Rawlings didn't push for it. Kuffour didn't even sniff it. Mills ignored it and Mahama has, so far, buried it somewhere under a pile of paperwork on his desk.
They are all scared about opening a can of worms which could a ... read full comment
Rawlings didn't push for it. Kuffour didn't even sniff it. Mills ignored it and Mahama has, so far, buried it somewhere under a pile of paperwork on his desk.
They are all scared about opening a can of worms which could affect them.
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
You may have a point, Kenyatta!
You may have a point, Kenyatta!
MEBUAFU PAA 9 years ago
How illogic Bannerman could be? Do you data on all the people kilkled by rawlings? how do you create data when you never recorded anything? Do you and Bannerman understand what is meant by SUBTLE DISCRIMNATION?
We had nepot ... read full comment
How illogic Bannerman could be? Do you data on all the people kilkled by rawlings? how do you create data when you never recorded anything? Do you and Bannerman understand what is meant by SUBTLE DISCRIMNATION?
We had nepotism openly carried by Ewes at he offices against others.Even thoiugh this congenial anomaly is charsteristic of ewes you can not prove with data because there were no formal process for reporting.
SO IT IS NDC ANTI AKAN POLICIES-DISCRIMINATING AGINST AKANS AT ALL LEVELS.....you must be blind to ignore the obvious.
C.Y. ANDY-K 9 years ago
For those of us at the receiving end and on the barricades for decades now, the outburst from the Asantehene is nothing fresh at all! Just a welcome deja vu I in particular welcome very much. I have been waiting for an opport ... read full comment
For those of us at the receiving end and on the barricades for decades now, the outburst from the Asantehene is nothing fresh at all! Just a welcome deja vu I in particular welcome very much. I have been waiting for an opportune moment to continue from where I stopped years ago in unravelling this debacle. And this is where I stopped@ when the nascent native prejudices of members of the Akan ethnic group against Ewes was harnessed and metamorphised into ethnocentric attacks, demonisation and vilification of Ewes.
THE EWE BACKLASH
By the 1940s, Ewes, Anlos in particular, in the Gold Coast had had enough of the vilification and undeserved demonisation their successes were arousing. The returnee Anes and Ges (Gas), now fused as the Genyi, as Anlos refer to them, through intermarriages, also soon discovered that they were not welcome, or often welcomed with shouts of “Ayigbe dzulor”! Disenchantment set in and secession from Ghana became a far better option. The result was the 1956 plebiscite and the rest is history.
Then come the post Feb 24 1966 coup era, when Busia and his PP turned this traditional vilification of Ewes into a political tool to win the 1969 general elections. It was preceded by an internal struggle within the NLC to share the spoils of office after the coup. An extended quote from Dennis Austin, that great chronicler of Ghana history, captures the gist of it, so here we go:
“A surprising and disagreeable novelty of the election was the extraordinary anti-Ewe sentiment that was express1ed in conversation with many of those who were against Gbedemah and his party. One can explain this strong animus not simply by a dislike of Gbedema’s reappearance in political life but in relations to events after the 1966 coup. Suddenly there were the soldiers and the police, and everyone burst out singing, but when the music died down away it was noticed that the NLC (it seemed) was commanded by minorities: Ewe and Ga. When Ankrah (a Ga), was moved out, and charges were brought over-hastily by Harlley against the Chief of Defence Staff, Michael Otu, the evidence to many was overwhelming. It was all an Ewe plot. Soon Ghana would be run for the benefit of an energetic minority, operating first within the armed forces, and now behind Gbedemah. ‘Appoint an Ewe to a public corporation or to a government department and within a year the entire hierarchy down to the messenger will be an Ewe.’ So the argument ran. And there was always some evidence for it, since the Ewe, deprived of any natural wealth in their own barren region, have been energetic in seizing the opportunities of public employment, including positions in the army and the police, which wealthier communities (like the Akan) did not wish to occupy. In practice, looking through the list of senior officers in government department and the public corporations, the evidence is certainly not clear of any Ewe domination: it could hardly be in view of their number. But a belief does not, of course, have to be true before people hold it fervently.
Now there is an Akan-dominated government of an Akan dominated society. Were I to become, by some improbable chance of fate, leader of the governing party I would be much less apprehensive of my Ewe opponents in front than of the large and expectant following behind. I would be fearful too of the ambitions of those now excluded from power, remembering the Songs of Innocence that:
The strongest poison ever known
Came from Caeser’s laurel crown” (D. Austin 1976:125)
Austin was writing with hindsight about what befell Busia’s regime, overthrown in a coup led by an Asante.
In Part 2, I intend to examine the hate campaign against the Ewes and the consequences or reactions from the 1970s which led to Kofi Awoonor’s infamous prison book, The Ghana Revolution, which he claimed he wrote in prison when gaoled for helping Brig. Kattah to escape from Ghana. It’d be necessary to focus on the Ghana Army, from its origins and recruitment trends since it is at the crux of the matter.
.
Andy C.Y. Kwawukume, better known as C.Y. Andy-K, is a freethinker, Pan-Africanist and an ardent Nkrumaist.
cyandyk@ymail.com
References:
Dennis Austin (1976): Ghana Observed: Essays on the Politics of a W. African Republic.
Manchester Univ. Press.
Sandra E. Greene (1995): Gender, Ethnicity, and Social Change on the Upper Slave
Coast: A History of the Anlo-Ewe. Heinemann and James Currey
Robert W. Wyllie. “Migrant Anlo Fishing Companies and Socio-Political Change: A
Comparative Study.” Africa, XXXIX, 4 (1969), 396-410.
Botha 9 years ago
I bet this Dennis Austin is a smelly Anlo trokosi.
I bet this Dennis Austin is a smelly Anlo trokosi.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 9 years ago
Your passionate fight for a freedom of information bill in Ghana has earned you a lot of respect on Ghanaweb and in Ghana. And I join others to applaud your efforts. It is unfortunate that so far, no government has done enoug ... read full comment
Your passionate fight for a freedom of information bill in Ghana has earned you a lot of respect on Ghanaweb and in Ghana. And I join others to applaud your efforts. It is unfortunate that so far, no government has done enough to make the requisite information available.
Data should also be available to underscore facts. That is when the facts articulated can become intellectual...
But I do not recognize any policy based on ethnic/tribal affiliations. Therefore I do not agree with any statistical data grounded on one's language group for the advancement of any perceived equity in the distribution of the national cake. Ghana is small enough to be strictly unitary, and all this noise about groups being favored by governments ought to be understood in terms of where the government's votes are coming from. If Volta Region or Northern Region voted for the NDC, I do not see how an NDC government will appoint most of its officials from the Asante Region or the Eastern Region that voted for the NPP. The government appointments and in fact its developmental projects will naturally be in favor of those who voted it into power. That, I think, is the bitter pill of democracy which we must learn to swallow.
But if we see all our people as Ghanaians first, it should not matter to us what the language groups of most officials are, and none of the convoluted ideas about the EEO will be relevant in a nation of one people and one race.
After all, any person who prospers in Ghana adds to the prosperity of all Ghanaians; and any part of the country that is developed benefits the wider Ghanaian developmental agenda.
SARPONG 9 years ago
"and in fact its developmental projects will naturally be in favor of those who voted it into power"
Dr SAS, is this something you believe and ascribe to or what you see as normal or something you have come to accept?
... read full comment
"and in fact its developmental projects will naturally be in favor of those who voted it into power"
Dr SAS, is this something you believe and ascribe to or what you see as normal or something you have come to accept?
As far as political appointments are concerned, I in particular don't care if President Mahamah appoints people only from the three Northern regions and Volta region. President Kufuor appointed mostly Akans to political positions and I don't blame Mahama for doing same.
President Reagan brought his California friends to the White house. President Bush brought his Texas friends to the White house. President Clinton brought his hillbillies from Arkansas and President Obama did the same with his land of Lincoln friends from Illinois. You rule with people you know whether in Ghana, USA or anywhere in the world, but distribution of national projects should be devoid of political considerations and instead distributed evenly according to regional populations.
I know the Tamale Airport being turned into an International Airport is a political decision and not economic viability. That Airport will become a white elephant as the mostly Akans who form more than 70 percent of Ghanaians abroad mostly from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern regions will rather travel through Kotoka than Tamale.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 9 years ago
I believe, ascribe to and also have come to accept that the reality of the votes does predispose the reality of the projects.
Ideally, this shouldn't be the case, but the realities of our politics confirm my take. I am jus ... read full comment
I believe, ascribe to and also have come to accept that the reality of the votes does predispose the reality of the projects.
Ideally, this shouldn't be the case, but the realities of our politics confirm my take. I am just saying that this is okay by me. If you agree that people come to the Capitol with their friends, should you then be surprised if these friends point out where the projects should be sited?
SARPONG 9 years ago
I don't disagree with that reality in Ghana but it shouldn't be like that. It was because of that idea and belief that contributed to the failures of Nkrumah numerous projects politically sited.
In USA, the advancement of ... read full comment
I don't disagree with that reality in Ghana but it shouldn't be like that. It was because of that idea and belief that contributed to the failures of Nkrumah numerous projects politically sited.
In USA, the advancement of their democracy and the federal nature of government mitigates that problem
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 9 years ago
I agree.
But you are also assuming that one cannot site projects in one's voting base and get it right. That will be a matter of judgment that can be easily sorted out by a well informed leadership.
But as a politician, ... read full comment
I agree.
But you are also assuming that one cannot site projects in one's voting base and get it right. That will be a matter of judgment that can be easily sorted out by a well informed leadership.
But as a politician, the last thing I will do is to please my opponents. No matter what you do for them, they will vote against you. But there is some sense to be made that the government should be given a free hand to satisfy its support base first, and then perchance, it may extend its benevolence to those opposition areas. In the end, the question will come from those who voted for the government, "What did you do for us?" And where will you be if they decide not to vote for you?
That was Obama's mistake. When the Blacks and Hispanics voted him into power, he spent years cajoling the white republicans. The price is his loss of Congress........
I am repeating that in a democracy, it is all right for any government to play to its base. So I am saying that NDC can choose to give preferential treatment to its base with the understanding that the NPP will do the same. So we should stop whining about ethnoccentrism on the basis of the government's make up and siting of projects.
Every government should be free to bring its favorites to the Capitol and also site its projects at its base without being accused of ethnocentrism. Remember the friends that join the president at the Capitol are the same friends who will decide his priorities.
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law,
We've noted your comment about our effort on behalf of the Freedom of Information bill.
The reason the Democrat party lost the Congress and the Senate is more complex than that President Obama ... read full comment
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law,
We've noted your comment about our effort on behalf of the Freedom of Information bill.
The reason the Democrat party lost the Congress and the Senate is more complex than that President Obama "spent years cajoling the white republicans". But our response is not about Obama's loss of the Congress.
We see a fundamental contradiction in your comments that cannot be explained by "ideal" circumstance no matter how you splice "ideal".
If one says they believe in a "strictly unitary" government due to geography (size), one cannot cavalierly throw all that away at the direction of votes when it is unitary plans and execution that are required to serve the whole.
There are unitary "developmental agendas", and there are "spoils systems". You are for a spoils systems, we gather. A spoils system does not beget or even reasonably support a unitary system, precisely the kind Dr. Kwame Nkrumah always advocated, and stood for.
More important, Ghanaians have never voted for a "spoils system", not as a substitute for coherent "developmental agenda"/plan.
THUS YOUR: "... (A)ny person who prospers in Ghana adds to the prosperity of all Ghanaians; and any part of the country that is developed benefits the wider Ghanaian developmental agenda.
WE SAY: Your perspective is on the face not a unitary position. In fact there are precious few theories to support that position, but for far right "corporatism", and edge-of-right, "anarchism".
Need we remind you that what was good for Ford Motor Company/Detroit then (or Walmart/Little Rock, now), was/is not necessarily good for the US?
Finally, we see that you neglected to take time to consider differences in types of public employment vis a vis where "vote are coming from". There are political appointments, civil service appointments, contracts, and public-private ventures/partnerships.
While we agree that ideally the winner of the national election has prerogative to fill all Constitutionally designated political slots from where "votes are coming from", the unitary perspective nevertheless does not give a pass to that approach. And least of all, civil service appointments, contracts, and PPVs/PPPs. The record of history is plentiful!
In fact, by your prosperity argument, there is no logical reason for even prosecuting any one for stealing from the people; for police taking bribes; for a politician constructing Mansions with the peoples' money in their village or town; for a civil servant allocating all civil service jobs to members of their "tribe"; whether they keep the loot in Ghana or transfer the loot overseas.
Because, as you say, "any person who prospers in Ghana adds to the prosperity of all Ghanaians; and any part of the country that is developed benefits the wider Ghanaian developmental agenda."
In that context, there would be no point is having a FOI bill, except when it is needed by the "winner" to document where the "votes are coming from". This we must say, is not the FOI bill we've been advocating all these years.
Greetings!
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 9 years ago
Prof Lungu,
Too much weed is affecting your reasoning.
I do not have to babysit you to understand that I refer to the right of the sitting government to appoint officials to political positions. And in fact I would even ... read full comment
Prof Lungu,
Too much weed is affecting your reasoning.
I do not have to babysit you to understand that I refer to the right of the sitting government to appoint officials to political positions. And in fact I would even understand where projects are sited in those areas where the votes come from..
But to impugn the evils of corruption to my suggestion simply shows the extent of your decrepit reasoning. Quit the drugs Bro. before it is too late.
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law,
We have never met.
You do not know us.
And yet, you as a lawyer, thinks it is fair enough to claim "Too much weed is affecting (our) reasoning...(and to)...Quit the drug..."
It is now cle ... read full comment
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law,
We have never met.
You do not know us.
And yet, you as a lawyer, thinks it is fair enough to claim "Too much weed is affecting (our) reasoning...(and to)...Quit the drug..."
It is now clear us, further, Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law, that you must have a different definition of "corruption"!
ITEM: We stand by our conclusions based on your comments to this essay, and responses to SARPONG.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 9 years ago
My comment on your essay captures the political reality that any government that is voted into power will naturally make political appointments from its base and also site projects in its base.
It is a statement of fact an ... read full comment
My comment on your essay captures the political reality that any government that is voted into power will naturally make political appointments from its base and also site projects in its base.
It is a statement of fact and not an endorsement of corruption, no matter how far you stretch the logic.
With the arrant dictator Kwame Nkrumah's type of unitary state wherein we had one party state with president for life and PDA, we can agree that there was no need to cater for the predilection of voters because Nkrumah abolished the franchise and the freedom of the people to choose their leadership.
But wherever we have a truly pluralistic democracy, pandering to the source of the votes ought to be seen as normal.
Now about your weed, explain to us your prior Rastafarian dreadlocks if you were not puffing like the chimney.
KO 9 years ago
SAS!
SAS!
Abubakar M. M. Azindoo 9 years ago
Brother Sarpong, with all due respect international airports in any part of Ghana are not meant for Ghanaians in diaspora, let alone "the mostly Akans who form more than 70 percent of Ghanaians abroad..." The airports are for ... read full comment
Brother Sarpong, with all due respect international airports in any part of Ghana are not meant for Ghanaians in diaspora, let alone "the mostly Akans who form more than 70 percent of Ghanaians abroad..." The airports are for international travellers irrespective of their racial or ethnic background and based on their missions in the country. Please, listen to wise people like Dr. SAS and refrain from behaving like Prof. Lungu.
SARPONG 9 years ago
What will the International travellers be travelling to Tamale for when the mostly Akan international travellers can acess the Kotoka International Airport?
What will the International travellers be travelling to Tamale for when the mostly Akan international travellers can acess the Kotoka International Airport?
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
There is a saying that goes so: If you build it, they will come! In this case, we may need to add, "Eventually", in the manner of a Singapore Fortune Cookie.
So, let's hope so!
ITEM: All of that is what happens when ... read full comment
There is a saying that goes so: If you build it, they will come! In this case, we may need to add, "Eventually", in the manner of a Singapore Fortune Cookie.
So, let's hope so!
ITEM: All of that is what happens when funds are employed by secret armies who pad project costs, do not provide coherent plans of any kind for responsible parties to properly evaluate, same people are then permitted to executive, without over-arching National Strategic Plan(s).
History is replete with airports and Shopping Malls built/re-constructed that sat fallow and were ultimately conquered by weeds and vermin.
But hey, just enjoy the ride, SARPONG.
It is all about development; What is good for the Donkey who has the money, is good for all!
Megan Dwanafo Ameyaw 9 years ago
Comparing What the Asantehene said to the Ferguson case is just completely stupid. You should of used something less explosive than the Ferguson case. What is up with these useless Ghanaian professor of the today. I feel sorr ... read full comment
Comparing What the Asantehene said to the Ferguson case is just completely stupid. You should of used something less explosive than the Ferguson case. What is up with these useless Ghanaian professor of the today. I feel sorry for our childern
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
Megan Dwanafo Ameyaw,
Looks like you did not even read 25% of the essay, before you penned your comments. You may want to hold that "sorry for our childern", while you re-visit the essay. Then, let us know what you really th ... read full comment
Megan Dwanafo Ameyaw,
Looks like you did not even read 25% of the essay, before you penned your comments. You may want to hold that "sorry for our childern", while you re-visit the essay. Then, let us know what you really think!
Greetings!
KO 9 years ago
Yep!
Yep!
C.Y. ANDY-K 9 years ago
Then like the other bloke, you had no clue what you read. It is a most brilliant piece by all yardsticks. First class!
Prof. Lungu wrote:
"Another of Mr. Bannerman's statement also had us scratching our head, that "...w ... read full comment
Then like the other bloke, you had no clue what you read. It is a most brilliant piece by all yardsticks. First class!
Prof. Lungu wrote:
"Another of Mr. Bannerman's statement also had us scratching our head, that "...without data, the American government could never have proved widespread discrimination against the city of Ferguson, in Missouri..." We will caution: Not so fast, this other example and comparison, Mr. Bannerman."
Clearly, he didn't give the Ferguson as an example, and actually disagreed with it being an apt one. He went on to explain at length and concluded:
"Significantly, and regrettably, we believe that the American racial problem is a lot more leviathan, insidious, and complex than the "discrimination" the Asantehene speaks about in Ghana. In fact, the EEOC that Mr. Bannerman wants us to clone as a solution in Ghana was actually just an appendage to the US Civil Right law of 1964....we all can deduce that Ghana does not need a Civil Rights Law, nor does Ghana need an EEOC. But Ghana needs a FOI bill for sunshine in government, a FOI bill with an independent Commission that is a lot stronger than the US version because Ghana is a developing, unitary state, with a distinct history unlike the United States."
But all this is lost on you guys! What a pity. I don't think you have shown any scholarship, if you have any to boast of, in your comments on this piece.
Andy-K
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
C.Y. ANDY-K,
We've been our are just began catching on these comments.
Thanks so much for lending your voice!
Greetings!
C.Y. ANDY-K,
We've been our are just began catching on these comments.
Thanks so much for lending your voice!
Greetings!
collins gyamfi. 9 years ago
what is wrong with this man,how can u compare tribal issues in ghana to the racial issues in USA.all the issues u raised is pointless and u tend to use big big english for ur article.firstly u need to downgrade ur chosen dict ... read full comment
what is wrong with this man,how can u compare tribal issues in ghana to the racial issues in USA.all the issues u raised is pointless and u tend to use big big english for ur article.firstly u need to downgrade ur chosen diction.u trying to community wit the masses in ghana and i dont think everyone can literally understand ur words.watever the king of ashanti said is true.Ashantis are being picked on when it comes in terms of job issues.and instead of discussing that by challenging him with reasonable facts u deviated entirely by comparing a small nation like ghana tribal issues to united states racial issues.u need to get ur acts together next time sir.
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
collins gyamfi,
You may want to direct your comments about "watever the king of ashanti said" to Nii Lantey Okunka Bannerman!
With respect to "...downgrade ur chosen diction", we will try to do better next time. That sa ... read full comment
collins gyamfi,
You may want to direct your comments about "watever the king of ashanti said" to Nii Lantey Okunka Bannerman!
With respect to "...downgrade ur chosen diction", we will try to do better next time. That said, sometimes we must re-read to get a better understanding.
Thanks.
C.Y. ANDY-K 9 years ago
Prof. Lungu, you are in big, big trouble:-) I am not quite sure I saw any big word in your piece but I just tried above to save your neck from the wrong accusation being leveled against you.
Can some pple understand that s ... read full comment
Prof. Lungu, you are in big, big trouble:-) I am not quite sure I saw any big word in your piece but I just tried above to save your neck from the wrong accusation being leveled against you.
Can some pple understand that some topics are not meant for semi-illiterates? The pity is that some in that category now hold univ degrees!
Andy-K
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
Yes, we are!
Trouble looks for I and I!
We trust we are up to all of that, and then some!
Again, thanks!
Yes, we are!
Trouble looks for I and I!
We trust we are up to all of that, and then some!
Again, thanks!
INXS 9 years ago
Pls, Prof Lungu, never forget the fact that Ghana went metric in 1974 under the Acheampong regime. That is 40 years ago which means most Ghanaians under 40 don't know what inches are. If you write for a Ghana centred reading ... read full comment
Pls, Prof Lungu, never forget the fact that Ghana went metric in 1974 under the Acheampong regime. That is 40 years ago which means most Ghanaians under 40 don't know what inches are. If you write for a Ghana centred reading public, do not say the present govt didn't move 12 inches on FOI. Many Ghanaians won't know what inches are. You must state that in centimetres to be really Ghana-centred (note the Ghanaian spelling of that compound word).
I know you are in the USA and use British Imperial measures as well as US spelling. But Ghana has not changed to US based measurements. So oblige us by dispensing of inches, pounds and gallons. We, "modern Ghanaians" do not understand that. Even the UK has changed to metric system even though, in practice, they are still using the old system because old practices die hard. But the EU is on their heels to change to the metric system. Even the US, when it produces for export, uses mainly metric system. China uses metric system too. This is one area in which the US is lagging behind the rest of the world. But US scientists use the metric system in scientific papers even in prestigious academic journals that emanate from the US.
It will also be fine if you reduce comparing Ghana with happenings in the USA. I am not saying you should refrain from doing so but reduce it. Ghana does not follow US practices. If anything, we are still clinging on to many UK practices even though the greatest number of Ghanaians outside Ghana may be found in the US. But not in the case of measurements. All petrol station measures in Ghana are now in metric. Most cars in Ghana have their speedometers calibrated in kilometres, not miles. Even the US made cars imported to Ghana have metric measures underneath the Imperial ones.
Of all the US based writers on ghanaweb, it is only Bokor Michael, who CONSISTENTLY uses British spelling in his essays. I don't think he uses that in his work in the US but he makes it a point to use it when he is writing for GHANAIANS!!! I am not a fan of Bokor's writing but I think he does well in insisting on British spelling which is Ghanaian spelling. And I admire him for that.
Sorry, I am not commenting on the substantive issues raised on your article of today. I have become rather fed up with some of the so called "bright brains" on ghanaweb these days (doesn't include you, Prof Lungu). Just look at the way SAS calls you a drug addict even though he has never met you before...
I have been on ghanaweb for more than 20 years, but, sometimes, I think of withdrawing completely...
Sister Souljah 9 years ago
The imbecile SAS is just exhibiting his crass idiocy by calling Lungu a drug addict. If Lungu is a drug addict then SAS is STUPIDITY personified, most of the moron SAS's rantings on this forum have been nothing short of compl ... read full comment
The imbecile SAS is just exhibiting his crass idiocy by calling Lungu a drug addict. If Lungu is a drug addict then SAS is STUPIDITY personified, most of the moron SAS's rantings on this forum have been nothing short of complete LUNACY!
Sister Souljah 9 years ago
INXS your time would have been better spent commenting on the substantive issues raised in the article, than on the pettiness of imperial vs metric measurements.
INXS your time would have been better spent commenting on the substantive issues raised in the article, than on the pettiness of imperial vs metric measurements.
INXS 9 years ago
Better to talk of petty issues about his piece than calling him names or insulting him.
Better to talk of petty issues about his piece than calling him names or insulting him.
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
No problem!
All positive comments have been noted.
Our current professional occupation has us working with engineers, architects, planners, environmental scientists, etc. Typically, drawings and plans are in both meas ... read full comment
No problem!
All positive comments have been noted.
Our current professional occupation has us working with engineers, architects, planners, environmental scientists, etc. Typically, drawings and plans are in both measures. (But henceforth, that is what we will do, if there is such a case, in our essays for Ghanaweb).
On that front, we have purchased lands, built a home, and getting ready to construct another one, Ghana. All our instructions have always been in the imperial measures (feet/inches).
The masons, surveyors, and plumbers, electricians, and other trades we've hired, for that part of Ghana, are always able to convert/re-convert.
And we will look for alternative/simpler words, if it suits out goal.
But not to worry!
Insults don't faze us. We've gone through these things and have won, every battle/discourse.
We remember more than a decade ago, our attorney, Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law, had issues with our use of a moniker. You may remember that. That petty "case" was straightened out by the Ghanaweb community, and us. That record is searchable by all who care to review.
Fact is, we cannot self-censure ourselves merely because someone will likely throw invectives at us. We defend, if we believe someone is making a cogent argument affecting the public domain. Personal matters are never of interest to us.
As Rabbi Boteach said, "Personal insults are the last refuge of the intellectual coward."
Thanks, Sister Souljah!
Thanks, INXS!
Thanks, All!
Peace!
KO 9 years ago
Long tiring essay in search of nothing
Long tiring essay in search of nothing
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
SHARE THE PORK, BE PRESIDENT FOR LIFE, by Charles Oyongo-Obbo
30 March 2015
READ
------------------
SOURCE: www.nytimes.com/2015/03/30/opinion/share-the-pork-be-president-for-life.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage ... read full comment
SHARE THE PORK, BE PRESIDENT FOR LIFE, by Charles Oyongo-Obbo
He should talk about that first
Rawlings didn't push for it. Kuffour didn't even sniff it. Mills ignored it and Mahama has, so far, buried it somewhere under a pile of paperwork on his desk.
They are all scared about opening a can of worms which could a ...
read full comment
You may have a point, Kenyatta!
How illogic Bannerman could be? Do you data on all the people kilkled by rawlings? how do you create data when you never recorded anything? Do you and Bannerman understand what is meant by SUBTLE DISCRIMNATION?
We had nepot ...
read full comment
For those of us at the receiving end and on the barricades for decades now, the outburst from the Asantehene is nothing fresh at all! Just a welcome deja vu I in particular welcome very much. I have been waiting for an opport ...
read full comment
I bet this Dennis Austin is a smelly Anlo trokosi.
Your passionate fight for a freedom of information bill in Ghana has earned you a lot of respect on Ghanaweb and in Ghana. And I join others to applaud your efforts. It is unfortunate that so far, no government has done enoug ...
read full comment
"and in fact its developmental projects will naturally be in favor of those who voted it into power"
Dr SAS, is this something you believe and ascribe to or what you see as normal or something you have come to accept?
...
read full comment
I believe, ascribe to and also have come to accept that the reality of the votes does predispose the reality of the projects.
Ideally, this shouldn't be the case, but the realities of our politics confirm my take. I am jus ...
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I don't disagree with that reality in Ghana but it shouldn't be like that. It was because of that idea and belief that contributed to the failures of Nkrumah numerous projects politically sited.
In USA, the advancement of ...
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I agree.
But you are also assuming that one cannot site projects in one's voting base and get it right. That will be a matter of judgment that can be easily sorted out by a well informed leadership.
But as a politician, ...
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Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law,
We've noted your comment about our effort on behalf of the Freedom of Information bill.
The reason the Democrat party lost the Congress and the Senate is more complex than that President Obama ...
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Prof Lungu,
Too much weed is affecting your reasoning.
I do not have to babysit you to understand that I refer to the right of the sitting government to appoint officials to political positions. And in fact I would even ...
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Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law,
We have never met.
You do not know us.
And yet, you as a lawyer, thinks it is fair enough to claim "Too much weed is affecting (our) reasoning...(and to)...Quit the drug..."
It is now cle ...
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My comment on your essay captures the political reality that any government that is voted into power will naturally make political appointments from its base and also site projects in its base.
It is a statement of fact an ...
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SAS!
Brother Sarpong, with all due respect international airports in any part of Ghana are not meant for Ghanaians in diaspora, let alone "the mostly Akans who form more than 70 percent of Ghanaians abroad..." The airports are for ...
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What will the International travellers be travelling to Tamale for when the mostly Akan international travellers can acess the Kotoka International Airport?
There is a saying that goes so: If you build it, they will come! In this case, we may need to add, "Eventually", in the manner of a Singapore Fortune Cookie.
So, let's hope so!
ITEM: All of that is what happens when ...
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Comparing What the Asantehene said to the Ferguson case is just completely stupid. You should of used something less explosive than the Ferguson case. What is up with these useless Ghanaian professor of the today. I feel sorr ...
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Megan Dwanafo Ameyaw,
Looks like you did not even read 25% of the essay, before you penned your comments. You may want to hold that "sorry for our childern", while you re-visit the essay. Then, let us know what you really th ...
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Yep!
Then like the other bloke, you had no clue what you read. It is a most brilliant piece by all yardsticks. First class!
Prof. Lungu wrote:
"Another of Mr. Bannerman's statement also had us scratching our head, that "...w ...
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C.Y. ANDY-K,
We've been our are just began catching on these comments.
Thanks so much for lending your voice!
Greetings!
what is wrong with this man,how can u compare tribal issues in ghana to the racial issues in USA.all the issues u raised is pointless and u tend to use big big english for ur article.firstly u need to downgrade ur chosen dict ...
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collins gyamfi,
You may want to direct your comments about "watever the king of ashanti said" to Nii Lantey Okunka Bannerman!
With respect to "...downgrade ur chosen diction", we will try to do better next time. That sa ...
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Prof. Lungu, you are in big, big trouble:-) I am not quite sure I saw any big word in your piece but I just tried above to save your neck from the wrong accusation being leveled against you.
Can some pple understand that s ...
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Yes, we are!
Trouble looks for I and I!
We trust we are up to all of that, and then some!
Again, thanks!
Pls, Prof Lungu, never forget the fact that Ghana went metric in 1974 under the Acheampong regime. That is 40 years ago which means most Ghanaians under 40 don't know what inches are. If you write for a Ghana centred reading ...
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The imbecile SAS is just exhibiting his crass idiocy by calling Lungu a drug addict. If Lungu is a drug addict then SAS is STUPIDITY personified, most of the moron SAS's rantings on this forum have been nothing short of compl ...
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INXS your time would have been better spent commenting on the substantive issues raised in the article, than on the pettiness of imperial vs metric measurements.
Better to talk of petty issues about his piece than calling him names or insulting him.
No problem!
All positive comments have been noted.
Our current professional occupation has us working with engineers, architects, planners, environmental scientists, etc. Typically, drawings and plans are in both meas ...
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Long tiring essay in search of nothing
SHARE THE PORK, BE PRESIDENT FOR LIFE, by Charles Oyongo-Obbo
30 March 2015
READ
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SOURCE: www.nytimes.com/2015/03/30/opinion/share-the-pork-be-president-for-life.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage ...
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