Dear Mr President,
It's yours truly once again and greetings from my usual ghetto boys, according to them, 'them no dey see top kraaa' but still hoping you do something........
As to why I wrote to you once again let me congratulate you first on some of the good works you're doing and for those that you're not getting right, is the main reason for this letter.
A quick flashback, I last wrote to you concerning the hospital bed menace. Last I heard things are working small small. Ayekooooo, still more room for improvement.
Mr President, I have never been this disappointed in you until these issues am about talking about came up. I believe sometimes you look too much concerned with things that don't affect us much than things that do affect us even more direct.
When the Katanga and Unity Hall issue of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) started and the student and Alumni bodies of the hall saw the need to fall on you, they drew your attention to the displeasure and made you aware they needed you to come in. As to whatever that happened, you never attended to them not even your education minister until another issue came up and escalated the already existing conflict into brutality from management and vandalism from students.
I believe you had the golden opportunity to stop that from happening. Just as the King in the Holy book of the Christians touched the sceptre to save the life of Esther, all that is being done now should have occurred back then. Students are home and do not even know when they're resuming.
Nevertheless, in this same moment, you were talking about National Cathedral being a priority among priorities. You were too busy with 'other' things and watched on as your backyard burn. Do not be a firefighter who waits only to quench fire but do not educate his people on how to prevent the fire from starting at first place.
Secondly, Mr. President, are you very much aware voting day was not a holiday and people left their work only to go and vote of which you're a President today? This same people who made you their King, now have to leave their busy schedules in this trying moments and demonstrate for footbridges. H.E, you and I will agree that, it is very unfair for people to leave their busy schedule and vote for you then leave their busy schedule to demonstrate for you to do something for them. I don't know if you're doing the math here?
Mr. President, the argument that you didn't start those roads will be a nonstarter because we voted for you to fix what we believe the previous couldn't. And as a good economics student you will agree with me that, basic things in life are more necessary.
People who had dreams are dying. Do not let people go on a demonstration for footbridges, it's quite disgusting and preposterous in my view. Every highway in a community should have a footbridge. Do not sit down for car to knock people for them to demonstrate and police should use stray bullets on them before you do something.
Mr. President, the little things matter a lot. You and your team might see them as not necessary but remember those footbridges are very essential part of the highway.
One thing that got me wondering if you and your appointees had the ordinary Ghanaian at heart was how the Ambulance issue was received. At the very time such an issue became a topic or discussion, parliament was approving purchasing of new V8s. Mr. President, where did we go wrong and how did we get here? What is our Opportunity Cost as a country and do we really have a plan that will benefit the people or what?
How can your child be at the hospital and you're using the limited cash to be living a luxurious life. As a father, are you not concerned how people are dying for lack of Ambulance. We also heard a story of one of your people buying for his district, tricycle (abobo Yaa) to be used as ambulance, couldn't he just look at a Hyundai or Toyota Van? These are basic things we need as people let's not be chasing after some things and lose focus.
Look at the living conditions of majority of Ghanaians and your Finance minister is busily working around the clock to better and improve sitting allowances. Sitting allowances for what job done? Are they just interested in improving their living standard when their job is supposed to better our living standards. What are they being rewarded for? Is it for holding the position as leaders of for job done?
I heard Hon. Muntaka saying, most members of Parliament are not interested in making laws for the Country, which is their core duty. How then do this people get upward allowance review? Are we now paying people for holding titles or for work done. I believe they deserve no pay rise and it won't be bad if they reduce their salary even.
I recently saw a statistics from Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) that, over one (1) million Ghanaians lost their jobs between the period of 2017 to 2018. Oh, I don't want to believe this but I don't think that will make it untrue........ We will come to this another day. I promise.
And why do we have hospitals and other health centers which are complete not working, and people have to demonstrate for them yet Cathedral is a priority of priorities. Sometimes, just sometimes we make it look like the leadership cannot be bothered. It is a shame and I don't even know how we got here.
Mr. President, we have come a long way and I believe things like this won't get us anywhere. If we don't look at the fundamental aspect of management then we are not looking at the bigger picture. We are clearly not solving the puzzle and for the jigsaw, we might never be able to fix it.
Your political advisor must sit up because 'little things' like this matters a lot. If a Cathedral is a priority of priorities then footbridges and students calling on you are the real priority.
I know you will read this in good faith. Please, come to our level of and act promptly to issues to save some moments. As for some of your appointees, we will talk about them another time.
Columnist: Patrick Oppong-Sekyere Mensah
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