I used to patronise a lot, the services of vulcanisers who operate in open spaces in the towns and along the highways. They are everywhere and their services are available whenever you need them because they do not rely on expensive and sophisticated equipment. Their fees too are manageable. Sometimes I wonder whether they make profit at all.
That was until a friend whispered in my ears to be careful with wayside vulcanisers. They are helpful but they are also prone to mistakes that could be costly. Some can inflate your tyres beyond the acceptable pressure either out of ignorance or due to faulty gauges. When that happens you are likely to experience a burst tyre while cruising on the highway and the consequences are quite obvious.
Even with that warning I continued gambling with my life and car by frequenting the services of these vulcanisers until one day, when the person I thought to be the professional asked me whether he should make it 35 or 40. When I inquired what the meaning of that was, he said he wanted to know the pressure I wanted for my tyre. I then knew I was in serious trouble.
Even as an ordinary person, I know all tyres have the necessary information any vulcaniser requires when serving a customer. Unfortunately these vulcanisers, who are rendering very important and life-or-death services, have very little education, if any. Their competence in their field of operation is, therefore, very limited.
If such a handicapped vulcaniser comes to serve a driver who belongs to his group, the disastrous consequences could well be imagined. The situation of our vulcanisers epitomises two things; the manner we have treated technical education and the treatment we have given to some professional groups in the country.
We have come to the conclusion that some professions do not require any strong educational background or intellectual capacity and have, therefore, relegated them to people who think they have no other choice in life. This has undermined efforts by the technical institutes to produce skilled artisans who could render efficient and top-grade service to the public.
The technical schools have courses in several technical skills including carpentry and joinery, painting and decoration, automotive engineering, electrical installation, plumbing, welding, and refrigeration.
Unfortunately most of our young and brilliant students who could have become top flight technicians in these fields do not show enthusiasm about these courses because they have come to the painful realisation that they are more or less associated with those with weak academic grades. Some of those who show interest are eventually discouraged by either their parents or peers.
In the end, a big percentage of those who pursue courses in these skills at the technical schools distance themselves from the profession after graduation and prefer to be employed by companies and treated like white collar professionals, leaving a minority few who manage to set up their own workshops where they register a vast difference in quality work between them and the rest.
This accounts for the reason why most of our garages are still manned mostly by mechanics who trained on the job and who oftentimes do more damage to our vehicles in the name of repairing them. This approach cannot bring us the technological advancement we so much need as a country if the field is left for only apprentice mechanics.
By now we expect a deliberate programme to systematically replace these mechanics without technical education with well-trained ones who can assimilate modern innovations in the technical field and who could in the long run be able to design and manufacture something of their own instead of perfecting the repair of vehicles manufactured by others.
The construction industry has adversely suffered similarly from lack of highly trained artisans. With the availability of abundant timber resources we should have by now reduced the importation of furniture into the country.
Sadly, apart from Agorwu, Kpogas and a few local furnishers, the field has been left open for foreign companies who bring in finished products from outside or who employ local expertise and pay them peanuts.
The landscape can change drastically if graduates of our polytechnics and universities will plunge themselves in these trades and debunk the notion that only illiterates or the semi-educated are suited for these trades.
The fashion and beauty care industry, which is a major money spinner in even advanced countries, has been given the same shabby treatment. The field has been left in the hands of those generally described as school dropouts.
But in instances where the business had been managed by those with higher educational qualifications, there was a vast difference in the quality of service rendered and customer satisfaction has been proved through the number and class of clientele who patronise those facilities.
One profession which has been treated with contempt and for which the nation is paying dearly with precious lives is driving. This is a profession we have come to think of erroneously as a mere mechanical function of holding and turning a steering wheel without the need for the use of the head.
The carnage on our roads is mainly due to the quality of drivers we have in the system. Most of the accidents on the roads (about 80 per cent) are due to human error, only a few being mechanical fault. It is like saying that if one could not do anything, at least driving is available.
We have, therefore, allowed driving to be invaded by all sorts of characters, a lot of who cannot read simple road signs. If people with university degrees could work as taxi or bus drivers in the US and Europe, why should driving not be upgraded here to bring discipline and sanity into the profession?
This mentality is not limited to the technical professions alone. Tell people you are a teacher, a nurse or a journalist and the conclusion is that you have not passed your Ordinary or Advanced Level examinations. In the process, some of these professions which are challenging and play strategic roles in national development do not attract the right calibre of scholars.
In this computer age, no profession should be taken for granted. The vehicles that are coming today are so sophisticated that it requires more than just apprenticeship to service them. That means we should see technical education as a very important part of our national development. The days when we saw professions such as driving, hairdressing, plumbing, catering, barbering, vehicle repairs and many more as menial jobs that do not demand formal training in accredited institutions should be over.
We should make it easy for our children to choose their professions no matter their educational level. It is only then that we can raise the status of these professions and bring the best out of the professionals.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Stop work, produce permit
By Kofi Akordor
Many Ghanaians are now used to the military-like order: “Stop work! Produce permit”. These warnings are boldly written in red paint and can be found on many buildings in the Accra-Tema metropolitan area and other major commercial towns. They are indications that a structure is either wrongly sited or the developer has not got the necessary building permits from the lawful authorities such as the Town and Country Planning Department or the appropriate metropolitan, municipal or district assembly.
Whatever the case may be, the bottom line is that the right thing had not been done. Interestingly, work never stops on almost all the structures with the above warnings which eventually get completed. These are the structures built on waterways, in green zones or are located on plots of land that are meant for other things such as schools and recreational facilities but definitely not those put on them.
It is amazing how individuals and organisations have been able to flout building regulations with such impunity over the years. Today, it is easy to erect a magnificent edifice of a house without access road. After all everyone is exercising his or her right to put up a house and where one passes to get to that house becomes secondary. That explains why Accra, our national capital, has become a huge jungle of traffic jams and lawless drivers. It explains why the slightest drizzle cuts off some parts of the city from the rest. It explains why school parks and recreational grounds have become noisy drinking bars and chapels. It explains why green zones which were demarcated purposely to break the monotony of steel and concrete and to bring human beings closer to nature have been turned into factories spewing out carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and filling the drains with poisonous effluents.
This wanton disregard for building regulations has gained acceptability and become the norm instead of the exception due to official connivance. One telephone call to a big man sitting somewhere or a crumpled envelope pressed into the palm of an official from the supervising agency makes a wrong deed right, damn the future consequences.
This country has got enough laws to make it a safe haven but a combination of factors include lack of courage and the will power to enforce the laws and corrupt tendencies which have neutralised public officials have rendered our laws mere paper tigers. Sometimes in our desperation, we wrongly think the solution lies in making more laws when enforcing the existing ones would have done the trick.
There is an order banning the sale of drugs on vehicles which has never been enforced. Tro-tro vehicles have also become mobile chapels with people who could hardly write their names proclaiming themselves as evangelists and disturbing the peace of passengers but nobody seems to have the guts to stop the menace. The police administration always reminds motorists that it is an offence to drive vehicles with tainted glasses. While police officers are busy checking ‘papers’ of drivers, vehicles with heavily tainted glasses are found all over the place as if it is nobody’s business.
Taxi and tro-tro drivers have created their own speed lanes on the shoulders of our roads while our law enforcement agencies watch helplessly until an innocent school pupil or a mother with a baby strapped at the back is knocked down before they move into action. Seriously speaking, pedestrians cannot use the shoulders of the roads which are the safest part of the roads available to them without the danger of being knocked down by careless drivers.
Recently, the police mounted an exercise with a lot of fanfare to check careless driving and speeding on the Accra-Tema Motorway. After just a day on the road, the police have withdrawn until another accident then the media hype starts all over.
As for our churches, especially the Pentecostal and the charismatic ones, they never get their message to God unless it is packaged in a noisy form. Most of these worship centres are in residential areas which should not have been allowed in the first place, but woe unto any person who protests against the violation of his/her right to a quiet evening or a peaceful sleep. That person becomes the devil incarnate before those self-proclaimed righteous church members. The city authorities whose own by-laws prohibit noise-making are impotent to apply the law they took pains to draft.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), itself has a lot of explanations to offer for failing to enforce its by-laws and regulations. The battle against hawking on the streets and pavements is almost lost. The more the AMA makes the noise of decongesting the city of traders doing business in unauthorised places, the more the multitudes that throng the place. Tetteh-Quarshie Interchange, that cauldron of confusion and congestion, has become the latest hotbed of city trading but the authorities have failed to terminate another potential Abuja or Sodom and Gomorrah at its embryonic stage. They are waiting until it festers into a gangrenous wound that may defy treatment in future.
The AMA’s directive against the erection of billboards at places where they obstruct the view of motorists has been treated with contempt, so is its order against the new phenomenon of video/musical cassette sales accompanied by loud music on the streets.
As for urinating in public, there is no better way to treat the ban with disdain than to urinate on the wall with the inscription; ”Do not urinate here, by AMA” itself. The AMA has to tell the public what has happened to its directive to taxi drivers to wear special uniforms. As it is now, those who obeyed the directive will look like fools before the rest who treated the directive with contempt.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has given up enforcing the order prohibiting the commercialisation of extra classes using public school classrooms just as it could not stop some religious bodies from using classrooms as places of worship.
The list is endless but it goes to prove that we are only interested in making laws and regulations or giving directives without the clout to enforce them. We complain of indiscipline in our national life not because we lack the requisite laws to regulate our behaviour. Should we compound the situation by making more laws, or we simply enforce existing ones? That could be done if those who fashioned the laws and who are responsible for their enforcement have faith in them. Other than that this country will remain a jungle of lawlessness amidst a thousand and one laws.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Many Ghanaians are now used to the military-like order: “Stop work! Produce permit”. These warnings are boldly written in red paint and can be found on many buildings in the Accra-Tema metropolitan area and other major commercial towns. They are indications that a structure is either wrongly sited or the developer has not got the necessary building permits from the lawful authorities such as the Town and Country Planning Department or the appropriate metropolitan, municipal or district assembly.
Whatever the case may be, the bottom line is that the right thing had not been done. Interestingly, work never stops on almost all the structures with the above warnings which eventually get completed. These are the structures built on waterways, in green zones or are located on plots of land that are meant for other things such as schools and recreational facilities but definitely not those put on them.
It is amazing how individuals and organisations have been able to flout building regulations with such impunity over the years. Today, it is easy to erect a magnificent edifice of a house without access road. After all everyone is exercising his or her right to put up a house and where one passes to get to that house becomes secondary. That explains why Accra, our national capital, has become a huge jungle of traffic jams and lawless drivers. It explains why the slightest drizzle cuts off some parts of the city from the rest. It explains why school parks and recreational grounds have become noisy drinking bars and chapels. It explains why green zones which were demarcated purposely to break the monotony of steel and concrete and to bring human beings closer to nature have been turned into factories spewing out carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and filling the drains with poisonous effluents.
This wanton disregard for building regulations has gained acceptability and become the norm instead of the exception due to official connivance. One telephone call to a big man sitting somewhere or a crumpled envelope pressed into the palm of an official from the supervising agency makes a wrong deed right, damn the future consequences.
This country has got enough laws to make it a safe haven but a combination of factors include lack of courage and the will power to enforce the laws and corrupt tendencies which have neutralised public officials have rendered our laws mere paper tigers. Sometimes in our desperation, we wrongly think the solution lies in making more laws when enforcing the existing ones would have done the trick.
There is an order banning the sale of drugs on vehicles which has never been enforced. Tro-tro vehicles have also become mobile chapels with people who could hardly write their names proclaiming themselves as evangelists and disturbing the peace of passengers but nobody seems to have the guts to stop the menace. The police administration always reminds motorists that it is an offence to drive vehicles with tainted glasses. While police officers are busy checking ‘papers’ of drivers, vehicles with heavily tainted glasses are found all over the place as if it is nobody’s business.
Taxi and tro-tro drivers have created their own speed lanes on the shoulders of our roads while our law enforcement agencies watch helplessly until an innocent school pupil or a mother with a baby strapped at the back is knocked down before they move into action. Seriously speaking, pedestrians cannot use the shoulders of the roads which are the safest part of the roads available to them without the danger of being knocked down by careless drivers.
Recently, the police mounted an exercise with a lot of fanfare to check careless driving and speeding on the Accra-Tema Motorway. After just a day on the road, the police have withdrawn until another accident then the media hype starts all over.
As for our churches, especially the Pentecostal and the charismatic ones, they never get their message to God unless it is packaged in a noisy form. Most of these worship centres are in residential areas which should not have been allowed in the first place, but woe unto any person who protests against the violation of his/her right to a quiet evening or a peaceful sleep. That person becomes the devil incarnate before those self-proclaimed righteous church members. The city authorities whose own by-laws prohibit noise-making are impotent to apply the law they took pains to draft.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), itself has a lot of explanations to offer for failing to enforce its by-laws and regulations. The battle against hawking on the streets and pavements is almost lost. The more the AMA makes the noise of decongesting the city of traders doing business in unauthorised places, the more the multitudes that throng the place. Tetteh-Quarshie Interchange, that cauldron of confusion and congestion, has become the latest hotbed of city trading but the authorities have failed to terminate another potential Abuja or Sodom and Gomorrah at its embryonic stage. They are waiting until it festers into a gangrenous wound that may defy treatment in future.
The AMA’s directive against the erection of billboards at places where they obstruct the view of motorists has been treated with contempt, so is its order against the new phenomenon of video/musical cassette sales accompanied by loud music on the streets.
As for urinating in public, there is no better way to treat the ban with disdain than to urinate on the wall with the inscription; ”Do not urinate here, by AMA” itself. The AMA has to tell the public what has happened to its directive to taxi drivers to wear special uniforms. As it is now, those who obeyed the directive will look like fools before the rest who treated the directive with contempt.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has given up enforcing the order prohibiting the commercialisation of extra classes using public school classrooms just as it could not stop some religious bodies from using classrooms as places of worship.
The list is endless but it goes to prove that we are only interested in making laws and regulations or giving directives without the clout to enforce them. We complain of indiscipline in our national life not because we lack the requisite laws to regulate our behaviour. Should we compound the situation by making more laws, or we simply enforce existing ones? That could be done if those who fashioned the laws and who are responsible for their enforcement have faith in them. Other than that this country will remain a jungle of lawlessness amidst a thousand and one laws.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
THE POLICE AS PROTECTORS AND FRIENDS (PAGE 7)
LAST week Monday, June 2, 2008 and Tuesday, June 3, 2008 were bad days for the Ghana Police Service. In two separate incidents, precious lives were lost and even though the police were obviously reacting to glaring breaches of the law, they did not score good marks, at least in the eyes of some sections of the public.
In the first incident, which occurred in Ho, the Volta Regional capital, on the night of Monday, June 2, 2008, a man who was said to have breached security arrangements at the Residency and entered the official home of the Volta Regional Minister with what was described as sinister motives lost his life when police guards opened fire. Unfortunately, Superintendent Theophilus Nartey, the Ho Municipal Police Commander who joined the security team to arrest the intruder also died four days later from wounds he sustained during the struggle.
In the second incident at Ashaiman near Tema, Moses Kassim, an 11-year-old school pupil and a 24-year-old driver, Baba Amadu, dropped dead when the police opened fire in “self-defence” to scare away a rampaging mob that was demanding the release of some detained drivers.
As stated earlier, in both instances, there were clear indications of serious breaches of the law. In the Ho incident for example, the deceased, named as Dan Dzikunu Agbale, could not said to be a friendly visitor when he started attacking the police guards and some occupants of the residency with offensive weapons.
There was, therefore, the need for the security men to apply reasonable force to bring him under control. According to the police’s own narration, this reasonable force turned out to be two bullets to the legs and a third to the mid-section of the intruder.
The question is, how was the man able to outwit the security guards at the main gate, which can only be opened to allow in visitors who have been properly cleared? Granted that the deceased became violent and uncontrollable, why was one bullet to the leg not enough to demobilise him? Maybe, the guards acted a little too late when things had gone out of hand.
A senior officer in the person of Supt. Nartey who tried to intervene to bring things under control lost his life in the process. As it is now, apart from lives being lost, valuable information as to the real motives of the deceased’s entry to the residency is lost forever and we are all left with rumours and speculations. Already, a political twist has been given to the incident, a situation that could create other problems in this election year.
Since the public is starved of any independent witness, we are left with the account given by the police who are themselves big actors in the drama.
The Ashaiman incident could have been avoided had the drivers’ union sent a small delegation of executives to the police station to discuss matters with the police officers. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and they might have panicked at the sight of the aggressive crowd and opened fire in the name of the usual self-defence.
But could the police have done better than they did? To answer that one needs to take into consideration the training given to our police personnel in weapon handling. Secondly, we need to take a look at how well-equipped the Police Service is to handle such emergency and nasty situations.
Faced with a hostile crowd, the police could fire warning shots, fire tear gas canisters, use water cannons or fire rubber bullets. Whatever the case, the use of live ammunition is the last resort except when the police are engaged in a shoot-out with another armed gang.
What is becoming the norm and not the exception is that our police personnel panic at the least provocation and resort to the use of live ammunition. That pupil or the driver would not have died if the fatal shots were actually warning shots and not aimed at the crowd.
A place like Ashaiman is a dangerous ground and the police should have had enough riot control gear in their arsenal, especially when they know of the incidents that could trigger mob violence.
Currently under discussion is the mode of recruitment into the Police Service because of the numerous cases of indiscipline and professional misconduct that have engulfed it.
The incident of stray bullets killing innocent civilians is becoming too much for a service that is supposed to be more of a protector of lives than a fighting brigade. The involvement of some personnel of the service in several cocaine cases are issues of worry to many Ghanaians who want to see a disciplined and well-trained Police Service operating as protectors of life and property and friends of the vulnerable.
There is no doubt that members of the Police Service are working under very severe and distressing conditions in terms of poor salaries and other working conditions. Many of them do not have decent residential accommodation and most of their offices from where they operate are nothing to write home about.
Apart from a few undisciplined ones, a lot of them are hardworking but for the stress under which they work. They, therefore, deserve the support of all.
The Ashaiman incident is another reminder that the Police Service needs general overhauling. It is also important that service personnel found to have acted unprofessionally in such situations are made to suffer the consequences.
We may be quick to condemn the service personnel for their lapses. But we must equally admit that the service is confronted with genuine problems which must be addressed to bring it to the level of competence and efficiency we all want it to be.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
In the first incident, which occurred in Ho, the Volta Regional capital, on the night of Monday, June 2, 2008, a man who was said to have breached security arrangements at the Residency and entered the official home of the Volta Regional Minister with what was described as sinister motives lost his life when police guards opened fire. Unfortunately, Superintendent Theophilus Nartey, the Ho Municipal Police Commander who joined the security team to arrest the intruder also died four days later from wounds he sustained during the struggle.
In the second incident at Ashaiman near Tema, Moses Kassim, an 11-year-old school pupil and a 24-year-old driver, Baba Amadu, dropped dead when the police opened fire in “self-defence” to scare away a rampaging mob that was demanding the release of some detained drivers.
As stated earlier, in both instances, there were clear indications of serious breaches of the law. In the Ho incident for example, the deceased, named as Dan Dzikunu Agbale, could not said to be a friendly visitor when he started attacking the police guards and some occupants of the residency with offensive weapons.
There was, therefore, the need for the security men to apply reasonable force to bring him under control. According to the police’s own narration, this reasonable force turned out to be two bullets to the legs and a third to the mid-section of the intruder.
The question is, how was the man able to outwit the security guards at the main gate, which can only be opened to allow in visitors who have been properly cleared? Granted that the deceased became violent and uncontrollable, why was one bullet to the leg not enough to demobilise him? Maybe, the guards acted a little too late when things had gone out of hand.
A senior officer in the person of Supt. Nartey who tried to intervene to bring things under control lost his life in the process. As it is now, apart from lives being lost, valuable information as to the real motives of the deceased’s entry to the residency is lost forever and we are all left with rumours and speculations. Already, a political twist has been given to the incident, a situation that could create other problems in this election year.
Since the public is starved of any independent witness, we are left with the account given by the police who are themselves big actors in the drama.
The Ashaiman incident could have been avoided had the drivers’ union sent a small delegation of executives to the police station to discuss matters with the police officers. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and they might have panicked at the sight of the aggressive crowd and opened fire in the name of the usual self-defence.
But could the police have done better than they did? To answer that one needs to take into consideration the training given to our police personnel in weapon handling. Secondly, we need to take a look at how well-equipped the Police Service is to handle such emergency and nasty situations.
Faced with a hostile crowd, the police could fire warning shots, fire tear gas canisters, use water cannons or fire rubber bullets. Whatever the case, the use of live ammunition is the last resort except when the police are engaged in a shoot-out with another armed gang.
What is becoming the norm and not the exception is that our police personnel panic at the least provocation and resort to the use of live ammunition. That pupil or the driver would not have died if the fatal shots were actually warning shots and not aimed at the crowd.
A place like Ashaiman is a dangerous ground and the police should have had enough riot control gear in their arsenal, especially when they know of the incidents that could trigger mob violence.
Currently under discussion is the mode of recruitment into the Police Service because of the numerous cases of indiscipline and professional misconduct that have engulfed it.
The incident of stray bullets killing innocent civilians is becoming too much for a service that is supposed to be more of a protector of lives than a fighting brigade. The involvement of some personnel of the service in several cocaine cases are issues of worry to many Ghanaians who want to see a disciplined and well-trained Police Service operating as protectors of life and property and friends of the vulnerable.
There is no doubt that members of the Police Service are working under very severe and distressing conditions in terms of poor salaries and other working conditions. Many of them do not have decent residential accommodation and most of their offices from where they operate are nothing to write home about.
Apart from a few undisciplined ones, a lot of them are hardworking but for the stress under which they work. They, therefore, deserve the support of all.
The Ashaiman incident is another reminder that the Police Service needs general overhauling. It is also important that service personnel found to have acted unprofessionally in such situations are made to suffer the consequences.
We may be quick to condemn the service personnel for their lapses. But we must equally admit that the service is confronted with genuine problems which must be addressed to bring it to the level of competence and efficiency we all want it to be.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
NATIONAL RECONCILIATION...Where do we begin
JUST before President John Agyekum Kufuor left for Tokyo, Japan, to attend the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV), he dropped two significant lists, each with its own ramifications. The first was a list of names to fill some ministerial and ambassadorial positions; the second was a list of distinguished Ghanaians to receive national awards in July this year.
As party members were worrying themselves as to why certain names should be missing while others should be on the list, it was rather the second list which attracted national attention.
I am referring to the mention of Professor John Evans Atta Mills, a former Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana and presidential aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Election 2008, as a recipient of the Companion of the Star of Ghana award, alongside the incumbent Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama; Otumfuo Osei Tutu II; Nayiri Naa Bohugu Mahama Shirigu, the Paramount Chief of the Mamprugu Traditional Area, and Yagbon Wura Bawa Doshie, the Paramount Chief of the Gonja Traditional Area.
For a country that has been yearning (or is it crying?) for national reconciliation, I thought this was a welcome piece of news and that many would agree that President Kufuor was on track, sending strong signals that the people of this nation can live in unity, notwithstanding the varied shades of political opinion, and that those who deserve recognition, no matter their political affiliation, will get that recognition.
Prof Mills’s nomination, following closely the presidential pardon granted Mr Daniel Abodakpi, the MP for Keta, who was serving a 10-year sentence for causing financial loss to the state, should be seen, under normal circumstances, as a move towards national reconciliation.
However, the debate triggered by Prof Mills’s name on the list indicates that we are yet to separate politics from the national agenda.
There are those, mostly supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who opposed Prof Mills getting the award — the highest in the land — for various reasons.
One reason was that the award was a tacit endorsement of Prof Mills by President Kufuor or at least it will give the NDC presidential aspirant a psychological advantage over the other contestants in the race. What might have deepened the fears of those holding on to this line of thought was the conspicuous absence of the name of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the NPP presidential aspirant, from the list (at least the initial one). It is to balance the equation that some people who belonged to this group are calling for the inclusion of Nana Akufo-Addo’s name in the honour list.
There are those who think that purely on matters of merit, Prof. Mills does not deserve the award. They claim the man has not achieved much in his public life to merit the highest honour of the land. I am yet to hear from any big name in the NPP who has been able to judge the issue impartially and come to the conclusion that Prof. Mills deserves the honour.
On the NDC side are some fanatics who are giving all sorts of interpretations to Prof. Mills’s nomination for the award. As if to taunt the NPP, some NDC supporters see President Kufuor’s gesture as a snub of the Akufo-Addo candidature, while others see it as a silent admiration for Prof Mills by the President.
A clear departure from this kind of reasoning was what came from Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, the former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu in the Northern Region and running mate of Prof Mills in the 2004 presidential elections, who, in his judgement, saw the nomination as an exhibition of mature leadership and a positive step towards bridging the gap between the government and the opposition.
To place value on the President’s nomination, it is necessary to strip the exercise of any partisan garb. First, it must be accepted that the national honours are the prerogative of the President, even though he is assisted in the selection of the candidates by a committee of distinguished personalities. Second, the honour list has never met with the approval of the whole population. While there is no question mark about some of the winners, others always draw queries as to how they came to be nominated in the first place.
The question, then, is, does Prof Mills deserve the national honour, regardless of who is the President of the Republic? The measure could be subjective, since there could be differing opinions on how to judge the man. However, it should be possible to establish some common ground rules in order to come up with a fair and unbiased assessment of the man.
Prof Mills’s public service can be put into three or possibly four compartments — first, as a university teacher who rose to the position of professor; second, as a public servant who served with the Internal Revenue Service; third, as a politician who became the Vice-President of the Republic. He also had his social and private life as any other Ghanaians.
In the first instance, the public is yet to be fed with any adverse information about his performance as a teacher while at the University of Ghana, Legon. In the same way, nobody has come out openly to question his integrity while he was the head of the Internal Revenue Service and those who knew him at close range describe him as a simple, nice, competent and hardworking person.
Prof Mills’s problem lies in his life as a politician. I believe if the man had remained in the academia, very few, if any at all, would have raised objection against his nomination as a national award winner. So what has he done politically? Some claim he was part of the human rights abuses under the Rawlings government, since he never raised a finger against those abuses. Some also say he was part of the government which saw the collapse of the economy.
We all know that under the Executive presidential system, as is being practised now, the President is the sole Executive and the Vice-President is at best a President-in-waiting. Until that day comes, the Vice-President is more or less an errand boy. It will, therefore, be unfair to make it look as if Prof. Mills had an executive or constitutional power which he failed to use to check the excesses of the President.
By the way, will someone tell us whether there has been any occasion when Vice-President Mahama openly or publicly challenged, opposed or condemned any decision, action or inaction of President Kufuor. That is how the position is as of now.
Today, we credit President Kufuor and Vice-President Mahama for being a good pair and having given the Presidency the needed nobility and respectability which were missing in the past. Alhaji Mahama has further been commended for giving President Kufuor the needed support and co-operation in his task of managing the affairs of state simply because there had neither been any open confrontation between the two nor any known major disagreement, as was the case between the late Mr Kow Nkensen Arkaah and Flt Lt Rawlings. That may not mean Vice-President Mahama and President Kufuor are unanimous on all matters.
The Vice-President is to help the President to administer the state machinery and not to run a parallel administration nor serve as a check nor act as an opposition within the Executive. The Vice-President can advise or counsel, but even that could only be done in private and behind closed doors.
For instance, it was possible that at Cabinet or in-house meetings Prof Mills might have advised against certain presidential or governmental decisions or actions. But that was as far as he could go. The final decision rested with the President. Can we imagine a situation where our vice-presidents will be calling regular press conferences condemning the decisions of their Presidents or governments?
The only recourse to a vice-president would be to resign if he felt strongly opposed to an issue on purely moral grounds or as a matter of principle. We are yet to see anything close to that in our part of the world.
Can there be anything positive about Prof Mills as a politician? Yes. Some say he is a voice of moderation in a fiery environment. Many agree that he preaches peace and unity, instead of fire and brimstone, much to the discomfort of some of his own party members. That is why they think he is weak and cannot act independently.
So, has President Kufuor acted well by nominating Prof Mills for the national award? Whatever the reason that informed President Kufuor’s decision to nominate Prof Mills, one thing is very clear: It was a decision that will serve the national cause. It was a decision which will bridge the yawning political divide and get us closer to the much-expected national reconciliation we have been yearning for.
We cannot talk about national reconciliation without upholding the virtues of some key words, which include tolerance, accommodation and recognition. President Kufuor is judging Prof Mills not as a politician but as a Ghanaian who has distinguished himself in public service. That is RECOGNITION. In doing so, he is conveying an important message: That this country belongs to all of us and those contributions should be recognised, no matter one’s political affiliation. That is a sign of TOLERANCE and ACCOMMODATION.
The full list is not out yet, but there are indications that personalities in previous governments who excelled in national duty will be recognised. What more elixir do we want for national reconciliation?
We always talk about national unity, tolerance and reconciliation. However, whenever a move is made to bring these national dreams into reality, some people are quick to find something negative about those moves. Any time there is a beacon of light leading us towards the goal of national unity, there are those who do not see anything positive about that signal and they do everything to dim it.
Our life is not just about politics. We have more worthy things to live for and not just the politics of hatred, acrimony and winner-takes-all.
May be we need to take inspiration from the words of Peter Tosh, the reggae superstar, who, in his song, EQUAL RIGHTS, sang:
Everyone is crying out for peace, yes none is crying out for justice ……
Everybody want to go to up heaven but nobody want to die …
What is due to Caesar, you better give it onto Caesar, and what belong to I and I
You better give it up to I.
Peter Tosh died many years ago but his words must remind us that we cannot talk of national unity, peace and reconciliation if we shun the things that can bring those things to us.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
As party members were worrying themselves as to why certain names should be missing while others should be on the list, it was rather the second list which attracted national attention.
I am referring to the mention of Professor John Evans Atta Mills, a former Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana and presidential aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Election 2008, as a recipient of the Companion of the Star of Ghana award, alongside the incumbent Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama; Otumfuo Osei Tutu II; Nayiri Naa Bohugu Mahama Shirigu, the Paramount Chief of the Mamprugu Traditional Area, and Yagbon Wura Bawa Doshie, the Paramount Chief of the Gonja Traditional Area.
For a country that has been yearning (or is it crying?) for national reconciliation, I thought this was a welcome piece of news and that many would agree that President Kufuor was on track, sending strong signals that the people of this nation can live in unity, notwithstanding the varied shades of political opinion, and that those who deserve recognition, no matter their political affiliation, will get that recognition.
Prof Mills’s nomination, following closely the presidential pardon granted Mr Daniel Abodakpi, the MP for Keta, who was serving a 10-year sentence for causing financial loss to the state, should be seen, under normal circumstances, as a move towards national reconciliation.
However, the debate triggered by Prof Mills’s name on the list indicates that we are yet to separate politics from the national agenda.
There are those, mostly supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who opposed Prof Mills getting the award — the highest in the land — for various reasons.
One reason was that the award was a tacit endorsement of Prof Mills by President Kufuor or at least it will give the NDC presidential aspirant a psychological advantage over the other contestants in the race. What might have deepened the fears of those holding on to this line of thought was the conspicuous absence of the name of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the NPP presidential aspirant, from the list (at least the initial one). It is to balance the equation that some people who belonged to this group are calling for the inclusion of Nana Akufo-Addo’s name in the honour list.
There are those who think that purely on matters of merit, Prof. Mills does not deserve the award. They claim the man has not achieved much in his public life to merit the highest honour of the land. I am yet to hear from any big name in the NPP who has been able to judge the issue impartially and come to the conclusion that Prof. Mills deserves the honour.
On the NDC side are some fanatics who are giving all sorts of interpretations to Prof. Mills’s nomination for the award. As if to taunt the NPP, some NDC supporters see President Kufuor’s gesture as a snub of the Akufo-Addo candidature, while others see it as a silent admiration for Prof Mills by the President.
A clear departure from this kind of reasoning was what came from Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, the former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu in the Northern Region and running mate of Prof Mills in the 2004 presidential elections, who, in his judgement, saw the nomination as an exhibition of mature leadership and a positive step towards bridging the gap between the government and the opposition.
To place value on the President’s nomination, it is necessary to strip the exercise of any partisan garb. First, it must be accepted that the national honours are the prerogative of the President, even though he is assisted in the selection of the candidates by a committee of distinguished personalities. Second, the honour list has never met with the approval of the whole population. While there is no question mark about some of the winners, others always draw queries as to how they came to be nominated in the first place.
The question, then, is, does Prof Mills deserve the national honour, regardless of who is the President of the Republic? The measure could be subjective, since there could be differing opinions on how to judge the man. However, it should be possible to establish some common ground rules in order to come up with a fair and unbiased assessment of the man.
Prof Mills’s public service can be put into three or possibly four compartments — first, as a university teacher who rose to the position of professor; second, as a public servant who served with the Internal Revenue Service; third, as a politician who became the Vice-President of the Republic. He also had his social and private life as any other Ghanaians.
In the first instance, the public is yet to be fed with any adverse information about his performance as a teacher while at the University of Ghana, Legon. In the same way, nobody has come out openly to question his integrity while he was the head of the Internal Revenue Service and those who knew him at close range describe him as a simple, nice, competent and hardworking person.
Prof Mills’s problem lies in his life as a politician. I believe if the man had remained in the academia, very few, if any at all, would have raised objection against his nomination as a national award winner. So what has he done politically? Some claim he was part of the human rights abuses under the Rawlings government, since he never raised a finger against those abuses. Some also say he was part of the government which saw the collapse of the economy.
We all know that under the Executive presidential system, as is being practised now, the President is the sole Executive and the Vice-President is at best a President-in-waiting. Until that day comes, the Vice-President is more or less an errand boy. It will, therefore, be unfair to make it look as if Prof. Mills had an executive or constitutional power which he failed to use to check the excesses of the President.
By the way, will someone tell us whether there has been any occasion when Vice-President Mahama openly or publicly challenged, opposed or condemned any decision, action or inaction of President Kufuor. That is how the position is as of now.
Today, we credit President Kufuor and Vice-President Mahama for being a good pair and having given the Presidency the needed nobility and respectability which were missing in the past. Alhaji Mahama has further been commended for giving President Kufuor the needed support and co-operation in his task of managing the affairs of state simply because there had neither been any open confrontation between the two nor any known major disagreement, as was the case between the late Mr Kow Nkensen Arkaah and Flt Lt Rawlings. That may not mean Vice-President Mahama and President Kufuor are unanimous on all matters.
The Vice-President is to help the President to administer the state machinery and not to run a parallel administration nor serve as a check nor act as an opposition within the Executive. The Vice-President can advise or counsel, but even that could only be done in private and behind closed doors.
For instance, it was possible that at Cabinet or in-house meetings Prof Mills might have advised against certain presidential or governmental decisions or actions. But that was as far as he could go. The final decision rested with the President. Can we imagine a situation where our vice-presidents will be calling regular press conferences condemning the decisions of their Presidents or governments?
The only recourse to a vice-president would be to resign if he felt strongly opposed to an issue on purely moral grounds or as a matter of principle. We are yet to see anything close to that in our part of the world.
Can there be anything positive about Prof Mills as a politician? Yes. Some say he is a voice of moderation in a fiery environment. Many agree that he preaches peace and unity, instead of fire and brimstone, much to the discomfort of some of his own party members. That is why they think he is weak and cannot act independently.
So, has President Kufuor acted well by nominating Prof Mills for the national award? Whatever the reason that informed President Kufuor’s decision to nominate Prof Mills, one thing is very clear: It was a decision that will serve the national cause. It was a decision which will bridge the yawning political divide and get us closer to the much-expected national reconciliation we have been yearning for.
We cannot talk about national reconciliation without upholding the virtues of some key words, which include tolerance, accommodation and recognition. President Kufuor is judging Prof Mills not as a politician but as a Ghanaian who has distinguished himself in public service. That is RECOGNITION. In doing so, he is conveying an important message: That this country belongs to all of us and those contributions should be recognised, no matter one’s political affiliation. That is a sign of TOLERANCE and ACCOMMODATION.
The full list is not out yet, but there are indications that personalities in previous governments who excelled in national duty will be recognised. What more elixir do we want for national reconciliation?
We always talk about national unity, tolerance and reconciliation. However, whenever a move is made to bring these national dreams into reality, some people are quick to find something negative about those moves. Any time there is a beacon of light leading us towards the goal of national unity, there are those who do not see anything positive about that signal and they do everything to dim it.
Our life is not just about politics. We have more worthy things to live for and not just the politics of hatred, acrimony and winner-takes-all.
May be we need to take inspiration from the words of Peter Tosh, the reggae superstar, who, in his song, EQUAL RIGHTS, sang:
Everyone is crying out for peace, yes none is crying out for justice ……
Everybody want to go to up heaven but nobody want to die …
What is due to Caesar, you better give it onto Caesar, and what belong to I and I
You better give it up to I.
Peter Tosh died many years ago but his words must remind us that we cannot talk of national unity, peace and reconciliation if we shun the things that can bring those things to us.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
ROUGH ROAD TO THE HOME OF THE GUNNERS (GRAPHIC, PAGE 7)
Welcome, to the Volta Barracks, Ghana
The Home of the Ancient Order of Field Artillerists
We are proud members of the Historical Brotherhood of
Stone hurlers, Archers, Catapulters, Rocketeers
Now referred to as GUNNERS.
With these impressive, valiant and proud words, the visitor is welcomed to the Volta Barracks, Ho, in the Volta Region. This is the home of the 66 Artillery Regiment of the Ghana Army. The unit came into existence on February 16, 1966 to enhance the fire power of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and was called the Medium Mortar Regiment (MMR), under the command of Captain Ekow Jones.
On June 3, 2003, the unit was upgraded with more artillery weapons, including the 107mm RL, the 122mm Howitzer and the 122mm MRLS and its name changed to the 66 Artillery Regiment. Like any other unit of the GAF, the 66 Artillery Regiment has, as its mission, to protect and defend the territorial sovereignty and integrity of the Motherland.
The unit no doubt, is one of the elite units in the GAF and had and continues to have some of the finest officers and brave men in uniform this country ever produced who have a distinguished record of achievements at both national and international levels.
Officers and men of the 66 Artillery Regiment have left an impressive mark on their peacekeeping operations throughout the world. It will be an arduous task trying to mention names, since there will be that natural tendency of leaving out some important ones.
However, as an illustration, one can, without any fear of diluting the menu, mention Lt General Seth Kofi Obeng, the immediate past Chief of the Defence Staff of the GAF, who, as a Gunner, was one time the Commanding Officer of the then MMR.
The presence of detachments of the unit is always conspicuous at ceremonial parades at the Independence Square in Accra and their home base in Ho, with their heavy guns and, lately, the multiple missile launchers.
Whoever chose the location of the Volta Barracks in Ho has a good taste for scenic beauty. Straddling between Ho-Dome and Takla, which shares boundaries with Hodzo and Kpenoe, the barracks is perched on a hill overlooking the town below.
The first-time visitor cannot but admire the neatly-mowed green lawns which welcome him to the home of the Gunners as he/she enters the wide gates of the entrance to the barracks. Many can only imagine seeing cannons and metal devices designed to kill in a military establishment such as the Volta Barracks. Far from that! Unless you are told, on a normal day you may mistake the barracks for a sanatorium where the sick come to convalesce for its greenery, freshness, neatness and quietness.
The officers and men of the 66 Artillery Regiment have historically maintained a kind of umbilical relationship with the inhabitants of Ho in particular and the Volta Region in general. As the only military establishment in the region with such a huge reputation, the people of the Volta Region have accepted the soldiers as part of them and the soldiers who set foot there hardly think of any other place as home. Ask Lt Col Ekow Jones, the first Commanding Officer of the unit, who virtually became a citizen of Ho.
This natural bond has been strengthened by social activities such as clean-up campaigns and blood donations embarked upon periodically by the soldiers. The Supreme Cannons, which is the resident band of the unit, is always available to satisfy the entertainment needs of the community.
That is not to say there have been no misunderstandings. There were times when revolutionary zeal took the better part of the soldiers who became too harsh on law breakers, especially during the so-called revolutionary era.
Troops from the unit were quick to respond to emergency situations such as the escalation of violence in volatile land disputes between the people of Tsito/Peki and Alavanyo/Nkonya.
The 66 Artillery Regiment is a unit any military establishment will be proud of and the Volta Barracks, the home of the Gunners, should be an attraction to all. Unfortunately, the journey to the barracks can be nightmarish.
I do not know whether it is deliberate to remind the soldiers and members of the public that military work is not a smooth one and, therefore, driving on a well-paved road to the barracks is itself a luxury that should not be encouraged.
I would have settled for this argument if all roads leading to the country’s other military establishments share common features with that of the Volta Barracks. It is a short distance that cannot be more than two kilometres, starting from the Ho-Dome Roundabout.
The road to the Volta Barracks, which houses one of the country’s most powerful military units, cannot be better than a farm road used mostly by tractors which do not deserve a well-tarred road. Nobody driving on that road will have an inkling of the fact that he/she is heading towards a military installation which holds strategic importance to the security of the state. It could be just another miserable road leading to nowhere.
The deep potholes give the impression of a road that has come under a barrage of mortar fire. Heaps of sand and chippings that gave hope that the road was going to be constructed have themselves become obstacles that must be surmounted before grabbing a fair share of the mumbo-jumbo road. This cannot be a question of a lack of funds.
A well-constructed two-kilometre road from the Ho-Dome Roundabout to the Volta Barracks should not be too much for the sovereign state of Ghana which derives pride from it military. For now, the GUNNERS have been neglected and treated with scorn, thereby diminishing their national importance.
The poor nature of the Volta Barracks road is just the story of Ho, the regional capital. I have heard the Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Dzamesi, praising Ho town roads at every opportunity. Well, someone may say something is better than nothing. But for a regional capital, Ho lacks roads. A short stretch of road from the Ho-Dome Roundabout to the Ahoe-Heve Roundabout, which is less than a kilometre, has taken more than three years to construct, without any sign of completion.
Other regional capitals have asphalted dual carriageways. If Ho cannot get asphalt, why not the good old bitumen on its roads? A good road can never be hidden. It will be there for everyone to see and every motorist to drive on. Ho has the potential of becoming a beautiful town that can attract investors and ordinary visitors if only those who have the power will show a little more interest in its development.
There are a lot of roads earmarked for construction, which, when done, can raise the status of the town and encourage more people to invest in it in particular and the municipality in general. A beautiful hotel called Executive Gardens, which had the potential to promote tourism and commercial activity in Ho, has virtually collapsed because those who matter do not see the need to improve the Ho-Adaklu Road and thus open up the hotel to visitors.
Ho has a naturally endowed beautiful landscape and a hospitable people who sometimes accept their fate rather too quietly. Sometimes, out of desperation, the people of the town wonder aloud whether they are part of this progressive nation called Ghana.
The Volta Barracks is actually part of Ho, the Volta Regional capital, and its fate cannot be detached from that of the town. It is, therefore, not out of order to say that the Volta Barracks is suffering from a disease called NEGLECT that has afflicted its mother.
To the officers and men of the 66 Artillery Regiment, good road or no good road, I know they will continue to live by their proud motto: “Once a GUNNER, Always a GUNNER”, and their battle cry: “Where there is ARTILLERY, there is GLORY”.
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
The Home of the Ancient Order of Field Artillerists
We are proud members of the Historical Brotherhood of
Stone hurlers, Archers, Catapulters, Rocketeers
Now referred to as GUNNERS.
With these impressive, valiant and proud words, the visitor is welcomed to the Volta Barracks, Ho, in the Volta Region. This is the home of the 66 Artillery Regiment of the Ghana Army. The unit came into existence on February 16, 1966 to enhance the fire power of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and was called the Medium Mortar Regiment (MMR), under the command of Captain Ekow Jones.
On June 3, 2003, the unit was upgraded with more artillery weapons, including the 107mm RL, the 122mm Howitzer and the 122mm MRLS and its name changed to the 66 Artillery Regiment. Like any other unit of the GAF, the 66 Artillery Regiment has, as its mission, to protect and defend the territorial sovereignty and integrity of the Motherland.
The unit no doubt, is one of the elite units in the GAF and had and continues to have some of the finest officers and brave men in uniform this country ever produced who have a distinguished record of achievements at both national and international levels.
Officers and men of the 66 Artillery Regiment have left an impressive mark on their peacekeeping operations throughout the world. It will be an arduous task trying to mention names, since there will be that natural tendency of leaving out some important ones.
However, as an illustration, one can, without any fear of diluting the menu, mention Lt General Seth Kofi Obeng, the immediate past Chief of the Defence Staff of the GAF, who, as a Gunner, was one time the Commanding Officer of the then MMR.
The presence of detachments of the unit is always conspicuous at ceremonial parades at the Independence Square in Accra and their home base in Ho, with their heavy guns and, lately, the multiple missile launchers.
Whoever chose the location of the Volta Barracks in Ho has a good taste for scenic beauty. Straddling between Ho-Dome and Takla, which shares boundaries with Hodzo and Kpenoe, the barracks is perched on a hill overlooking the town below.
The first-time visitor cannot but admire the neatly-mowed green lawns which welcome him to the home of the Gunners as he/she enters the wide gates of the entrance to the barracks. Many can only imagine seeing cannons and metal devices designed to kill in a military establishment such as the Volta Barracks. Far from that! Unless you are told, on a normal day you may mistake the barracks for a sanatorium where the sick come to convalesce for its greenery, freshness, neatness and quietness.
The officers and men of the 66 Artillery Regiment have historically maintained a kind of umbilical relationship with the inhabitants of Ho in particular and the Volta Region in general. As the only military establishment in the region with such a huge reputation, the people of the Volta Region have accepted the soldiers as part of them and the soldiers who set foot there hardly think of any other place as home. Ask Lt Col Ekow Jones, the first Commanding Officer of the unit, who virtually became a citizen of Ho.
This natural bond has been strengthened by social activities such as clean-up campaigns and blood donations embarked upon periodically by the soldiers. The Supreme Cannons, which is the resident band of the unit, is always available to satisfy the entertainment needs of the community.
That is not to say there have been no misunderstandings. There were times when revolutionary zeal took the better part of the soldiers who became too harsh on law breakers, especially during the so-called revolutionary era.
Troops from the unit were quick to respond to emergency situations such as the escalation of violence in volatile land disputes between the people of Tsito/Peki and Alavanyo/Nkonya.
The 66 Artillery Regiment is a unit any military establishment will be proud of and the Volta Barracks, the home of the Gunners, should be an attraction to all. Unfortunately, the journey to the barracks can be nightmarish.
I do not know whether it is deliberate to remind the soldiers and members of the public that military work is not a smooth one and, therefore, driving on a well-paved road to the barracks is itself a luxury that should not be encouraged.
I would have settled for this argument if all roads leading to the country’s other military establishments share common features with that of the Volta Barracks. It is a short distance that cannot be more than two kilometres, starting from the Ho-Dome Roundabout.
The road to the Volta Barracks, which houses one of the country’s most powerful military units, cannot be better than a farm road used mostly by tractors which do not deserve a well-tarred road. Nobody driving on that road will have an inkling of the fact that he/she is heading towards a military installation which holds strategic importance to the security of the state. It could be just another miserable road leading to nowhere.
The deep potholes give the impression of a road that has come under a barrage of mortar fire. Heaps of sand and chippings that gave hope that the road was going to be constructed have themselves become obstacles that must be surmounted before grabbing a fair share of the mumbo-jumbo road. This cannot be a question of a lack of funds.
A well-constructed two-kilometre road from the Ho-Dome Roundabout to the Volta Barracks should not be too much for the sovereign state of Ghana which derives pride from it military. For now, the GUNNERS have been neglected and treated with scorn, thereby diminishing their national importance.
The poor nature of the Volta Barracks road is just the story of Ho, the regional capital. I have heard the Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Dzamesi, praising Ho town roads at every opportunity. Well, someone may say something is better than nothing. But for a regional capital, Ho lacks roads. A short stretch of road from the Ho-Dome Roundabout to the Ahoe-Heve Roundabout, which is less than a kilometre, has taken more than three years to construct, without any sign of completion.
Other regional capitals have asphalted dual carriageways. If Ho cannot get asphalt, why not the good old bitumen on its roads? A good road can never be hidden. It will be there for everyone to see and every motorist to drive on. Ho has the potential of becoming a beautiful town that can attract investors and ordinary visitors if only those who have the power will show a little more interest in its development.
There are a lot of roads earmarked for construction, which, when done, can raise the status of the town and encourage more people to invest in it in particular and the municipality in general. A beautiful hotel called Executive Gardens, which had the potential to promote tourism and commercial activity in Ho, has virtually collapsed because those who matter do not see the need to improve the Ho-Adaklu Road and thus open up the hotel to visitors.
Ho has a naturally endowed beautiful landscape and a hospitable people who sometimes accept their fate rather too quietly. Sometimes, out of desperation, the people of the town wonder aloud whether they are part of this progressive nation called Ghana.
The Volta Barracks is actually part of Ho, the Volta Regional capital, and its fate cannot be detached from that of the town. It is, therefore, not out of order to say that the Volta Barracks is suffering from a disease called NEGLECT that has afflicted its mother.
To the officers and men of the 66 Artillery Regiment, good road or no good road, I know they will continue to live by their proud motto: “Once a GUNNER, Always a GUNNER”, and their battle cry: “Where there is ARTILLERY, there is GLORY”.
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Monday, May 19, 2008
Too soon , too late
May 20, 2008
By Kofi Akordor
There was the story of a man who threatened divorce. The woman went down on her knees and family members and friends intervened. Eventually the disenchanted man gave in and husband and wife shared a common marital bed again. A few days into a reunited alliance, the wife, without warning, deserted camp and left a bewildered husband not only lonely but heavily humiliated. The man regretted ever changing his mind. He was now the person at the receiving end.
Ghana has found itself in a similar unpleasant situation today. In February this year, we had a good opportunity to dispense with the services of Claude Le Roy, the Frenchman who was coach of the Black Stars, for non-performance. The coach was to win gold at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament hosted by Ghana and qualify the Black Stars for the 2010 World Cup to be hosted by South Africa. “Host and Win” was the battle cry and that spelt out in clear terms the working agenda for the coach.
We ended up with bronze, which does not matter, seriously speaking, in such competitions. Gold and bronze are never the same. But confused about what SUCCESS is and what constitutes FAILURE to serious-minded people, we thought hosting a tournament and settling for bronze in a year when we were observing our 51st anniversary as an independent nation was an achievement.
Contrary to overwhelming public opinion, which heavily tilted against retaining the services of the Frenchman, a few but powerful people who hold the fate of football administration in the country, buoyed by the support of some people who still do not know the difference between freedom and slavery, decided otherwise. Just as we are about to celebrate the act of serving more the interest of the Frenchman than that of the Black Stars, the man has abandoned us in total disgrace.
Reasons for the coach’s decision have been described as ‘personal’, which is common in diplomatic circles. Snippets of information filtering through the grapevine point to differences over new service conditions and technical matters. The man wants a better salary and complained about the absence of Sellas Tetteh, the Ghanaian former assistant national coach, and Renard Herve, the physical trainer.
If Le Roy is a world renowned coach (as some still ignorantly think he is), why should he worry about a black man who is his assistant being put on another assignment? Is it an admission of the fact that Sellas Tetteh was the man who was doing the hatchet work while he (the coach) took the glory? Is he afraid of exposure as we saw during the Ghana 2008 tournament? Why should he worry about the departure of an expatriate physical trainer? Don’t they have separate agreements and different mandates?
Some of us are struggling hard to come to terms with the philosophy of those who constantly think we cannot register any success or progress without the white man. When it comes to football coaches, I do not find the historical foundations upon which they base their reasoning.
In 1963, barely six years after our political independence, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the Founder of this nation, reasoned that we could not claim independence when others were going to do things for us. He, therefore, encouraged the late Ohene Djan, the then administrator of sports in the country, to invite young Charles Kumi Gyamfi (C.K. Gyamfi, for short) to come down from Germany where he had just completed a coaching course to prepare the Black Stars for the Africa Cup of Nations being hosted by the country.
If Nkrumah were to have a low esteem of Ghanaians or the black man, for that matter, and knowing him to be a leader who abhorred failures, he would conveniently have settled on a foreign coach, more so when Ghana was playing host. Coach Gyamfi proved Dr Nkrumah and Ohene Djan right that what the white man could do the black man was equal and competent to the task, if not even more. Ghana won its first African Cup at that tournament.
In 1965, Coach C.K. Gyamfi again led the Black Stars to defend the trophy in far away Tunis. It was not after 13 years, in 1978, that Ghana won the continental trophy again. For those who do not know, the coach of that victorious Black Stars team was Osam-Duodu, a full-blooded Ghanaian!
In 1982, when Ghana had the honour of winning the Africa Cup again in Libya, the technical team comprised C.K. Gyamfi (Leader), Osam-Duodu and Isaac K. Afranie. Tell me, those drenched in inferiority complex, where is the case against local coaches?
There is always this loose argument that local coaches need to upgrade their technical skills in order to prove equal to the task. Every profession requires constant upgrading and coaching is not an exemption. What yardstick are they applying? Who says only local coaches need refresher courses? Forty-five years ago we won the continental trophy with a Ghanaian coach and we are talking about deficient technical skills today. Are we being fair to ourselves as human beings?
Twenty-six years ago, in 1982, we won the Africa Cup with a Ghanaian technical team so what are we saying today when, even with a Frenchman on home soil, we could only pat ourselves with worthless bronze? The apologists should tell us what more they expect from our own coaches before according them the respect and dignity they deserve.
Another issue those who do not see their way clear without the torchlight of a white man put across is that local coaches cannot stamp their authority on the team. How do they stamp their authority when their appointments are without contracts? How do they exert authority when every member of the FA is a coach, team owner and player agent, seeking their selfish interests?
I challenge the powerful men in charge of the FA to hand over the Black Stars to a local coach, offering him just half of the 30,000 euros they were paying Le Roy every month; let him sign a performance contract so that he sacks himself when he fails; give him the free hand to pick his supporting staff; give him the freedom to select and dispense with the services of players and give him the funds to spend weeks in Europe scouting for players. He will do more than just putting together already well-cooked players and claim glory for their success.
By now it should be obvious to us that most of these foreign coaches are mercenaries who lack commitment and are only interested in the fortunes they make. Are we surprised, therefore, that Le Roy got attracted to bigger salaries and applied for jobs in South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire.
What we should also realise is that the local coach will share in the glory of success as a national and not just for the fat bonus he will earn. In the same way, he will suffer the gloom of failure as any other Ghanaian and he will carry a bigger burden for not being able to stem defeat, something no amount of money will wash away. That is the difference.
Slavery and colonialism ended many years ago and we need to come out of our hopelessness and inferiority complex. We must cultivate the spirit of self-importance and national pride. We should stop making mockery of our independence by making saviours out of dead white men. In our self-pity mentality, we accept everything that had been rejected in their home countries; people who could hardly be mentioned in their countries are given red-carpet treatment here because we lack self-confidence
Yes, we are in a global village, but movement is not one directional. It seems we are so blinded by our own low self-esteem that we are not aware of this.
It is very disgraceful and embarrassing that it took Sepp Blatter, another white man who is the FIFA President, to tell us in the face that foreign coaches are doing more harm than good to the development of football on the continent. Those so-called football experts, Blatter observed, are earning more than they deserve and their skills do not enhance the performance of the various national teams.
Since we respect Blatter so much and appreciate the good things he has done for African football, much against stiff opposition from his compatriots, are we going to honour him by respecting his views and change for the better? We in Ghana have been taught a bitter lesson by Claude Le Roy. Have we learnt it?
May I have the honour of applauding the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, once again for creating a path which we hope very soon others will follow? We are tired of ‘Nana Dr (Prof Emeritus) so and so’. As Otumfuo observed, big titles do not make a good chief. Our traditional leaders should let their light shine and, title or no title, they will glitter in the eyes of their subjects. Otumfuo, thank you.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
By Kofi Akordor
There was the story of a man who threatened divorce. The woman went down on her knees and family members and friends intervened. Eventually the disenchanted man gave in and husband and wife shared a common marital bed again. A few days into a reunited alliance, the wife, without warning, deserted camp and left a bewildered husband not only lonely but heavily humiliated. The man regretted ever changing his mind. He was now the person at the receiving end.
Ghana has found itself in a similar unpleasant situation today. In February this year, we had a good opportunity to dispense with the services of Claude Le Roy, the Frenchman who was coach of the Black Stars, for non-performance. The coach was to win gold at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament hosted by Ghana and qualify the Black Stars for the 2010 World Cup to be hosted by South Africa. “Host and Win” was the battle cry and that spelt out in clear terms the working agenda for the coach.
We ended up with bronze, which does not matter, seriously speaking, in such competitions. Gold and bronze are never the same. But confused about what SUCCESS is and what constitutes FAILURE to serious-minded people, we thought hosting a tournament and settling for bronze in a year when we were observing our 51st anniversary as an independent nation was an achievement.
Contrary to overwhelming public opinion, which heavily tilted against retaining the services of the Frenchman, a few but powerful people who hold the fate of football administration in the country, buoyed by the support of some people who still do not know the difference between freedom and slavery, decided otherwise. Just as we are about to celebrate the act of serving more the interest of the Frenchman than that of the Black Stars, the man has abandoned us in total disgrace.
Reasons for the coach’s decision have been described as ‘personal’, which is common in diplomatic circles. Snippets of information filtering through the grapevine point to differences over new service conditions and technical matters. The man wants a better salary and complained about the absence of Sellas Tetteh, the Ghanaian former assistant national coach, and Renard Herve, the physical trainer.
If Le Roy is a world renowned coach (as some still ignorantly think he is), why should he worry about a black man who is his assistant being put on another assignment? Is it an admission of the fact that Sellas Tetteh was the man who was doing the hatchet work while he (the coach) took the glory? Is he afraid of exposure as we saw during the Ghana 2008 tournament? Why should he worry about the departure of an expatriate physical trainer? Don’t they have separate agreements and different mandates?
Some of us are struggling hard to come to terms with the philosophy of those who constantly think we cannot register any success or progress without the white man. When it comes to football coaches, I do not find the historical foundations upon which they base their reasoning.
In 1963, barely six years after our political independence, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the Founder of this nation, reasoned that we could not claim independence when others were going to do things for us. He, therefore, encouraged the late Ohene Djan, the then administrator of sports in the country, to invite young Charles Kumi Gyamfi (C.K. Gyamfi, for short) to come down from Germany where he had just completed a coaching course to prepare the Black Stars for the Africa Cup of Nations being hosted by the country.
If Nkrumah were to have a low esteem of Ghanaians or the black man, for that matter, and knowing him to be a leader who abhorred failures, he would conveniently have settled on a foreign coach, more so when Ghana was playing host. Coach Gyamfi proved Dr Nkrumah and Ohene Djan right that what the white man could do the black man was equal and competent to the task, if not even more. Ghana won its first African Cup at that tournament.
In 1965, Coach C.K. Gyamfi again led the Black Stars to defend the trophy in far away Tunis. It was not after 13 years, in 1978, that Ghana won the continental trophy again. For those who do not know, the coach of that victorious Black Stars team was Osam-Duodu, a full-blooded Ghanaian!
In 1982, when Ghana had the honour of winning the Africa Cup again in Libya, the technical team comprised C.K. Gyamfi (Leader), Osam-Duodu and Isaac K. Afranie. Tell me, those drenched in inferiority complex, where is the case against local coaches?
There is always this loose argument that local coaches need to upgrade their technical skills in order to prove equal to the task. Every profession requires constant upgrading and coaching is not an exemption. What yardstick are they applying? Who says only local coaches need refresher courses? Forty-five years ago we won the continental trophy with a Ghanaian coach and we are talking about deficient technical skills today. Are we being fair to ourselves as human beings?
Twenty-six years ago, in 1982, we won the Africa Cup with a Ghanaian technical team so what are we saying today when, even with a Frenchman on home soil, we could only pat ourselves with worthless bronze? The apologists should tell us what more they expect from our own coaches before according them the respect and dignity they deserve.
Another issue those who do not see their way clear without the torchlight of a white man put across is that local coaches cannot stamp their authority on the team. How do they stamp their authority when their appointments are without contracts? How do they exert authority when every member of the FA is a coach, team owner and player agent, seeking their selfish interests?
I challenge the powerful men in charge of the FA to hand over the Black Stars to a local coach, offering him just half of the 30,000 euros they were paying Le Roy every month; let him sign a performance contract so that he sacks himself when he fails; give him the free hand to pick his supporting staff; give him the freedom to select and dispense with the services of players and give him the funds to spend weeks in Europe scouting for players. He will do more than just putting together already well-cooked players and claim glory for their success.
By now it should be obvious to us that most of these foreign coaches are mercenaries who lack commitment and are only interested in the fortunes they make. Are we surprised, therefore, that Le Roy got attracted to bigger salaries and applied for jobs in South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire.
What we should also realise is that the local coach will share in the glory of success as a national and not just for the fat bonus he will earn. In the same way, he will suffer the gloom of failure as any other Ghanaian and he will carry a bigger burden for not being able to stem defeat, something no amount of money will wash away. That is the difference.
Slavery and colonialism ended many years ago and we need to come out of our hopelessness and inferiority complex. We must cultivate the spirit of self-importance and national pride. We should stop making mockery of our independence by making saviours out of dead white men. In our self-pity mentality, we accept everything that had been rejected in their home countries; people who could hardly be mentioned in their countries are given red-carpet treatment here because we lack self-confidence
Yes, we are in a global village, but movement is not one directional. It seems we are so blinded by our own low self-esteem that we are not aware of this.
It is very disgraceful and embarrassing that it took Sepp Blatter, another white man who is the FIFA President, to tell us in the face that foreign coaches are doing more harm than good to the development of football on the continent. Those so-called football experts, Blatter observed, are earning more than they deserve and their skills do not enhance the performance of the various national teams.
Since we respect Blatter so much and appreciate the good things he has done for African football, much against stiff opposition from his compatriots, are we going to honour him by respecting his views and change for the better? We in Ghana have been taught a bitter lesson by Claude Le Roy. Have we learnt it?
May I have the honour of applauding the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, once again for creating a path which we hope very soon others will follow? We are tired of ‘Nana Dr (Prof Emeritus) so and so’. As Otumfuo observed, big titles do not make a good chief. Our traditional leaders should let their light shine and, title or no title, they will glitter in the eyes of their subjects. Otumfuo, thank you.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Friday, May 9, 2008
Welcome, Ghana Correctional Service
By Kofi Akordor
At the passing-out of new prison officers in Accra about a week ago, the government declared its intention to address the poor conditions in the country’s prisons. This should be good news to those who have a fair knowledge of conditions in our prison facilities.
The Prisons Service, like many other public institutions, has over the years suffered under the proverbial ‘No funds’ syndrome and those who know the system very well, will admit that there is very little correction in our prison system.
Overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of learning and training facilities have made the prisons more of concentration camps than centres of reformation.
Last year, Daasebre Gyamena, a very popular Ghanaian musician, came out of a London jail proclaiming that he had, during his period of incarceration, composed a number of songs which were soon to be released. According to Gyamena, while in custody, he took advantage of facilities available to take courses in Information Technology and Mathematics, for which he was awarded a certificate. That is where the difference lies.
In Ghana, very few can claim that they came out of our prisons better equipped than when they went in. Some claim spiritual development, which only confirms the physical deprivations they went through while in prison custody. I must admit that I do not have figures to prove it, but most convicts go back to prisons not because they enjoy conditions there, but mostly because they have improved upon their criminal skills and have very little means to lead decent lives.
The workshops that are to transform the unskilled inmates into a pool of employable talents do not exist or at best, lack the necessary equipment and tools and trainers needed to do the transformation. Those with skills and some level of academic qualifications come out stale and rusty because facilities such as libraries to encourage academic discourse are simply not available in our prisons.
These deprivations and the stigma associated with prison life have seriously contributed to the situation where most convicts come out from the prisons ready to exert revenge on society.
Any programme to reform the penal system and turn the prisons into correctional centres should be applauded. My only problem is that this reform is being tied to a change in name. Our penchant for changing the names of our institutions and ministries as part of improving or transforming them is not only disturbing but intriguing. We are told that a draft Prisons Service Law and Regulations which will rename the Ghana Prisons Service as the Ghana Correctional Service is awaiting Presidential assent.
Do we always have to change names before improving conditions in our institutions and making them more effective and relevant to our needs? We know the problems of the Ghana Prisons Service. We know the solutions do not lie in new names. So why do we think by giving an old institution a new name, everything will change for the better overnight?
Take our educational system for example. We have transformed the primary and middle to the junior and senior secondary schools without seeing the fundamental changes we expect in the system. Quite recently, we went further to the junior high and senior high schools with our changing of names without any improvement (change )in infrastructure, facilities and service conditions. So which should be our concern? Changing names or improving facilities?
We have elevated our polytechnics to tertiary status with corresponding upgrading in facilities, academic structure and service conditions. The agitation by the polytechnic graduates for recognition stems from the fact that much work did not go into the upgrading of the polytechnics before going public with the declaration.
We came to realise rather too painfully that it is easier changing a name than living up to that name. Thanks to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), the polytechnics are seeing a lot of improvement in physical infrastructure. But we still have a lot to do to bring them to a level where they can adequately produce the middle-management power of the country, especially in the sciences and technical fields.
Our ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) have changed names several times in recent times so much so that it will be difficult for any examiner to attempt posing a question like; “How many ministries do we have in Ghana?” in any examination and expect the students to pass. It will even be more difficult if the students were asked to name those ministries. By separation, attachment or elimination, we have created so many ministries in so short a time as if that is the panacea for our problems.
For just one sector, there have been different ministries. For instance, the energy sector alone has seen many ministries including, Fuel and Power; Fuel and Energy; Energy and Mines and we are still searching. There is, or were once, Ministry of Transport and Communications; Ministry of Roads and Transport; Ministry of Roads and Highways and those readers can remember. These changes are not reflecting on the standard of roads which the ministries are to tackle anyway.
We once had the Ministry of Trade and Industries. It became Trade and Tourism; then Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City (many might have forgotten this); Tourism and Diasporan Relations and those to follow.
What is Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) when agriculture is all about food anyway? With every change in ministerial name comes shuffling of staff, redesignation of officers, and change in name or transfer of departments from one ministry to another.
We have done it so much that sometimes members of the public and the business community do not find their way clear as to which ministry to do business with. A road contractor may shuttle between the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ministry of Transport, for even though it may sound simple, sometimes, one file for a particular project may be in one ministry while another file on the same project may be in the cabinet of another ministry.
Such is our obsession with bureaucracy that we spend more time creating new and renaming ministries instead of ensuring that the existing ones do the right thing. This is the fear I harbour for the Ghana Correctional Service, which is to replace the Ghana Prisons Service. It may end up as a change in name but the service will remain the same. I think it is time we end up somewhere and begin to understand that names do not do the work and creating and recreating ministries will not change our fortunes if our vision and attitude do not change. Somebody may ask; “What is in a name”?
At the passing-out of new prison officers in Accra about a week ago, the government declared its intention to address the poor conditions in the country’s prisons. This should be good news to those who have a fair knowledge of conditions in our prison facilities.
The Prisons Service, like many other public institutions, has over the years suffered under the proverbial ‘No funds’ syndrome and those who know the system very well, will admit that there is very little correction in our prison system.
Overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of learning and training facilities have made the prisons more of concentration camps than centres of reformation.
Last year, Daasebre Gyamena, a very popular Ghanaian musician, came out of a London jail proclaiming that he had, during his period of incarceration, composed a number of songs which were soon to be released. According to Gyamena, while in custody, he took advantage of facilities available to take courses in Information Technology and Mathematics, for which he was awarded a certificate. That is where the difference lies.
In Ghana, very few can claim that they came out of our prisons better equipped than when they went in. Some claim spiritual development, which only confirms the physical deprivations they went through while in prison custody. I must admit that I do not have figures to prove it, but most convicts go back to prisons not because they enjoy conditions there, but mostly because they have improved upon their criminal skills and have very little means to lead decent lives.
The workshops that are to transform the unskilled inmates into a pool of employable talents do not exist or at best, lack the necessary equipment and tools and trainers needed to do the transformation. Those with skills and some level of academic qualifications come out stale and rusty because facilities such as libraries to encourage academic discourse are simply not available in our prisons.
These deprivations and the stigma associated with prison life have seriously contributed to the situation where most convicts come out from the prisons ready to exert revenge on society.
Any programme to reform the penal system and turn the prisons into correctional centres should be applauded. My only problem is that this reform is being tied to a change in name. Our penchant for changing the names of our institutions and ministries as part of improving or transforming them is not only disturbing but intriguing. We are told that a draft Prisons Service Law and Regulations which will rename the Ghana Prisons Service as the Ghana Correctional Service is awaiting Presidential assent.
Do we always have to change names before improving conditions in our institutions and making them more effective and relevant to our needs? We know the problems of the Ghana Prisons Service. We know the solutions do not lie in new names. So why do we think by giving an old institution a new name, everything will change for the better overnight?
Take our educational system for example. We have transformed the primary and middle to the junior and senior secondary schools without seeing the fundamental changes we expect in the system. Quite recently, we went further to the junior high and senior high schools with our changing of names without any improvement (change )in infrastructure, facilities and service conditions. So which should be our concern? Changing names or improving facilities?
We have elevated our polytechnics to tertiary status with corresponding upgrading in facilities, academic structure and service conditions. The agitation by the polytechnic graduates for recognition stems from the fact that much work did not go into the upgrading of the polytechnics before going public with the declaration.
We came to realise rather too painfully that it is easier changing a name than living up to that name. Thanks to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), the polytechnics are seeing a lot of improvement in physical infrastructure. But we still have a lot to do to bring them to a level where they can adequately produce the middle-management power of the country, especially in the sciences and technical fields.
Our ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) have changed names several times in recent times so much so that it will be difficult for any examiner to attempt posing a question like; “How many ministries do we have in Ghana?” in any examination and expect the students to pass. It will even be more difficult if the students were asked to name those ministries. By separation, attachment or elimination, we have created so many ministries in so short a time as if that is the panacea for our problems.
For just one sector, there have been different ministries. For instance, the energy sector alone has seen many ministries including, Fuel and Power; Fuel and Energy; Energy and Mines and we are still searching. There is, or were once, Ministry of Transport and Communications; Ministry of Roads and Transport; Ministry of Roads and Highways and those readers can remember. These changes are not reflecting on the standard of roads which the ministries are to tackle anyway.
We once had the Ministry of Trade and Industries. It became Trade and Tourism; then Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City (many might have forgotten this); Tourism and Diasporan Relations and those to follow.
What is Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) when agriculture is all about food anyway? With every change in ministerial name comes shuffling of staff, redesignation of officers, and change in name or transfer of departments from one ministry to another.
We have done it so much that sometimes members of the public and the business community do not find their way clear as to which ministry to do business with. A road contractor may shuttle between the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ministry of Transport, for even though it may sound simple, sometimes, one file for a particular project may be in one ministry while another file on the same project may be in the cabinet of another ministry.
Such is our obsession with bureaucracy that we spend more time creating new and renaming ministries instead of ensuring that the existing ones do the right thing. This is the fear I harbour for the Ghana Correctional Service, which is to replace the Ghana Prisons Service. It may end up as a change in name but the service will remain the same. I think it is time we end up somewhere and begin to understand that names do not do the work and creating and recreating ministries will not change our fortunes if our vision and attitude do not change. Somebody may ask; “What is in a name”?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)