Ghana’s Saltpond Field Decommissioning Project: A meeting with African Excellence

I have spent this week working on Ghana’s Saltpond Field Decommissioning Project. The over 40-year-old offshore rig at Saltpond has come to the end of its lifespan and production cycle, and it’s become imperative that the wells and platforms are safely and efficiently dismantled and removed.

Simply put, the platform is being cleared of all equipment, the wells filled, and all elements of the infrastructure removed from the seabed.

Clearly, from what I’ve seen, the sheer complexity of the task requires highly skilled technical decommissioning specialists and workers to ensure successful completion with the surrounding area returned to its natural condition with no or minimal impact on the environment in accordance with Ghana’s Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Law (Act 84 of 1984) which stipulates the removal of all infrastructure no longer required for petroleum production.

This capital-intensive decommissioning process is a long and complicated one. I have witnessed, first-hand, massive engineering tasks at multiple levels by such a massive workforce almost like the numbers you would find manning fully operating platforms.

This is a major milestone in Ghana’s oil exploration journey and it’s no child’s play. It requires decisive approaches and utmost caution. Perhaps, this is where my excitement stems from; experiencing, firsthand, African excellence in the discharges of work by wholly Ghanaian and Nigeria-owned companies applying their competencies in delivering world-class technical services on the rig to ensure a safe, and efficient completion of the process.

The Nigerians, clearly, the more generally experienced with the managing of such projects based on many years of expertise in the oil & gas business. Ghana has a credible path to consolidating early gains in building local capacity in furtherance of her local content strategies and goals by leveraging on partnerships and knowledge sharing with their more experienced ‘big brothers’.

While Nigerians are still classically ‘ex-pats’, you would agree with my satisfaction of seeing a project as important as this competently managed entirely by Africans with little to no ‘foreign’ hands hovering around our heads.

I am confident that it is only a matter of time before Ghana pushes through similar boundaries as the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) makes remarkable strides in taking charge of wholly managing several components of Ghana’s oil operations with investments being made to develop world-class expertise which can be exported to other parts of the continent.

Exciting times!

Of trolls and ludicrous arguments – Why else do clubs exist?

In my opinion, one of the most ridiculous arguments posited against Ghanaian clubs, particularly Asante Kotoko SC in more recent history (since it’s the only football club left in this country doing anything remotely close to being a football club) for participating in continental competitions is that, among other things, it’s NOT PROFITABLE!

Which of the domestic competitions is ‘profitable’ again? The GHPL or the FA cup?

As a football club, you exist to compete. It’s as simple as that. You’re not a singing band like a certain club would have us believe they’ve become since they last challenged for anything of worth both domestically and on the continent. It’s almost as if they were, as part of their last Africa title conquest, barred from future competitions, or perhaps the competition(s) suffered a cessation at the instant of their last impressive season.

For whatever it’s worth, their fans have found a calling in being about Asante Kotoko SC in the most flattering of ways while gloating in a never-ending charade of reminding us of the mathematical recency of their glorious past compared to Kotoko’s. ‘Limao’.

Before I lose track of my thoughts, let’s get back to the matter. Shall we?!

Manning any club profitably as a business entity is a direct function of excellence in corporate governance; the pivot of which is human capital/resources and the quality thereof. It is why Asante Kotoko SC must be preoccupied with attracting talents as good as Uniliver Ghana or Ecobank Ghana would.

It is why we hire the caliber of Dr. KK Sarpong and not Yaw Sakyere of Mankraso however the depth of his pocket because that’d just be wastefulness in waiting. It is the reason why we do NOT need loud-mouthed journalists feathering peoples’ ‘behinds’ for whatever comes out of it as favors in order for such persons to ascend to positions at the club only to wallow in the nothingness of their tenures but rather, offering a backing, financially, and a sound working environment to individuals with clear, SMART goals and demonstrated plans on reaching those goals. After all, we just want to see measured success.

It is also why Manhyia’s posturing and oversight need a reformation of its own as the sole owner of the club. It is too trusting or downright carefree of the fortunes of the club. I can’t quite decide which is closer to factual.

If you don’t understand, in 2021, that the club as an entity can and must grow independently and ahead of any sustainable gains, including the establishment of more sustained, diverse streams of income, then I don’t know how to help you.

Of course, it’d be equally untenable to suggest the absence of a correlation between team performance and club growth but there exists a certain threshold beyond which a club must be able to hold its own, despite a relative lack of success on the field.

Wonni sika a, wonni sika. If you withdraw from any competition, it must reflect the simple fact that ‘wo nni wɛ’. It is not a matter of choice because you clearly have none. Excusing the lack of player quality and the profitability of the competition is sheer nonsense because neither has a direct impact on your chances of success.

If you qualify for ‘Tontrowa Cup’ as a football club, compete for it. It is why you exist. It is also why Abena Agyeiwaa Cup rightfully has a shrine built for it at Asylum Down Barcelona. (Stay with me. Don’t lose the essence of my thoughts).

Happy New Year.

Fabu!

COVID-19: Hasn’t The Ghanaian Citizen Any Responsibilities?

Holiday revelers at a local beach during lockdown in Accra

There’s no denying the fact that I have handed myself the arduous task of understanding the mindset of the Ghanaian citizen and how it plays out in the general responsiveness of the country in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.

Safe to say that I have found no comfort in our posture as a people who have proven over time to be mindless and lawless about most things that affects our collective wellbeing – from illegally erecting structures in public spaces to littering our environment.

Is there any surprise in how Ghanaians keep flouting measures put in place to protect them from contracting and spreading the novel Coronavirus? And is it any surprising that our ‘vituperation culture’, targeted at government, is suggestive of a people who find no reasons to sacrifice a little bit of their comfort for the collective safety of all?

Now, why do I feel that this fight against COVID-19 has once again exposed a good blend of the Ghanaian’s entitled personality and reckless nature? And why has the media, as important as it is, chosen to foment this very retrogressive Ghanaian subculture with its own adopted rhetoric that seems to solely focus accountability on Government and state agencies at the forefront of this fight?

Imagine tuning in to, arguably, the best morning show Programme on radio to hear one of Ghana’s favorite political show hosts, Bernard Avle, vent in a manner we’ve almost become accustomed to and seeking answers to what might come across as rightly placed questions arising from the many directives and protocols announced by government but with a subtle taint of condescension; one that dumps all burden of responsibility in ensuring complete adherence to these measures onto the shoulders of government.

Listening to Bernard ask if “the (President’s) speech is going to implement itself” and going on to take swipes at political leadership will remain one of the most disingenuous of all I’ve heard thus far in our COVID-19 discourse.

Now, go on and imagine reading the next news update from the same media entity Mr Avle belongs reporting on how a court has fined some six persons for attending a birthday party in contravention of a Presidential order.

This is just 6/1000s of people still flouting COVID19 spread prevention protocols contained in the same “speeches” handed down to us by the President and through the many other public educational drives set in motion from the onset of this battle.

I’m left wondering what a perfect implementation strategy of these protocols would look like in the eyes of Bernard Avle. Are we to arrest and flood our legal system with a million of mindless Ghanaians? And should we freeze time, resources and the raging threats of the virus while at it?

Enti dabia “bad leadership” saa? Like we don’t know what breed of beings we are as a people? We’re all indisciplined and we have no one to point it out to us. We make ourselves ungovernable and still find ways to put all the blame on governments. No sense of personal responsibility on the Ghanaian. NONE.

Is Citi FM not the same entity that shared a video of our Uncles and Aunties at the Accra Brewery markets flouting lockdown regulations with disdain? Did the people captured in the video look like those you could just whisper “Stay home & Stay safe” and have them heed? It’ll take slaps but then again we would have had persons in the media and human rights activists in their full Julian Falconer regalia blasting government for it.

Lockdown is lifted and these are the same folks breathing down the government’s neck for loosening its grip on the restrictions they were already happily defying. And all we want to do is sit in studios and be questioning who’s implementing what?

My social media Timelines are flooded constantly with countless examples of how the Ghanaian citizen is brazenly undermining every effort by the so-called magic performing entity called ”the Government” all in the name of “poverty” and “they need education” and the media would have us think that we have no responsibilities as citizens?

Only time the media attempts to draw the greater citizenry into this fight is when it’s calling for education for the masses.

Edudeɛbɛncation?

We should now enrol citizens into Medical Schools and Public Health Institutions for degrees?

Even my 3 year old niece knows things are not the same and we want to paint grown folks as some daft stooges who can’t tell what the times are? They know. They just don’t care.

They’re aware of all we’re collectively going through as a WORLD. Nothing else has gone on for months except that which is related to COVID-19. So why don’t they care?

These are the question I’d rather the media ask. Channel efforts into finding why. Why is the Ghanaian so mindless and selfish?

Maybe if the mainstream media, as powerful as it is, quit being irresponsible in their production of comically themed vox pops and ludicrous interviews with citizens aimed at eliciting laughter for ‘clicks, Retweets and Likes’ on very serious matters with communal implications while channeling same efforts and time into sensitization drives, we could finally start tilting the heads of citizens into grasping the fact that its no one person’s responsibility to make all this go away and thus, the need for some attitudinal changes in real time.

It’s governance. NOT a magical show. The decision maker (Government) and the taker (citizens) must demonstrate equal levels of commitment if any of this would work.

Musings of a Commoner

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  Asante Kotoko SC Emblem

Even before my first ever post on Asante Kotoko Sporting Club on social media, I understood the culture of the club in ways most people only warmed up to fully understanding years later and the general proclivities for people to assume that one was lining himself up for a shot at a position has always been rife.

Perhaps this stems from the general lack of trust amongst us. So much that one couldn’t possibly be seen as just espousing his views from a position of sincere perspective and that there ought to be a catch somewhere. Likes person A against person B or one is just marking time to rob person C of his job.

Considering that there’s NEVER going to come a time where I shield my views on topics of interest on Kotoko, It’s only fair that I repeat what I’ve always maintained; a stance not lost on anyone who’s known me and my affinity with the club since I was a boy.

I have NEVER positioned myself to be considered for any role in the club. As honoring as that would be – given the esteem status of this club in the world – I have no aspirations of becoming anything in any official capacity at the club. At least not as I write these words.

I’ve noticed with subtle discomfort how some people have reacted to my personal views on a plethora of issues as though I was pitching for a position in the club.

“The next this, the future that”. Sometimes, I’ve found that complimentary but most times, it’s just uncomfortable.

I think it’s time we all start assimilating the fact that there’s a role for everyone in ensuring the club develops to the standards we seek of it and our thoughts shared on any aspect of this process are by themselves satisfying contributions which should only be judged on their merit and not on whether or not someone is like or disliked or that one is aiming to get another fired so they get to replace them etc.

I don’t subscribe to this type of thinking and I sure refuse to see Kotoko as some political establishment with a naturally established Opposition. That in fact is the mindset that needs changing else every pertinent issue is going to be reduced to the unhealthy culture of “he likes this and hates that and wants their jobs”.

Like many like-minded supporters, I’ve contributed to this club in many direct and indirect ways without necessarily being an official and just as is required of us to be citizens and not spectators, we do not need “a government official” sticker on our foreheads before contributing our quotas to anything of worth.

I’m a commoner and a supporter of ASANTE Kotoko and far as I’m concerned, it end there.

Have a great new week, protect yourselves and stay safe.

Kotoko’s King-making Media Cabal: The Agenda Must “agend” And At All Cost.

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Emmanuel Clottey

Recent events surrounding the latest fines handed to Asante Kotoko SC by FIFA for breaching standard protocols in the signing of former striker, Emmanuel Clottey, from Esperance of Tunisia, has elicited differing outbursts from a cross-section of stakeholders.

Since the FIFA ruling, there has been the usual apportioning of blame which has become a regular feature in the club’s problem solving technique with little to no attention on the root causes of what might have led to the club’s dire predicaments. This situation puts into sharp focus the posture of one of the most powerful partners in the general development of the club, the Media.

I must admit that I gain no personal gratification in calling out any section(s) of the media but when the very ethos of their profession is thrown to the dogs by certain actors within it in favor of deliberate mudslinging aimed at not only dragging the names of individuals chosen by Manhyia to run the club but also damning the reputation the club in the process, remaining silent comes at a heftier cost.

Why is a section of the media, particularly in Kumasi, scapegoating Dr. Kwame Kyei’s Administration for the fines that have accrued to the club for the wrongful acquisition of a player before his tenure? The answer smacks of the usually grand agenda often put in motion by a section of the Kumasi media against individuals and club Managements they don’t align with.

Why’s the focus being shifted from the primary cause of the current problem and hence the punishment by FIFA? Agenda foo bia na Kotoko Supporters so sɔ so. Who brought Emmanuel Clottey to even start with? Had that person not heard of due diligence?

Some prominent Sports presenters, after conniving, conspiring and contriving with elements within Asante Kotoko’s administrative hierarchy to bring about all manner of ill-intended ‘money moves’ aimed at getting cuts out of it, have created a huge mess but have turned around to act like saints to lay, wholly, the blame on an administrator who inherited these debts and has given the clearest indication yet to even go ahead to pay.

Can’t stand witches who find grounds to act sanctimonious.

No Administrator deserves to be undermined the way some of these so-called sports presenters, especially in Kumasi, hatch grand schemes to thwart the efforts of those “they don’t like.”

Their modus-operandi is simple: “Allow us to have our way – scout and poach players, organize useless friendly matches so we get our cuts or else we turn the supporters against you”.

They’ve built such cult following from among Kotoko’s large but passive, all-consuming set of fans who, at the least command would jump on the side of this established cabal in their attempt to perpetuate the same nonsense as previously handed to managements such as the one headed by Dr. K.K Sarpong in the not too distant past.

As a supporter of this club, I may not be the keenest admirer of Dr. Kwame Kyei’s work. Neither do I need not to be in agreement with his policies before taking a stand against the very established, evil unseen hands of self-appointed kingmakers at Kotoko.

These are the same people who couldn’t act on the lethargy of past administrators in pursuing cash owed Asante Kotoko by other clubs in the trade of players like Nathaniel Asamoah because if they did, they’d have exposed themselves for the lies they spewed against Dr. Sarpong.

Think about it. If you accused someone of chopping transfer monies, are you then able to publicly admit the existence of the monies and actually go after it?

I cannot emphasis this enough that there is a section of the media and in Kumasi, who, riding on the goodwill accorded them by the teeming followers of the club, have bequeathed to themselves authorities in the matters of Asante Kotoko SC and beyond their primary responsibilities as journalists and by so doing, have established themselves as a quasi Board, governance and accountability body who determines when and when not any particular administrator is fit for their role.

Not sure what height of naivety could possibly be assigned to me if I didn’t admit to how important and powerful the media in Kumasi has positioned itself in the affairs of the club.

Other well-meaning stakeholders, especially among the rank and file of the club, must wake up to the realities of the motives behind the utterances and general discourses set in motion by some elements with the sports media fraternity across the country and more dominantly in Kumasi.

2020 and Kotoko is still marking time for reasons such as these empowered elements.

KOTOKO MUST BUILD and SOLIDIFY A WORKABLE ORGANIZATIONAL POLICY & ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE.

The club need not to reinvent anything. Learning from the many best practices out there is all the club needs for a lift from the current management practice that does not ensure sustainable growth. Also this way, the many influences and intrusions from powerful elements outside of the club would be significantly reduced if not wholly curbed.

The ‘ABOUT ME’ I never wrote.

I’m NOT a Journalist. I’m just another news consumer with an opinion. I’d like to think that, like most professions, it’s a serious, special business being a trained journo. That’s not to say I take myself any less seriously but I won’t hold myself up as one, regardless of how anything I do bear any semblance with the practice by any measure including how much or less I know about it’s rudiments and inherent ethics.

This notwithstanding, we’d all agree that knowledge sharing isn’t quite the preserve of just a chosen few.

From politics (An area I deliberately restrain myself from) to sports and everything in between, we all hold a unique duty to build, inspire and educate each other by sharing those parts of the whole we hold relevant information, opinion, superior context strength etc to unravel and to surmount the challenges of these parts; the aggregation of which define those hurdles – physical and socio-economic – that confronts our localized settings from home, work place to greater Ghana.

In all this, being responsible with and about any kind of knowledge or information we wield, and for the persons likely to be affected by it, is what sets us apart individually.

For this reason, you can rest assured that I didn’t set up a social media account to prove myself right AT ALL COST, tow a popular line, cast myself, AT ALL COST, in the shadows of established theories and ideologies; the culmination of which, often, manifest as the many very stupid and blind cult personality/regime battles we have over “Paul and Apollos” while the real issues fester in wait to finally destroy us all.

When I share an opinion, when we engage in a banter, It is not personal. I hold no ulterior motives beyond establishing the nature of a thing – black or white. In every differing view of mine, I almost automatically look forward to the opportunity of reading a superior view point that’s factual and verifiable. I’m most willing to concede because I find no glory in necessarily being right and proving you wrong.

I am here to learn.

THE RED LETTER: DEFINING KOTOKO

When Ghana’s biggest football club, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, played Wassaman FC — a struggling Division One League side — it did appear the latter were in for a battering, no?

Well, apparently not.

Last Sunday, with the same levels of expectation as always for every Kotoko game and my rather routine creation of a mental ambience that carries the ‘don’t faint, it’s only another football match!’ warning, I sunk my flat behind into a comfy couch to watch Kotoko make an arduous task of a job that otherwise could have been dispatched with much more ease at the Baba Yara Stadium (henceforth referred to as ‘BY’ in this article and, indeed, the blog itself) had most of the club’s personnel on the pitch shown a wee bit of self-confidence and authority.

Now, before you interrupt me, I know what you’re thinking — and you’re probably right! Like everyone else, I also love that part of the FA Cup’s theme song where it says “obia nny3 obia” (to wit, ‘all are equals’) to rehash the general character of a competition that churns out a lot more surprises than a Kardashian would receive on their birthday, but do take a reflective journey into Kotoko’s season thus far and tell me if this sweet melody doesn’t describe exactly how our performances have been in all competitions especially at the BY: truly ordinary — with a capital ‘O’.

Amos Frimpong’s expert conversion of an ‘Amos Frimpong’ (sorry, Vincent Penaltinga Atinga — we own this one!) in the first half was enough to ensure Kotoko secure a seventh straight qualification into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup since the competition’s rebirth. Impressive as that sounds, the club’s performance on the day wasn’t quite as inspiring — that is, if you, like me, look forward to a worthy consolatory silverware with the league title looking more and more unlikely a prospect.

I’m not entirely sure how you’d want to process this but, much as I remain an eternal optimist when the subject is Kotoko, I’m also a realist who believes in being pragmatic in our acts to ensure success, and that’s just the reason for my lack of comfort in riding on sheer luck to succeed. My wandering mind won’t just allow me to enjoy a Sunday afternoon of decent football, and it certainly didn’t when Kotoko huffed and puffed against Wassaman, instead spinning across a myriad of concerns with each kick of the ball. It was that tiring and yet nothing settled in quite as easily as the need for Kotoko to quit glossing over the details of exactly the kind of practices that would guarantee sustained success.

What do I mean?

You see, most clubs build an identity over time, one that is definitively theirs. From unique administrative cultures that encompass a lot of sub-structural concerns — including player purchases and personnel recruitment — to the establishing of template playing modules or styles, football boasts quite a variety. But Kotoko-Wassaman served a chilling reminder of a complete lack of anything even remotely close to a ‘Kotoko identity’.

Shame on me for reaching the uncomfortable point of fingering the worst culprits on the day, but after enduring 90 torturous minutes of missed chances and faulty passes, could I be blamed for asking in which world but the mediocre one Kotoko currently operates the Porcupine Warriors’ line-up consist of today’s Yakubu Mohammed, Abass Mohammed and Obed Owusu as target-men?
While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it does pass satisfactorily as one that makes it difficult to tell what Kotoko looks out for in either retaining or recruiting players — a challenge which, in turn, blurs out the club’s intent for the season.

The Kotoko problem cannot be surmounted by mere rhetoric, of course. There is absolutely no way out of said predicament in the absence of a will to set informed plans and the commitment to follow through. One can only hope and pray Dr Kwame Kyei has a concept that would eventually set him apart from becoming yet another ordinary Executive Chair of this great family.

Long live the King’s club!
Fabu!

That “Hearts vs Kotoko” Fixture

Today’s game is NOT the President’s Cup. I’m not badmouthing the fixture. I’m just telling you what you’re so hyped up about.

It’s ANOTHER commemorative game; a friendly, in the middle of the season between the greatest football rivals out of Ghana to mark Ghana@60.

Another day, this could easily pass as a welcoming duel to celebrate such an important day had a subtle subculture not rear it’s head into the management of these otherwise very glamorous clubs where the path of least resistance is a default choice.

Today, it’s anything for the money regardless of how much. More so when we cant seem to be innovative enough to alter our dwindling fortunes on every side – on the pitch and in our finances.

Who knows? 1st July is also just on the Horizon and we’d see another Hearts vs Kotoko on the cards.

This is a legendary fixture that’s been built over decades to portray a certain degree of prestige and excellence. One that football fans mark in red each year on their calendar as a MUST SEE game; the real cocaine with an incredible street value that made people sleep over at match venues a day before kick off.

Today, by virtue of whatever passes as an interim gain, “Kotoko ne Hearts” can be served at your next birthday for only GHC50,000 and even that has room for a beatdown if your negotiation game is on.

No one is postulating a theory that has the old aura of Hearts vs Kotoko fixtures finding an instant resurgence in a reversal of current trends where we play on the regular for any reason that serves an instant but mediocre gratification like a 100K in appearance and winner’s price money. At least I’m not saying that.

What I’ve been trying to say and for a couple of years now is to try and avoid such temptations that further erodes the attraction left of a legendary fixture which is presently suffering from a plethora of mishaps – be it the clubs’ own inability to enjoy the perks of their traditions while staying relevant in a now very dynamic football climate that’s ever so evolved or the larger challenge of having to look up to a football governing body (GFA) that’s fixated on one National Team for over a decade now for inspiration.

There’s a good reason why I’m not meddling in the challenges of our game in the broader sense of it right now and this reason is situated at the centre of that loud school of thought that insists that Kotoko and Hearts, even amidst the limitations of Ghana’s economic environment, could revise their management practices to shore up interest and bring confidence back into football fans.

These two clubs, many still insist, have the destinies of Ghana’s very ailing football anchored on theirs. There’s an extent to which this view point can hold as true and that’s enough to expect more from both clubs.

Let’s build these brand back up again. These regular, ordinary games is not one of the ways how. Only an insincere follower of the game will deny just how much #HOOvsKAK has never been the same since it was handed down to “us”.

We love our game and we mean to see it flourish.

#LongLiveTheKingsClub
#WhateverWithTheOakTree
#Fabu

A Sucker’s Call: All is fair in love, war and football

Kudos to everyone spewing “progressive jargons” in a bid to make light what Referee Samuel Sukah did to determine the outcome of the biggest football game in Ghana. You have our attention.

That was the f*cking world series, people! – A Hearts vs Kotoko. You don’t get to make calls like that and expect us to just watch, roll over and call it a day.

Well i don’t think the referee should be hit by a rickety bus (I’ve read that somewhere. LOL). Needless to say it’s an unnecessary wish. But I’m not reducing that decision to human error. I can’t. That’s the reserve of referees who actually know what they’re doing on the pitch.

Penalties, i’m admitting for the umpteenth time since yesterday, are a part of the game. If players commit a 100 fouls deserving of a 100 penalty calls, you take them all. There was no foul committed by any Kotoko player deserving of a penalty through out the match but here we are discussing one. Imaging a referee whistling for an offside against Goal Keeper Felix Annan while he’s still glued in his half and in post. That’s just as ridiculous as that penalty call.

Hearts fans are all over the place sticking it to the rest of us as being beneficiaries of several “Amos Frimpongs” (a new term for penalties won by Kotoko at home) and yet none is able to prove any of those calls were unjust.

But it’s all fair now because with last Sundays decision, no other penalty call is out of reach now.

Against Kotoko, it can’t possibly get worse than that “Sucker Call” and to the rest of you who are reacting as though football just ceased to exist after yesterday’s game, good luck bringing the penalty debate up again and an even better luck calling me to that argument table.

Me no hear, me no speak – Ama Sey owes no apologies.

Hon. Mercy Adu Gyamfi (Ama Sey)

“You can have all the knowledge and not be able to contribute because of language (English).”

I think all of Ghana’s problems is summed up by that statement above. People finding a problem with Members of Parliament (MPs) who aren’t the most comfortable with communicating in English must be one of the shallowest, thoughtless and totally absurd diagnosis ever made of any challenge in Ghana.

The MP for the Akwatia constituency, Hon. Mercy Adu Gyamfi, affectionately called Ama Sey, became the latest victim of the Ghanaian’s sometimes needlessly condescending and haughty nature; turning her into a talk of town and a laughing stock. Her crime is her inability to express herself in the English language.

According these lot, MPs like Ama Sey can’t “contribute” in Parliament since in their understanding of how that system works, an MP’s contribution is measured by how much they’re seen dishing out big English ‘vocabs’ on the floor of parliament. (They didn’t have to say that out loud but i got the message alright) and frankly, i forgive them for thinking this way and why not? We have a subculture that permits such notions. And does Parliament’s own standing orders and procedures accentuate this? Yes it does.

What many of this stance are completely at sea on, however, is where they fail to recognize that, rather than her inability to speak fluent English, the real challenge lies in our failure to see past formal education and into what people like Hon. Ama Sey could offer – and i’m of the firm belief that, contrary to the overly simplistic and blanket attribution to the “nature” of our politics; masked by extreme partisanship, her constituents voted her into Parliament because they believed she’d best represent their interest. (Unless you have enough to pass the majority of Akwatia people, first as stupid and then the MP next).

‘Ghana man’ would be quick to pass this off as encouraging square pegs in round holes just because some of us disagree with this standardized approach to taking the path of least resistance; picking on the weak (and the MP is in this issue) to correct problems.

“Parliament is where every single piece of info is written/said in English”; i can almost hear you say boldly and as basis for disagreeing with me. Perhaps this is where you channel your energies from the tottering attempts to ridicule her and to suppress her confidence and spirit, into starting a movement where Parliament’s standing orders and procedures are altered to ensure language is not a barrier and encourage her to express her thoughts, which could very well be the richest, in any as deemed comfortable. Farfetched? I don’t think so. That’s not even to say she necessarily ought to be seen in the same light as Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah or Hon. Haruna Iddiru because the work of an MP isn’t necessarily for the cameras or done entirely on the floor of Parliament.

Ama Sey is NOT the problem. You, thinking that she is, are the real problem. She only doesn’t speak English as good as you do. Come back in the next life for an apology. Hopefully then, the Chinese won’t be lording over us in their own language but on our soil.

We are the way we are because we’re bolder in identifying problems than we are willing to confront it where it best should.