A decade of royal music

Members of the Royal Apostles Youth Choir 

Time indeed ebbs away so craftily so fast that an hour, a day, a month, a year through to a decade can make you forget about your struggles, your pain, your disappointments such that as soon as you experience the present, the past is long forgotten.

 Indeed, the present in no time turns to the past, whilst death awaits a ready sickle for the blast. The moment the appointed time draws near and the wind comes trembling or tears, our knells and saddest dirge, buried at last.

Yes, it's been a decade of struggle, but the hymnist admonished us to count our blessings and name them one by one. In that, all wake bones will one be made stronger and his handmade will lay mould’ring with damp worms and clay, which shall gather all the dust and bid it to rise. For now, each dreamless head sleeps ‘neath these stones, but God shall raise us on an unending day to where our blissful, heav’nly home is- beyond the skies.

A decade of music rendition will only hit us as a weapon whereby the pain will not be felt but rather we will be moved to the direction it pushes you - and we shall allow ourselves to be seduced, like the holy prophet Jeremiah.

The most difficult job in this world is to manage different people with talents, but when these talents stay on, build a strong bond for a decade then prepare yourself for the best.

For a decade the Royal Apostles Youth Choir has treated its patrons, the parishioners of the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, New Aplaku to beautiful hymns, canticles, anthems and other renditions of your favourite choral music.

To determine the progress of the choir, you can only compare it with when it started in 2009 to now, there you will appreciate that indeed the choir has come this far just by grace.

Indeed, it is so appropriate that on the occasion of the choir’s 10th anniversary, it chose the theme “Rooted in Him and abounding in thanksgiving”.

Let’s try to break it down:

…Rooted in him; the choir for a decade has been built firmly and strongly in the Lord. It has found its strength in the Lord as well and has over the years turned its weakness to strength...

...Abounding in thanksgiving; the choir for a decade can only be grateful for how far He has brought us...

Through the struggles knowing clearly that its members are students, workers and nursing mothers, they all still find time despite their busy schedules to spend enough time in the House of the Lord.

 He never said the journey will be easy.

On the way to Calvary, Christ Jesus in whom our anchor holds demonstrates to us that following him will not be that easy, there will be highs and lows, storms and tribulations; yet our end goal is to wear that beautiful crown one day.

 Over the years pre-Christmas party starts with an all-white event dubbed “White Carol” where the white stage with mics will host the Royals whose voices come together to render beautiful soul-touching songs to the disheartened.

On the white stage this evening, men and women of the Royal Apostles Youth Choir will be like players in a real-life play, just as Shakespeare alluded to, with their various entrances and exits.

Call them STARS and you will not be wrong because each person will be playing at least one role on the white stage.

 Their shiny faces with and beautiful smiles will be so angelic, wonderfully and fearfully made to attract the audience to come on a journey into the spiritual realms.

The public address system within the auditorium is the only medium used in transmitting for the vast majority of members of the New Aplaku community to enjoy. The expectations for the choir to deliver is very high but one thing for sure is that when it comes to moments like this, the Royals deliver with royalty.

Therefore be our "Royal Guest" at exactly 4.00 pm - tonight, the 6th day of December.

Email: paanyan7@gmail.com
Twitter: @eArthurAidoo

Royal @ 10, rooted in Him and abounding in God’s thanksgiving

Members of Royal Apostle Youth Choir

“The main end of our lives is to serve God in the service of men in the works of our callings” – William Perkins.

The physical and psychological benefits of choral music have become crystal clear in recent years. But less certain is precisely why joining voices in song is so powerful. One can clearly deduce that it is a connection with a like-minded community where a true sense of shared purpose with creativity comes to bear.

Being a chorister as a child of God is a privilege because as Christians we are made to believe that after a well-lived life on earth, a place prepared for us beyond the sky is where we will be going and there, we will neither eat, drink nor work but we will be singing Hallelujah 24/7.

It is very rare to get a very powerful voice to sing powerful tunes with accompaniment from a piano or a keyboard.

My only subject back in primary school apart from the English Language was ‘Music and Dance’.

There, I was thought how to read the lines and spaces of a musical staff, that is, the treble clef and the bass clef (E, G, B, D, F and F, A, C, E).

These alphabetical letters became meaningful when after school I decided to learn the saxophone. Yes, I am a saxophonist but I play in my room just to myself and my bed.

Saxophone because it looks very ‘sexy’ and in my experience, for many people, apart from learning the keyboard the most common instrument to learn is either learn the trumpet or trombone, so I wanted to make a difference.

I have a dream of one day bringing my sax to rehearsals and playing alongside the keyboard while my choir renders some powerful hymns and anthems. Indeed, my first performance in public was at Takoradi Sports Club and I really had fun doing a duet with a British keyboardist. #Memories.

Recently a research Royal College of Physicians of Ireland revealed that studied the psychology of music by an institution in Ireland indicated that there is an empirical link between choral singing and the well-being of individuals. This study investigated the construct of state mindfulness as a potential generative mechanism by which this link exists. A within-subject design measured levels of state mindfulness in choristers before and after a choir rehearsal. Assessing state mindfulness before and after listening to a piece of music at home acted as the control condition.

This research has made me realise that singing in the choir especially a church choir is not something that of us privileged to have should toy with because it requires passion and teamwork. Indeed, it is within the choir that teamwork really exists because, without teamwork, one cannot render good music that can uplift the souls of people listening, for it is said that music is the food for the soul.

The Royal Apostles Youth Choir has had such passion and teamwork amongst its members right from its formation somewhere in 2009, and in 2019, the choir is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Physical progress and advancement is seen daily amongst the members of the choir and the 10 years of existence could only have been by the grace of God. This is because the members of the choir are very dedicated and diligent; anytime you call on them they are ready- 24/7. Their cheerfulness to serve God becomes the labour of their hands with the heavens being very obedient recipients of the spirits and souls they upfit to heaven anytime their voices meet with one accord.

We believe that as long as there are people on earth, the world will have glimpses of the Divine Majesty of God through music. That is why we are launching our maiden album for people to feel the presence of God everywhere we go.

Album recording hasn’t been an easy project but with determination, things have been done with relative ease despite the ‘human errors’ we encountered.

Royals Hallmark of Excellence have testified that in working with passion as a team, we display an attitude of service to God and mankind.

The Saints Peter and Paul community has been where we have stayed long enough to have accumulated some musical might, and it is best described as home. It anchors our efforts in a way that a steady stream of pleasantness never will.

Come Friday, December 6 will be the major concert of the choir. We have used the whole year to prepare. The stage will light up, angels will descend from the heavens and the ‘walls’ of Jericho will be broken. Yes, the powerful force of choral music will pull it down.

A.W. Tozer noted, “Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry. It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it."

Let us meet and experience God within our souls.

The theme for the celebration is ‘Rooted in Him and abounding in thanksgiving’ - Colossians 2:7.

Royals; Ayekoo

Email: paanyan7@gmail.com
Blog: ekowrites.blogspot.com

HIV/AIDS, the ABC story

The alphabets "ABC" resonates very well with the story of HIV/AIDS. The disease which has no cure destroys the human immune system when one contracts it through unprotected having sex with an infected partner.

Over the years, HIV/AIDS deaths among infected patients has been on the increase because in certain parts of the world money to purchase the anti-retroviral drugs has been a problem.

But scientists have indicated that when a patient gets such a drug, even though it won’t cure the disease, it will help in reversing the suppressed immunity very appreciable levels. This can actually help the patient live a very normal life.

"Antiretroviral therapy treats HIV by suppressing the virus' activity in the body. For most people who take them, these medications are very effective at keeping HIV under control," (Medical News Today).

Many ads of this deadly disease have always had the first three alphabets running through it. The ABC is explained as A (Abstinence), B (Be faithful) and C (Condom use). When the ad of HIV/AIDS does not go with these alphabets then maybe the ad wasn’t made for HIV/AIDD.

During sex education, individuals are made to understand that Abstaining/Abstinence from sexual intercourse is the surest bet of one not getting infected with the deadly virus. It also reduces the risk and harm associated with the disease.

Abstinence-only sex education is strictly to promote sexual abstinence until marriage and does not teach about safe sex or contraceptives. The abstinence-based sex education program is meant to stress abstinence and includes information on safe sex practices. In general terms, this strategy of sex education is a compromise between abstinence-only education and comprehensive sex education.

The ABC approach was developed in response to the growing epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Africa especially, and to prevent the spread of other sexually transmitted diseases. This approach has been credited by some with the falling numbers of those infected with AIDS in Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe especially, among places. Statistics from 1990 to 2001 show that the percentage of Ugandans living with AIDS fell from 15% to between 5 and 6%, (HIV/AIDS surveillance report, STD/AIDS control programme, Ministry of Health, Uganda, June 2001).

This decline is believed to have resulted from the employment of the ABC approach, especially reduction in the number of sex partners, called "Zero-Grazing" in Uganda.

Abstinence-based sex education can include issues of human relationships, the basic biology of human reproduction, safe sex methods and contraceptives, HIV/AIDS information, and masturbation in place of sex. It recommends sexual abstinence outside marriage as an ideal, having only a single long-term sexual partner.

The use of condoms and other safe sex practices is advocated only if it is not possible to remain with a single sexual partner. Advocating this ideal, whilst pragmatically dealing with the fact that abstinence only sex education is ineffective by itself, has made the ABC approach popular with many African governments and relief agencies.

The ABC approach has been used in African countries for years now. Versions of this approach have been used for abstinence only sex education in Uganda. Its positive impact has been confirmed by a 2009 Stanford University survey.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has been around since the 1980s. The disease is believed to have originated in Kinshasa, DR Congo. It is said that HIV crossed from chimpanzees to humans.

It was only in the '80s when statistics first proved that many ignorant people were infected with HIV and later developed AIDS but did not know about it. HIV was unknown and transmission was not accompanied by noticeable signs or symptoms.

While sporadic cases of AIDS were documented prior to 1970, available data suggests that the current epidemic started in the mid-to-late 1970s. By 1980, HIV may have already spread to five continents (North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Australia). In this period, between 100,000 and 300,000 people could have already been infected, (Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (1981) 'Kaposi's Sarcoma and Pneumocystis Pneumonia among Homosexual Men- New York City and California' MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 30(25):305-308).

Twitter: @eArthurAidoo

The useless diurnal chamber ‘pot’

Proposed parliamentary chamber 

Groucho Marx once said: “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies”.

This quote by Groucho Marx best describes the current situation of Ghana where old men and women have been elected or given the mandate to go into a certain chamber pot to ‘ease’ their thinking caps and make sure the lives of the people who gave them the mandate are better off. 

It is very ironic that when it comes to issues such as salaries, car loans, rent allowance, per diem etc, we have our politicians singing from the same hymn sheet; they do not mind even religious differences; once they can read the tonic sol-fas, they are good to go. However, when it comes to things that worry the ordinary man whose taxes these old folks feed on they do not care one bit.

Numerous is the plight of the ordinary citizens of this country but the politicians have turned a deaf ear to it all…even the deaf can hear with gestures but not the people whom we call politicians.

Why will a grown up man who feeds on our taxes wake up one morning after having enjoyed all that life has to offer and try to find trouble where there is none by provide wrong remedies to our solutions?

I have been thinking of this whole issue of a new Chamber ‘pot’ for Ghana’s Parliament but I don’t think there is one wisdom provided by the proponents of such a crass idea.

Yes, I call such an idea very crass because there is no justification by these old ‘kids’ as to why a chamber ‘pot’ should be provided for them to do their diurnal duties.

To quote Will Rogers “Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke”.

I have been nosing around and I came across an infantile justification that when Ghanaians were suffering we still built stadia so it is OK for us to give our stomach upset parliamentarians some chamber pot to ease themselves in…….really?

Upon all the problems of this country building a 450 chamber ‘pot’ is on top of the scale of preference of our stomach upset politicians?

The arrogant Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu in an interview with Accra based Joy FM stated that security of MPs, Speaker’s ability to see, and Parliament getting its own chamber after customizing State House for its works since 1992 are the main reasons why the taxpayer should get them a chamber ‘pot’ to ease themselves in.

Will a class 6 pupil provide such reasons for her justification of getting a new school bag when the old one has no problems, knowing very well that she requested for it to be redesigned into her own preference?

Ghanaians need more security than the politicians who take ex-gratia every four years.

Ghanaians need more visible roads in the night than those who have been given the mandate to serve the ordinary taxpayer.

Ghanaians need ‘manhole’ free roads to drive on daily.

Ghanaians need proper classroom blocks, proper health facilities, constant power supply, a constant flow of water any time taps are turned on, a plastic free environment, and proper conditions of service than the politicians who feed on our taxes.

If the Speaker cannot clearly see those occupying the 275 seats in parliament can he see through 450 seats clearly?

What sin has this country committed in using State House for it works since 1992? 

None!

Can’t $200 million do anything better for the country other than building a chamber ‘pot’ which will not be fully occupied by the MPs when they get ‘stomach upsets’? 

Just scan through the parliament house and compare that with the House of Commons in the UK where we borrowed our parliamentary system from. One will note that our ‘pot belly’ men here are VERY comfortable within the house where some even end up sleeping even live on TV.

How many times is the house full to capacity?

Ghana’s parliament does not need that Chinese furniture which makes our MPs sleep daily when there is a sitting. 

Can we get the parliamentarians some bench for them to sit up and think properly when there is a proper discussion about the country and the future?

Oh did I hear bald KT Hammond saying parliamentarians won’t sit under trees? By his logic, the future leaders of this country deserve to sit under trees and study or be in life-threatening classrooms and study? 

What a forlorn statement from a bald MP with a grey hair!

As Franklin Roosevelt said, “A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward”.

Let’s give priority to things that will better the lives of the ordinary Ghanaian who stays in traffic for more than two hours daily when she closes from the office or market and the Ghanaian who stood in the scorching sun to thumbprint that ballot paper for the ‘potbellied’ to occupy that chamber ‘pot’. 

I wonder sometimes whether if our beloved country is being run by smart people or it is being run by some imbeciles who don’t care about us. 

Email: paanyan7@gmail.com

Ghana, 2 years as a pensioner

This month of March, we celebrate our Nation Ghana’s birthday.

Just as the African proverb goes, “When the narrator is the hunter, he will always glorify himself, until the lion learns how to narrate or write its own story.  

So, Ghana on March 6 celebrated its 62nd independence anniversary and then what happens next?

The facts are emerging that an African governor of the Gold Coast who hails from the Akwamufie in the Eastern Region had the original keys to the Osu Castle and never released it.

 In fact when I shared the story published on GhanaWeb to my class group page a friend remarked, “The Akwamu’s were the first to organize a coup d'état in this country.”

If Ghana was to be a human being working in the public sector, she should be on pension by now, despite her many coup d’états and self-sabotage.

 Ghana should have been celebrating two years as a pensioner but wait ooo, will Ghana be a happy pensioner looking at all the ills of this country?

From the bribery, corruption, nepotism, tribalism, Cedi depreciation to the dumsor (power cuts), how will the pensioned Ghana have responded?

Our opposition have almost always seen everything that the ruling government does as bad and vice versa.

This is not the way to go if we want to build a strong nation for future generations. 

Prior to election 2016, the current president and his running mate organized lectures upon lectures to criticize the previous administration.

 Today, the things they talked about in opposition are the very same things happening. 

Dumsor is shamefully back and the heat is unbearable, the high cost of living, Cedi depreciation against the dollar, high unemployment, bribery and corruption, a poor educational system with some nonsense red-gold-green track system are the norm. 

 Pensioner Ghana forgets that it is the ordinary cocoa farmer in Sefwi-Wiawso, whose small harvest helps to sustain the pensioner Ghana.  

62 years after independence we keep preaching Ghana beyond aid yet the pensioner Ghana still holds her cup in hand seeking assistance from Shanghai to Rio de Janeiro. What can the pensioner Ghana show for her many years of work.

If the pensioner Ghana were relaxed in her deck chair, thinking of her work in active service and her current situation, she will surely die a premature death; the thought of her current situation will be enough to send her to the land of our ancestors.  

Isn’t it sad that at 62, the pensioner Ghana has trained professionals who cannot speak based on their professional expertise, but rather speak in favour of those in power all the time?

Ghana as a pensioner will surely be thinking of how she will be treated if she visits either the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Cape Coast Teaching Hospital or the Effia Nkwanta Hospital.

But how did pensioner Ghana create hospitals which end up giving people sickness?  

62 years after independence, Tema once the industrial city is in disarray.

Nothing works in Ghana. Her children, the current public servants and civil servants close at 4.30 pm instead of 5.00 pm and instead of getting into the office by 8.00 am they get there at 9.00 am. When they arrive, their first point of call is Social Media, either Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or WhatsApp. They spend good productive hours there. What kind of pension do they expect?

At 62, pensioner Ghana still defecates at the beach and in the bush, and only one percent of her institutional waste is processed!

Pensioner Ghana as a human being will surely feel pity for itself and die. 

Send Feedback to:paanyan7@gmail.com
Twitter: @ekowrites

An opprobrious elder like Sammy

Samuel Ofosu Ampofo

Just when we thought the issue of militias, thugs, vigilantes, criminals or whatever you call them will finally come to an end, a political party chairman, supposedly an elder of a church is heard glorifying the actions of these deadly and evil groups.

In a voice recording making rounds, this elder cum party chairman is heard clearly confessing that members of the eagle-sitting-atop-an-umbrella militia group, the Azorka Boys, were brought from Tamale to the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency because the ruling Elephant militia Kandahar Boys were already taking a center stage at the constituency. 

The supposed Church of Pentecost elder, who probably knows the Bible than some area or district pastors claims that the decision of the Umbrella Party to withdraw from the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election was “not a cowardice decision” but, a “strategic operation” because the Umbrella’s militia group, Azorka Boys, on the election day were outnumbered by the Elephant’s Kandahar Boys, hence if it rained they won’t get an umbrella to cover themselves. 

“We will go after them but, we will not go after them face to face. We have to use tactical approaches to make life very uncomfortable for some of them. We will target some people and we will let people know that their lives are in danger. I want to assure you that we will go all out to ensure that as Yohane Mahama said when it comes to this game, in fact, we are better than them,” he said.

The speaker on the tape is heard announcing a smear campaign to portray the ruling Elephant President as violent and the use of insults to chip at the reputation of the Peace Council and the Electoral Commission chairperson. 

“We should not focus on the IGP. He is like a civilian. We must situate the communication on the president who is the Commander-in-Chief and who controls the security agencies and how he has shown his true colours as a very violent person.”

You see when I first wrote that politicians in this country are hypocrites and irresponsible people, some thought I wasn’t fair in my analysis. 

Is the election supposed to be a battle of militias or a contest to be decided by the thumb?

So the hurried press conference that stated that the Umbrella was pulling out of the election because of the incidence at their candidate’s house was bloody lies from a chairman who is a follower of Yeshua Hamashia and probably has no fear for Jehovah Elohim. 

In all these, ask yourself who constitutes these militias. They are young people. Young people with fresh blood flowing through their veins that they can probably use in working to make our country better, greater and stronger than what our forefathers left us. 

The kids, siblings, cousins and other family members of this Umbrella chairman won’t be part of any of the plot that he is giving to his party folks yet, people won’t be wise in seeing this; rather they will gladly go and do as is said to them. 

If he, the master planner, can plan such a plot - joining all the coordinates - to arrive at a certain goal, won’t make his family folks the leaders of these plots, why should a young person, full of life, lead such a bloody plot? 

Such evil acts, are not exclusive to the opposition Umbrella; the ruling Elephant party is guilty as well. These so-called elders of these two political parties will hide and push people to violence. After some precious lives are lost, they will come back and sympathize with their families, donating peanuts that won’t resurrect their beloved – such utter nonsense!

Tell me, how many victims of such political clashes are still being cared for by the political parties that sent them?

After 62 years of trial and error - believing that our democracy will be like America’s or other developed countries’ or even better - we are still brooding and grooming criminals to plunge our country into chaos. 

And oh, what is this about doctoring of tapes these evil-minded Ele-infantiles and Umbrelliars talk about whenever they are exposed?

Come on guys, we should grow above this pettiness and stop glorifying wrongdoing.

An Umbrella propaganda secretary - oooh it has now been changed to communications director - a gentleman who started on a good note with a promising career in politics has ruined it big time. Obviously those leading such a young promising man taught him that the only way he can make it big was to tell lies. He insisted that even though the voice was ‘sounding like’ that of the Eagle-atop-an-umbrella national chairman’s, it’s been doctored. 

If the audio has been doctored what is preventing the Umbrelliars from producing the original tape?

This, he claims is designed as a diversionary tactic to provide the government with a reprieve from the content of a documentary on illegal mining [galamsey] by investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, which puts the government in bad light.

What an Ele-infantile response and assertion from an Umbrelliar? When will these party executives admit for once that their actions put the country in great danger? 

It’s about time that we put it to these servants of the two main political parties that they are responsible for all the political violence that has occurred in this country. 

Will they let their family folks or kids lead the young able-bodied men to engage in such violence for a change?

Let’s reflect on the lyrics of this Ephraim Amu song; it will surely touch our hearts and minds. 

Ma Oman yi mu ns3m nny3 wo ahias3m
Na dwen ho anopa, awia ne abr3 nyinaa
S3 wobo mpae a kae Ghana
Sufr3 wo nyankopon fa Ghana hy3 no nsa
3no na woy3 Oman bapa
3no na woy3 odo
Odo ma wo man
3no ara na y3re hwehw3
Odo ma wo man
3no ara na ehia 

I shall return!


Send Feedback to:paanyan7@gmail.com
Twitter: @ekowrites

How different is the Short commission from others?

The Justice Short Commission

When Ghanaian leaders are overwhelmed by scandals, they often set up Commissions of Inquiry to get to the root of how and why such problems occurred. If it is otherwise possible, they will divert attention from it.

Most of the time when these commissions finish their work, their report(s) are kept in the office of the President with little to no implementation. And often when they implement the recommendations of the so-called White Paper, it is to cover their appointees.

Now let’s get some legal education here;

Article 278 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana gives the President of Ghana the authority by Constitutional Instrument (CI) to appoint a Commission of Inquiry into any matter of public interest where
“(a) the President is satisfied that a commission of inquiry should be appointed; or (b) the Council of State advises that it is in the public interest to do so; or (c) Parliament, by a resolution requests that a commission of inquiry be appointed to inquire into any matter, specified in the resolution as being a matter of public importance.”

The constitution further breaks down the number of people which should constitute such a commission and the criteria for appointing commissioner(s) of such a commission in Article 278 (2) & (3) respectively. 

According to the constitution in Article 279, such commission(s) shall have the powers, rights and privileges of the High Court or a Justice of the High Court at a trial, in respect of “(a) enforcing the attendance of witnesses and examining them on oath, affirmation or otherwise; (b) compelling the production of documents; and (c) the issue of a commission or request to examine witnesses abroad.”

Another mandate of the commission of inquiry given by the constitution in Article 280 (1) states: “A commission of inquiry shall (a) make a full, faithful and impartial inquiry into any matter specified in the instrument of appointment; (b) report in writing the result of the inquiry; and (c) furnish in the report the reasons leading to the conclusions stated in the report”.

It further reads in Article 280 (2): “Where a commission of inquiry makes an adverse finding against any person, the report of the commission of inquiry shall, for the purposes of this Constitution, be deemed to be the judgment of the High Court; and accordingly, an appeal shall lie as of right from the finding of the commission to the Court of Appeal.”

The constitution then insists that the President of the republic publishes the report of the commission together with the White Paper on it within six months after the date of the submission of the report by the commission.

But Article 280 (4) gives the President an option. It states: “Where the report of a commission of inquiry is not to be published, the President shall issue a statement to that effect giving reasons why the report is not to be published.” 

But do we see this happening?

Many Ghanaians, when they hear of a commission of inquiry, believe it becomes one of those commissions where after their work, the government instead of punishing those involved, decides to ‘hide’ them in his ‘cubicle’. 

A clear case in point is the 2014 FIFA World Cup debacle where the government of Ghana set up a commission of inquiry to dissect the unpleasant details of the World Cup. 

There were arguments that the government of Ghana had no right to investigate the Ghana Football Association (GFA) with respect to FIFA’s statutes. Article 17 (1) of the statues states: "Each member shall manage its affairs independently and with no influence from third parties”.

But looking at the laws enshrined in Article 278 of the 1992 constitution, Some people argued that the government of Ghana has the right to investigate the GFA, especially with regard to financial matters since the government assists the football governing body financially. 

After the work of the Dzamefe Commission of Inquiry, little or nothing was done to those who were found guilty. Those who were ministers of state were rather reassigned to the office of the president and it ended there. 

Will this happen with the Short Commission? Many are of the view that whatsoever happened under the Dzamefe Commission will as well happen under the Short Commission. 

After the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, the Short Commission was set up by the government of Ghana to unravel the shooting incident at La Bawaleshie, a polling station within the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency. 

Indeed many of us viewing the live proceedings of this commission on TV have been astonished at some of the testimonies made by key witnesses of this commission. 

Most witnesses believe that the actions of vigilantes or militias or thugs or community-based groups or whatever names you deem fit to give to such party foot-soldiers should be stopped before it gets out of hand in 2020. 

Yes, something needs to be done to stop such thugs calling themselves vigilantes or militias or whatever because the La Bawaleshie incident clearly shows that these guys could be more deadly in 2020. These guys can kill in the name of helping either the NPP or the NDC to climb to the apex position of the land. 

I don't want to believe that none of Nana Akufo-Addo's appointees if implicated by this commission will be promoted or covered like was done in the past by other Presidents of this country. 

Mr President, please remember to implement whatever recommendations by this commission through its report else posterity will not forgive you.

I shall return!


Send feedback to: paanyan7@gmail.com
Twitter: @ekowrites 

An 'irresponsible hypocrite' like John

John Dramani Mahama

I am an angry person.

Yes, I am and I guess you want to know why? 

First of all let me apologize if you find my headline offensive, but I cannot say it better than that. I want to be frank and call a spade by its correct name and not what it looks like. 

The violence which occurred during the by-election at Ayawaso West Wougon is something that all Ghanaians must condemn.

Indeed as Ghanaians, we pride ourselves in being peaceful. 

We recently celebrated the success of the 4th republic with a holiday known as Constitution Day. 

Under the 4th Republic, we have successfully changed governments from NDC to NPP and from NPP to NDC and back to NPP.

In fact, these two political parties have made this nation seem as if she is a two-party state. 

As Ghanaians, we were taught that we should put our country first regardless of our ethnicity, religion or political ideology. 

In fact, we will struggle to defend ourselves and exit without the Red, Gold, Green with a Black Star in the middle. 

Indeed living up to our 'peaceful' credential, we have ensured that Dagbon, hitherto a conflict zone, is now peaceful; both gates have settled on Ya-Na Abubakari Yakubu II as their overlord. 

Why on earth will a leader claiming to lead his political party to victory and eventually lead Ghana take solace in the dark past that his political party put the country into? 

John Dramani Mahama interacting with his party folks in Adaklu Constituency said, “We are not going to joke in 2020 and I’m sounding a warning to the NPP – we are going to match them boot for boot.”

You’ll meet who 'boot-for-boot'? 

With your kids or with the kids of hungry broke Ghanaians?

Politicians of this country are taking the ordinary citizen who has given them power for a ride. 

We groom criminals and label them vigilante. 

What work at all do these criminals do for the political parties and their chosen idols?

It is very interesting to note that the children of these politicians are not members of these vigilantes. 

Are the children of these politicians not good enough to be vigilante; the essential process that will employ their parents to receive ex-gratia every 4-years?

Ghanaians, we need to show these politicians the red light. We need to point out to them that they will one day put our nation into chaos. 

As a sovereign nation governed by laws, we need to ensure that nobody is or should be above the laws.

We need to let these politicians face the music squarely when they go against the law.

Let’s stop this hypocrisy! 

Ghana belongs to all of us!!

Let us show irresponsible politicians the red card!!!



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