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Opinions of Friday, 22 February 2013

Columnist: Sarpong, Justice

Free SHS Will Benefit Gen. Mosquito

Free SHS Will Benefit Asiedu Nketiah,(Gen. Mosquito)

Asiedu Nketiah, His Highness the Palmwine Tapper has gone bonkers and this time he opened his mouth too wide and made a fool of himself. Was Asiedu Nketiah a Teacher? So this illiterate drunk cassava stick is the General Secretary of Ndc? "Opposition MPs speak horrible English - Gen. Mosquito". That was the banner headline of Asiedu Nketiah's childish vituperations on Friday February 22nd after the opposition NPP boycotted Parliament during President Mahama's state of the Nation address. Was Asiedu Nketiah under the influence of his own palmwine stuff when he implied the word 'STEALER" is not in the English language? I hope Asiedu Nketiah will enrol himself at an Alcoholic Anonymous facility after we are done with him for showing his illiteracy.

Asiedu Nketiah, a former Teacher, 'SUSU COLLECTOR' who masqueraded as a Bank Manager turned General Secretary of the governing NDC and the Bui Dam magnate has never heard the word 'STEALERS' before in his life so when NPP MP'S brandished the word on their way out of Parliament, Asiedu went haywire. "Asiedu Nketia said the word 'stealers' has no place in English dictionary and wondered how the NPP MPs, some of who are Professors will be brandishing such words.It shows how horrible their English is,” he snapped."

Is Asiedu Nketiah telling the English(People of England) that he speaks their language better than them and the word "STEALERS" should be exorcised from the English lexicon or is he saying the word "STEALERS" does not exist? I couldn't believe my eyes when I read what Asiedu Nketiah said so I checked on line if the word 'STEALERS' has become obsolete and has been 'retired' and this is what I found out on line for the definition of a stealer ;

"stealer - definition of stealer by the Free Online Dictionary ... steal (st l) v. stole (st l), sto·len (st l n), steal·ing, steals. v.tr. 1. To take (the property of another) without right or permission. 2. To present or use (someone else's words or ideas) as one's own. Somebody who steals.

Stealer | Define Stealer at Dictionary.com Noun, A person who steals verb (used with object) 1. to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right, especially secretly or by force : A pickpocket stole his watch. 2. to ..."

I scanned the comments sectionGen. Mosquito by forumers looking for people with reputation on Ghanaweb as good English writers like Daniel Pryce, Dr SAS and few others to pick their brains on what they thought of Asiedu Nketiah's Quixotic English exploration. Fortunately for me, Dr SAS, one of the best if not the best English Expert in the forum has this to say.

Author: Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law

Date: 2013-02-21 20:10:27

Comment to: Opposition MPs speak horrible English - Gen. Mosqu

While not endorsing the conduct of the NPP MP's, I consider Asiedu Nketia's assertion that "the word 'stealers' has no place in English dictionary" as a sign of his narrow view of grammar and semantics. Many verbs can be transposed into nouns by the simple addition of the morpheme "er", and this makes sense when you conceive of a verb as a "doing word". In this case,"er" simply makes the verb "a doer word". A word may not lose its legitimacy by dint of its absence from a dictionary. If it conforms to the general principle of semiotics, it may be invoked into being. However, "stealers" is quite present in many dictionaries!"

Asiedu Nketiah should have supported the NPP free SHS education because it seems to me the Teacher Training College education he got was not enough to assume the position of a General Secretary of a major political party like NDC.Let's make Asiedu Nketiah a poster child of why free SHS is needed in Ghana.

Justice Sarpong

(CARDINAL of TRUTH)