institution directly or indirectly.
The role of these commentators, which has assumed a professional character, cannot be ignored. Governments that take these commentators for granted do so at their own peril. In a liberal political environment such as the one we are enjoying in this country, there is room for some people to do the talking while others listen.
The social commentators who spent all day talking can be pardoned. After all, they are making a living and they have those who are ready to listen to them. If only their discussions will be well-informed, objective, and impartial (devoid of partisanship) and centre on pressing national issues, we will say the nation is the winner. It is such open discussions that nurture a healthy democracy.
The worry of the majority of Ghanaians is about another group of people who have made talking a bigger part of their work. We are referring to our politicians, especially those who have found themselves in government and who spend a greater part of their time talking.
During the campaign period, politicians promise the electorate everything. But the story becomes different after they enter political office and that is when the fruitless talking starts.
Newly-appointed ministers have to embark on familiarisation tour of areas under their jurisdiction for week to ‘acquaint themselves’ of the problems being faced by institutions under their ministries.
All these time more talking goes on, reminding the people of the promises they made on the campaign platform, without forgetting to tell them about the damage done to the economy by the government they came to replace.
The inspection tour and talking cut across from district executives, parliamentarians, and ministers of state to the Presidency. It is all promises, pledges, assurances and expressions of commitment to do one thing or another. It may be too big an assignment for me. But the social scientists may try it and I will not be surprised if they come out with a conclusion that our government officials spend greater part of their tenure talking than focusing on matters of state. That is why we need to sit up.
By all means, government officials must use every opportunity to explain policies to the people and to solicit their support and confidence, but it appears we are building this nation through talking with very little action.
If government officials and their bureaucrats and technocrats are not on the road talking and doing inspections, then they are holding a series of meetings that bring very little at the end of the day.
A daily schedule of a minister looks like this: Opens a conference in the morning, presides over a meeting and possibly attends an evening programme in one of the numerous modern hotels in the capital. Other days are used to tour the regions and districts to have first-hand experience of problems there. That leaves very little time for serious thinking, planning and execution.
Our Presidents do not fare better either. Apart from other things, they must create space for chief mourners who are constantly calling on them to announce the death of a great son or a great daughter.
By the time the last delegation departs, they are too tired, so they retire and wait for the following day to start it all over. Some may say it is our culture to spend all our productive hours worrying about or celebrating the dead.
We have built enough roads with our mouths to make the autobahns of Germany look like farm roads. We have used our mouths to construct enough schools to take all our children off the streets and put them comfortably in classrooms instead of leaving them under the tree shades which has become their shelter against hostile weather conditions.
The latest Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results showed that just a little over 50 per cent of those who sat for the examination qualified to progress to the senior high schools (SHS). Is that why there is so much noise about bringing qualitative change in our educational system?
What the results mean is that about half the population of this year’s candidates are already on their way to join the pool of the marginalised and deprived whose means of survival can be anything but decent.
We have done everything with our mouth from the construction of hospitals, and provision of potable water to anything that could have transformed this country into a paradise by now. What we have failed to do is to sit down and think, plan and act.
The recent rains exposed how poor our roads are. It also exposed the corruption and mismanagement that had permeated our construction industry and town planning.
For a country of its size and natural resources, Ghana could have done better, if our leaders had not indulged in more talking than acting.
There is too much poverty, deprivation and misery around to allow for loose talk. The indiscipline on the roads is not something that could be fought with daily lectures without concrete decisions to enforce discipline.
Our traffic lights do not work and no-one seems to be in charge. Drivers of passenger vehicles have turned the shoulders of city roads into expressways and we seem to be impotent to act.
We continue to make boastful noises that agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. Meanwhile, we have made food imports a lucrative business, while our fertile lands lie uncultivated.
A government delegation just returned from a three-nation tour of UK, the US and Colombia to understudy operation of the Bus Road Transport (BRT) system in those countries. Those countries succeeded in operating that system not just because they had the money, but they also had the determination to do what they knew was good for them.
We hope it does not become another ‘looking without doing’. There is a lot to do to overhaul our transport system. Apart from upgrading our roads, especially bringing Accra city roads to international standard, we need to exploit the use of other means of city transport, including trams on some of the busy and heavily congested routes.
At the peak of the busy period, we seem to be trapped in our own capital city by heavy traffic. It should not be a matter of no funds, that is an old story; it is a matter thinking and acting.
If mere talking were to do the trick, the fishermen at James Town in Accra would have been the proud owners of a modern fishing harbour promised them by the previous government.
If mere promises or talking were to do the construction, Ghanaians would have by now been travelling from Accra to Paga on a fast train as was promised them some years ago.
We have failed in these two projects not because of lack of funds, but because we are not able to determine our priorities, coupled with the lack of the conviction to pursue our targets with determination.
In the absence of any clear-cut national development agenda vigorously pursued under a committed and visionary leadership, we think talking will do the trick. Talking may soothe our pains and give us some hope in the interim but ultimately leave us empty at the end of it all. Those who want to talk can be left to do so, but we want more action from our leaders than talking.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
IF ONLY TALKING COULD BUILD A NATION (SEPTEMBER 1)
There were those who were generally referred to as armed chair politicians. These are people who are not ministers of state, parliamentarians or political party activists.
In short, they are not in mainstream politics but are adept in political discussions. They do not have privilege of access to radio or television studios to engage in free discussions; neither do they have the penchant for writing in the newspapers.
However, at the least opportunity offered by a gathering, whether at a funeral, a wedding or a gathering of two or more to celebrate alcohol consumption, the armed chair politician will indulge himself in political arguments, condemning or praising public office holders or offering solutions to all national problems.
Whichever way you look at it, the armed-chair politicians played and continue to play important roles in our political milieu, especially in the days when the voices of dissent were hushed because of the harsh conditions prevailing on the political landscape.
They were the voice of the voiceless and initiators of public debates on topical national issues. They also fuelled the rumour mill and fed the public on what was happening within the corridors of the political establishment.
Today, the role of the armed-chair politicians has not diminished in any way, except that a new breed of commentators on social and political issues, who are more biased towards the latter, have taken over prominence as a result of the liberalisation of the airwaves, thanks to the 1992 Constitution that has guaranteed freedom of speech and expression to citizens.
These are people who move from one radio station to another and still manage to fix themselves at one or two television stations throughout the day, pushing the agenda against or for a political party or any other institution directly or indirectly.
The role of these commentators, which has assumed a professional character, cannot be ignored. Governments that take these commentators for granted do so at their own peril. In a liberal political environment such as the one we are enjoying in this country, there is room for some people to do the talking while others listen.
The social commentators who spent all day talking can be pardoned. After all, they are making a living and they have those who are ready to listen to them. If only their discussions will be well-informed, objective, and impartial (devoid of partisanship) and centre on pressing national issues, we will say the nation is the winner. It is such open discussions that nurture a healthy democracy.
The worry of the majority of Ghanaians is about another group of people who have made talking a bigger part of their work. We are referring to our politicians, especially those who have found themselves in government and who spend a greater part of their time talking.
During the campaign period, politicians promise the electorate everything. But the story becomes different after they enter political office and that is when the fruitless talking starts.
Newly-appointed ministers have to embark on familiarisation tour of areas under their jurisdiction for week to ‘acquaint themselves’ of the problems being faced by institutions under their ministries.
All these time more talking goes on, reminding the people of the promises they made on the campaign platform, without forgetting to tell them about the damage done to the economy by the government they came to replace.
The inspection tour and talking cut across from district executives, parliamentarians, and ministers of state to the Presidency. It is all promises, pledges, assurances and expressions of commitment to do one thing or another. It may be too big an assignment for me. But the social scientists may try it and I will not be surprised if they come out with a conclusion that our government officials spend greater part of their tenure talking than focusing on matters of state. That is why we need to sit up.
By all means, government officials must use every opportunity to explain policies to the people and to solicit their support and confidence, but it appears we are building this nation through talking with very little action.
If government officials and their bureaucrats and technocrats are not on the road talking and doing inspections, then they are holding a series of meetings that bring very little at the end of the day.
A daily schedule of a minister looks like this: Opens a conference in the morning, presides over a meeting and possibly attends an evening programme in one of the numerous modern hotels in the capital. Other days are used to tour the regions and districts to have first-hand experience of problems there. That leaves very little time for serious thinking, planning and execution.
Our Presidents do not fare better either. Apart from other things, they must create space for chief mourners who are constantly calling on them to announce the death of a great son or a great daughter.
By the time the last delegation departs, they are too tired, so they retire and wait for the following day to start it all over. Some may say it is our culture to spend all our productive hours worrying about or celebrating the dead.
We have built enough roads with our mouths to make the autobahns of Germany look like farm roads. We have used our mouths to construct enough schools to take all our children off the streets and put them comfortably in classrooms instead of leaving them under the tree shades which has become their shelter against hostile weather conditions.
The latest Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results showed that just a little over 50 per cent of those who sat for the examination qualified to progress to the senior high schools (SHS). Is that why there is so much noise about bringing qualitative change in our educational system?
What the results mean is that about half the population of this year’s candidates are already on their way to join the pool of the marginalised and deprived whose means of survival can be anything but decent.
We have done everything with our mouth from the construction of hospitals, and provision of potable water to anything that could have transformed this country into a paradise by now. What we have failed to do is to sit down and think, plan and act.
The recent rains exposed how poor our roads are. It also exposed the corruption and mismanagement that had permeated our construction industry and town planning.
For a country of its size and natural resources, Ghana could have done better, if our leaders had not indulged in more talking than acting.
There is too much poverty, deprivation and misery around to allow for loose talk. The indiscipline on the roads is not something that could be fought with daily lectures without concrete decisions to enforce discipline.
Our traffic lights do not work and no-one seems to be in charge. Drivers of passenger vehicles have turned the shoulders of city roads into expressways and we seem to be impotent to act.
We continue to make boastful noises that agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. Meanwhile, we have made food imports a lucrative business, while our fertile lands lie uncultivated.
A government delegation just returned from a three-nation tour of UK, the US and Colombia to understudy operation of the Bus Road Transport (BRT) system in those countries. Those countries succeeded in operating that system not just because they had the money, but they also had the determination to do what they knew was good for them.
We hope it does not become another ‘looking without doing’. There is a lot to do to overhaul our transport system. Apart from upgrading our roads, especially bringing Accra city roads to international standard, we need to exploit the use of other means of city transport, including trams on some of the busy and heavily congested routes.
At the peak of the busy period, we seem to be trapped in our own capital city by heavy traffic. It should not be a matter of no funds, that is an old story; it is a matter thinking and acting.
If mere talking were to do the trick, the fishermen at James Town in Accra would have been the proud owners of a modern fishing harbour promised them by the previous government.
If mere promises or talking were to do the construction, Ghanaians would have by now been travelling from Accra to Paga on a fast train as was promised them some years ago.
We have failed in these two projects not because of lack of funds, but because we are not able to determine our priorities, coupled with the lack of the conviction to pursue our targets with determination.
In the absence of any clear-cut national development agenda vigorously pursued under a committed and visionary leadership, we think talking will do the trick. Talking may soothe our pains and give us some hope in the interim but ultimately leave us empty at the end of it all. Those who want to talk can be left to do so, but we want more action from our leaders than talking.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
In short, they are not in mainstream politics but are adept in political discussions. They do not have privilege of access to radio or television studios to engage in free discussions; neither do they have the penchant for writing in the newspapers.
However, at the least opportunity offered by a gathering, whether at a funeral, a wedding or a gathering of two or more to celebrate alcohol consumption, the armed chair politician will indulge himself in political arguments, condemning or praising public office holders or offering solutions to all national problems.
Whichever way you look at it, the armed-chair politicians played and continue to play important roles in our political milieu, especially in the days when the voices of dissent were hushed because of the harsh conditions prevailing on the political landscape.
They were the voice of the voiceless and initiators of public debates on topical national issues. They also fuelled the rumour mill and fed the public on what was happening within the corridors of the political establishment.
Today, the role of the armed-chair politicians has not diminished in any way, except that a new breed of commentators on social and political issues, who are more biased towards the latter, have taken over prominence as a result of the liberalisation of the airwaves, thanks to the 1992 Constitution that has guaranteed freedom of speech and expression to citizens.
These are people who move from one radio station to another and still manage to fix themselves at one or two television stations throughout the day, pushing the agenda against or for a political party or any other institution directly or indirectly.
The role of these commentators, which has assumed a professional character, cannot be ignored. Governments that take these commentators for granted do so at their own peril. In a liberal political environment such as the one we are enjoying in this country, there is room for some people to do the talking while others listen.
The social commentators who spent all day talking can be pardoned. After all, they are making a living and they have those who are ready to listen to them. If only their discussions will be well-informed, objective, and impartial (devoid of partisanship) and centre on pressing national issues, we will say the nation is the winner. It is such open discussions that nurture a healthy democracy.
The worry of the majority of Ghanaians is about another group of people who have made talking a bigger part of their work. We are referring to our politicians, especially those who have found themselves in government and who spend a greater part of their time talking.
During the campaign period, politicians promise the electorate everything. But the story becomes different after they enter political office and that is when the fruitless talking starts.
Newly-appointed ministers have to embark on familiarisation tour of areas under their jurisdiction for week to ‘acquaint themselves’ of the problems being faced by institutions under their ministries.
All these time more talking goes on, reminding the people of the promises they made on the campaign platform, without forgetting to tell them about the damage done to the economy by the government they came to replace.
The inspection tour and talking cut across from district executives, parliamentarians, and ministers of state to the Presidency. It is all promises, pledges, assurances and expressions of commitment to do one thing or another. It may be too big an assignment for me. But the social scientists may try it and I will not be surprised if they come out with a conclusion that our government officials spend greater part of their tenure talking than focusing on matters of state. That is why we need to sit up.
By all means, government officials must use every opportunity to explain policies to the people and to solicit their support and confidence, but it appears we are building this nation through talking with very little action.
If government officials and their bureaucrats and technocrats are not on the road talking and doing inspections, then they are holding a series of meetings that bring very little at the end of the day.
A daily schedule of a minister looks like this: Opens a conference in the morning, presides over a meeting and possibly attends an evening programme in one of the numerous modern hotels in the capital. Other days are used to tour the regions and districts to have first-hand experience of problems there. That leaves very little time for serious thinking, planning and execution.
Our Presidents do not fare better either. Apart from other things, they must create space for chief mourners who are constantly calling on them to announce the death of a great son or a great daughter.
By the time the last delegation departs, they are too tired, so they retire and wait for the following day to start it all over. Some may say it is our culture to spend all our productive hours worrying about or celebrating the dead.
We have built enough roads with our mouths to make the autobahns of Germany look like farm roads. We have used our mouths to construct enough schools to take all our children off the streets and put them comfortably in classrooms instead of leaving them under the tree shades which has become their shelter against hostile weather conditions.
The latest Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results showed that just a little over 50 per cent of those who sat for the examination qualified to progress to the senior high schools (SHS). Is that why there is so much noise about bringing qualitative change in our educational system?
What the results mean is that about half the population of this year’s candidates are already on their way to join the pool of the marginalised and deprived whose means of survival can be anything but decent.
We have done everything with our mouth from the construction of hospitals, and provision of potable water to anything that could have transformed this country into a paradise by now. What we have failed to do is to sit down and think, plan and act.
The recent rains exposed how poor our roads are. It also exposed the corruption and mismanagement that had permeated our construction industry and town planning.
For a country of its size and natural resources, Ghana could have done better, if our leaders had not indulged in more talking than acting.
There is too much poverty, deprivation and misery around to allow for loose talk. The indiscipline on the roads is not something that could be fought with daily lectures without concrete decisions to enforce discipline.
Our traffic lights do not work and no-one seems to be in charge. Drivers of passenger vehicles have turned the shoulders of city roads into expressways and we seem to be impotent to act.
We continue to make boastful noises that agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. Meanwhile, we have made food imports a lucrative business, while our fertile lands lie uncultivated.
A government delegation just returned from a three-nation tour of UK, the US and Colombia to understudy operation of the Bus Road Transport (BRT) system in those countries. Those countries succeeded in operating that system not just because they had the money, but they also had the determination to do what they knew was good for them.
We hope it does not become another ‘looking without doing’. There is a lot to do to overhaul our transport system. Apart from upgrading our roads, especially bringing Accra city roads to international standard, we need to exploit the use of other means of city transport, including trams on some of the busy and heavily congested routes.
At the peak of the busy period, we seem to be trapped in our own capital city by heavy traffic. It should not be a matter of no funds, that is an old story; it is a matter thinking and acting.
If mere talking were to do the trick, the fishermen at James Town in Accra would have been the proud owners of a modern fishing harbour promised them by the previous government.
If mere promises or talking were to do the construction, Ghanaians would have by now been travelling from Accra to Paga on a fast train as was promised them some years ago.
We have failed in these two projects not because of lack of funds, but because we are not able to determine our priorities, coupled with the lack of the conviction to pursue our targets with determination.
In the absence of any clear-cut national development agenda vigorously pursued under a committed and visionary leadership, we think talking will do the trick. Talking may soothe our pains and give us some hope in the interim but ultimately leave us empty at the end of it all. Those who want to talk can be left to do so, but we want more action from our leaders than talking.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
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