LANDLORDS NOW WATCHMEN FOR THEIR TENANTS

From: Stephen A. Quaye, Toronto-Canada.

A call to my one time friend in Kyebi made me regret for called him at all. At the end of the call, I worsened his plight instead of making him feel happy by sharing old school jokes with him for quite a long time now since I have been away from Ghana.

My problem was asking him how things were going in Ghana, and this friend nearly wept on the phone into my ears. The respond,” Charlie, na the single spine wey ego make us strong self they kill us oo” to wit, our expectation that the single spine salary structure will better condition of service has rather worsen our plight.

Then I asked but your professor has taken your party to power so what are you complaining about. He did not let me finish before answering Charlie stop that “na them all be doka daya” to wit again all political parties are the same.

What nearly made me laugh on the phone was how this old school friend of my told me how his landlord has all of a sudden turned to a watchman in the house. He used to relax at his living room in the evening but since matters got worse, he intentionally sits at the main entrance to tell how he was ready to collect his rent.

Yes he sits at the entrance waiting to receive his rent because teachers in his rented house are not showing signs of coming to pay their rent because the single spine has broken their back.

As if I was teasing him that he did not like, I quickly changed the topic to old school days funny moments we shared together and this brought some sounds of laughter which I believe might make him a bit happy after the conversation which lasted for about 30 minutes.

From there I recollected how another senior friend of my here in Toronto who is an NPP faithful always look into the face of another friend who is an NDC and by rolling his two hands as if coiling a rope around a stick and move back infuriates this NDC faithful.

For the first time I saw him doing that, I thought he was just remembering how in his childhood days play together with his NDC friend as children were mostly seen playing learning how to drive a car.

Not knowing he meant something different. What did he mean by doing that which resemble Boboobo dance but this one moving backwards and at a point fall onto the ground?

Do you remember the NDC campaign sign during the election 2008? The,”yeresesamu” we are changing the system sign? Yes that was what he meant but in different meaning that,”yasesamu anu yenhu” having regretted for causing the change.

Anyway change is good says the politicians therefore there was nothing wrong when teachers joined the chorus during the 2008 general elections calling for change of government from the elephant NPP government to the hawk’s NDC government.

But the question one may ask is whether the change they called for is what they are still experiencing today. The nationwide strike by Kwame Alorvi’s NAGRAT, and other teacher associations, nurses, doctors’ taxi drivers and the ordinary Ghanaians in election 2008 is that same strikes going on now?

The reason why I was saying change is good is it has offered us the opportunity to compare and contrast past events and present events to make inform choices. But in order to get a better answer, let me ask were teachers and other organizations allowed to play the game of democracy fairly by going on demonstrations freely and not trounced?

Are teachers under the current umbrella government also being allowed to play the game of democracy fairly without being trounced or be threatened with water canons, fired upon with tear gas? Your answer is as good as my.

However is a big shame for the government and that matter the whole country trumpeting to the world that it is a democratic state where armless teachers demonstrating have to receive serious beatings for playing the game of democracy fairly.There might be some few truant demonstrators among them but using tear gas on teachers demonstrating? I can not believable it.

As for the police service I already know instead of to serve and protect human beings and property, it rather search and destroy so definitely their public relations directorate will shamelessly try to justify their unacceptable treatment they meted out to these innocent teachers.

It was not surprise but worrying to hear Superintendent Kwesi Fori, describing demonstrating teachers as a militant group. Definitely if his boys behaved well he wouldn’t have come out.

By the way teachers you are seeing what is going on, having your share of the change or better Ghana programme so kindly get back to the classrooms and help our younger ones to enjoy education which is the key to future success. But please when going back into the classroom, stop biting your thump in showing regret because you will need it come December 2012 and you will be sorry to realize that polling agents of the hawk party may turn you away if they realize that your thumps are sore and can not vote with it.

Enjoy your profession here on earth and receive your reward in heaven.