EDITORIAL: Don't Kick a Storm - NDC

Death, as Shakespeare would say, 'is a necessary end and it will come when it will come.'

In spite of the reality of the inevitability of our appointment with death, very often in our part of the world, we want to hold somebody responsible for it, just as we react to anything negative that we do not understand.

News of the death of the former Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Mr. Victor Selormey, though coming as a shock to many, just as death impacts on us as human beings, was expected to happen anyway.

This is because even before the man was convicted and jailed for some impropriety while in office, he was known to be a sick man. And while he was in jail, was receiving medical attention, and the hospital bed, more often than not, became his jail bed.

But, even before the shockwaves could pass, the Acting General-Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bede Ziedeng, had hit the airwaves, trumpeting his earlier prediction that the late minister had been granted pardon by the President because his situation had deteriorated and he was on the verge of death.

The NDC Scribe indicated that the late minister deserved a better health attention than was accorded him, and therefore sought to blame government for the death of the man at this time.

Among other things, the NDC scribe would have wished that the former minister were flown outside the country for enhanced medical attention, because he had once served the nation.

In reverence to the memory of Victor Selormey, we would not say this wish was a vexatious one, nor would we want to reminisce over what people like him could have done to improve upon the state of our hospitals. No, we do not want to imagine the many lives that may have been saved in our hospitals, had the nation not been bedevilled by corrupt leaders. All we wish to express here is, we do believe that every Ghanaian needs enhanced medical services, and for that matter, we must try to upgrade our health facilities to be able to deliver. And where the needed medical expertise is not available, flying patients out must not be too much for us.

This consideration must however be given, irrespective of whether one had been in public office or not, or whether one is a baby, student or unemployed.

The conduct of public officials, goes a long way in determining whether we would be able to provide these services or generate enough resources to meet these needs of our people.

The accusations by the NDC General Secretary were unnecessary and seem to have been made without any serious thoughts, as the circumstances that sent the former minister to jail are too obvious, for anyone to want to revive, at this time that he is no more.

What we expect at this time is a more sober moment, rather than the muddy waters that the NDC would want to wade into! In our culture, it is considered not good manners to speak evil of the dead, whether they are true or not, so Bede Ziedeng and his people must not kick a storm that could lead to a dishonouring of the memory of the late Mr. Victor Selormey!

Rather, The Chronicle wishes to use this opportunity to extend condolences to his family, the NDC and the nation as a whole.