I often feel that I have had enough of my opinions published on Ghanaweb that I
should sit back and read and soak in other people's opinions. As I start to get
comfortable in that endeavor, I get hit in the face by headlines that make my heart
bleed and I only get relief when I express my opinion and hope that maybe, just
maybe I will cross path with some politician on Ghanaweb, and the blood from my
heart will smear his/her conscience somehow. So if I seem to be on Ghanaweb often,
please pardon me.
Before I go on, I will like to express my sincere thanks to the people of Ghanaweb
for giving us a place to express ourselves. As long as I am able to, I will speak
for "the least of these" for I am of "the least of these".
"Time ripe for 5 aircraft for Ghana - Majority"
"Accra Is Now Clean And Free Of Hawkers - AMA boss"
Anyone remember "Redeployment"? Whatever that was supposed to be, what I remember
of it is mass dismissals that turned many people into merchandisers. Where were
they going to sell their merchandise? No one thought of that before the dismissals.
Mr. AMA boss, you should also take pride in taking people's livelihood from them.
These people have to figure out where their next meal will come from. They have to
figure out where their children's school fees will come from. That takes some
intelligence: intelligence that you have not demonstrated by your actions because
the thinking of offering alternatives comes before the actions that you seem to have
taken. Be proud of yourself.
If I am not mistaking, the last war that Ghana's military saw was World War II which
was before I was born (and I am not a Spring chicken). In that war, we were doing
our colonial masters' bidding. Can someone tell me again what we need 5 airplanes
for? Peace Keeping? Why, don't they equip us to keep peace in someone else's
country? I thought peace keeping was lucrative for our military and that's why they
do it.
I think we need toilets along our beaches more than we need planes for our military.
The cost of one plane can build a handful of toilets along the beaches of Accra
(better than nothing). If we must, why not buy 4 planes and build a few toilets?
And guess what, we don't build planes. How many Ghanaians will be employed to build
the planes? I dare to guess that a few Ghanaians will get employed if we build some
toilets along our beaches; to say nothing about the marketable experiences that they
will acquire which will possibly get a couple of people off the street hawking
business and make the AMA boss happy.
We don't have much, but we can do something with the little that we have. What we
are lacking is the thinking that needs to precede our actions.
Lastly, I will dare our presidential candidates, Mr. Mills and Mr. Akufo Addo to
issue a statement on AMA boss's actions. Here is your chance, Mr. Akufo Addo.
Impress me. This is better than breaking bread with "the least of these."
Tony Pobee-Mensah