Of Mortal Men And Immortality

The high illusion of seeking wealth as a measure of finding peace, comfort and fulfillment in life prompted King Ramsey of Egypt in ancient history to store his treasures in the Pyramids in anticipation of his return to life after death to enjoy it. This erroneous misconception in a different format continues to thrive in the lives of people with power in this civilized world seeking material wealth instead of ensuring good name and service to mankind, which guarantees them immortality even after when they are long gone. It is a fact of life that anything human will come to pass, making it imperative for the human race to seek for something larger than life which is service to humanity because good memories live forever.

Life is assumed to be too short and our mortality is put to test on many strange circumstances which is exemplified by the recent car accident involving the President, Mr. John Agyekum Kufour, on Wednesday, the 14th of November, 2007. In as much as he was able to survive this impasse to the relief of all well meaning Ghanaians to continue with the nation?s business, a fate that could have destabilized the country, what I am personally thinking about is what his legacy would have been, had he lost his life? First and foremost, we thank God that he is alive to pursue and accomplish his agenda to redeem his place in history. Besides, we need to seriously investigate the accident which does not make sense in the least. Ghana?s democracy is young and we need to accommodate each other while we continue to engage ourselves in constructive arguments. The ballot box is and should be the ?king maker?, as alluded by Nana Akwasi Agyemang, a prominent figure in Kumasi.

Ghana has had many Heads of States and Presidents many of whose names have faded into the thin air because of what they did, when they had the mandate to govern the nation. Their names have withered so fast that one wonders if they ever lived notwithstanding their accomplishments as Head of State. Whereas some were rewarded for fighting to redeem the image of our country, others will be remembered for corruption and other social vices. On the whole, the name of Dr Kwame Nkrumah of blessed memory, still permeates through the lives of Ghanaians because of what he stood for, his dedication to the emancipation of Ghana and Africa, and his selfless service to the reshaping of Ghana. Today, the name of Osagyefo Dr Kwame, the thinker, idealist and a doer has been immortalized on the merits of his good works and services to the nation, and not the wealth he was able to accumulate. President J.A.Kufour is alive today with a little over a year left in his term of office. He has the chance to be among the greats if he so chooses. I can only pray for him and hope that he gathers courage to do what is right for the nation and posterity.

Power, they say corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Personally, I see power as a double urged knife which could be used to cook and also use to kill which underscores why some people handle and manage it well than others. However, very few people in real life get the opportunity to taste it and yet most of the few that get the favor blow it up because of their inability to control the related distractions and temptations that come with it. In the end, they get consumed with power; lose their concentration, their vision in any and objectives accordingly. The late General Kutu Acheampong, for example started nicely with ?Operation Feed Yourself?, one of the best polices ever to evolve in Ghana followed by ?Operation Self ?Reliance? but lost direction afterwards. Similarly, our Ex-President Mr Jerry J. Rawlings had the best opportunity than any living soul in Ghana to have delivered Ghana and modeled it in the likes of Malaysia but he blew it up. He had the student body and the masses behind him and yet he failed a favor that he would love to have now. Unfortunately, he got consumed with power, got distracted and lost his focus. Very soon, the citizenry will have the mandate to review and assess the good works of our sitting president and I hope he does well taking into consideration that he still has time to realign his strategy to advance his agenda and message. It is about his legacy which should be planned and executed by seasoned people who can manage and control power.

I do not know what caused the President?s accident but it seems that there are many of such incidents lately claiming innocent lives to an extent that the President has to make it a national issue. It is time for the President to address the nation and talk to his subjects on this issue. Yesterday, it was him and Hon Akuffo Addo; last week it was the convoy of the former Secretary for Trade, Mr Alan Kyeremateng which claimed the life of our brother and friend Austin Appiah alias ?Dallas ?of Maryland; there are others involving Nana Ampadu and Mr A.B. Crenstil. We have already lost many renowned Medical Officers and personalities like Lawyer Osei Kwaku, Miss Patience Addo and Ferdinand Anim. Presently, Kumasi / Accra road is a slaughter house with many accidents as a result of over takings by indiscipline and recalcitrant drivers. What prevented us from making it a dual lane to safe lives? In the city of Kumasi, none of the traffic lights works including the one in front of KMA office, it is now a lawless institution epitomizing the jungle where the strong survives (no driving regulations) with no functional laws? When are we going to get busy and start saving souls? Besides, how do we expect a citizen to come to terms with his brain that he could be the next person to die on the street? Let us wake up; it is too much of too many unnecessary deaths!

Ghanaians today are calling the President to wake up. We are losing so many precious bloods because of indiscipline. There is no rule of law because the society is out of control. Anybody can park his or her car at any place; people drive with defective cars (no lights); speeding is not checked; vehicles are overloaded causing accidents and damaging our roads; there are no functional traffic lights; no improvement to our single lane roads in view of our growing car population (no planning for the future-i.e.Sphintex Rd); uncouth drivers; undisciplined police officers who take bribes and allow culprits to get over the law etc. These issues are mind bugling which leaves me to question whether we have a functional sector Secretary for Transport? I have been arguing that we just don?t need friends and party loyalist to function in key government positions; we need competent and seasoned people who represent the cr?me of Ghanaian intelligential in the likes of Dr Ayensu, a Ghanaian by birth and Head of the Health Dept in the City of Fairfax, the richest and one of the largest counties in whole of U.S.A.

Mr President, your subjects are calling for your leadership on this issue. It will help if you can (1)..... address the nation on this issue by declaring a 'National Awareness Week', where no accidents should be recorded ? involve the Churches, Transport Unions, Chiefs and Elders, Heads of Depts., the Media etc (2)...... task the Regional Security Councils to ensure that all areas rise up to the occasion. (3)....... the Police Institution should show their presence on the streets and highways with dedication to their responsibilities (4)..... DCE's should ensure that all traffic lights are working (5)...... road repairs should be done at night with security presence for conveniency, as well as deal with crime. (6)..... Re-organize the Traffic Court System. (7)..... Create an inspectorate body to check over loading (7)......create a functional Vehicle Inspection Units. (8)...... establish a deterrent penalty for offenders and use the funds to support the Police.(9)....... the media have to be on top of their best to educate the public and also announce and publish punishments meted out to defaulters. We are in a market of ideas and we have to disagree to agree, however, should any of my suggestions seem unpleasant, other credible alternative should be brought forth, taking into consideration the goodwill of a patriot.

Ghana is for Ghanaians and it takes us understanding the psychology of our environment to evolve ideas and rules to govern our lives. We need to prove that we are in leadership for the people and not for ourselves, by soliciting ideas and implementing policies that enhance our growth. All people in authority need to show by deeds that they can deliver to warrant their positions; we need Secretaries who have ideas and are prepared to work hard to show how civilized we are to the outside world. It is not about sitting in nice cars whilst people urinate by the road side.

Although, it is true that the energy of life is in giving, it is equally important to remember that service to humanity is also divine since the treasures that we cherish so much will not guarantee us immortality. It is therefore imperative for all rational human beings especially, people in power and authority to carve a better identity for themselves by doing the right things to ensure growth and save souls, for good name is better than riches. To those 'Presidential Aspirants' struggling to be leaders in the ?new Ghana?, they should always remember that leadership is a calling to serve and not a way to amass wealth for their own personal aggrandizement while the majority suffers ; for we will all be history one day. Let us remember that good memories will live forever surpassing anything human. God bless us all.

Eric Kwabena Edusei,
REALTOR, VA USA.

Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.