This is very eclectic. Enjoy and Happy New Year!
1. Most publicized job: Foot-soldier.
2. The most misunderstood statement: “There are many ways to kill a cat.”
3. The most popular charge: “Causing fear and panic.”
4. The most consistent utility company: Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). You could always count on them to disappoint.
5. The most popular new word: Suarez. Wikileaks was a close second.
6. The most popular passenger: Amina.
7. Most popular make of bus: Yutong. (courtesy Abraham Nebu Adomah)
8. The most popular social commentator: Nana Darkwa.
9. The busiest service unit: Ghana Fire Service. The success rate was, however, low.
10. The most silent politician: Dr. Edward Mahama
11. The most soothing and well-received political promise: “2011 is a Year of Action”. We had been expecting that statement for two years. Better late than never.
12. The most discussed publication: “Better Ghana Agenda Top 50 Achievements” of Prof. John Evans Atta Mills-led government in his first two years in office. A number of the achievements are on-going, yet to be completed. And some of the projects are going…slow.
13. Arrest of the year: the arrest of Shakespeare Ofori-Atta by the Ahenfie Police of the Okyehene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panyin. Shakespeare Ofori-Atta, together with some other executives of the NDC in the constituency, in an interview on Peacefm’s “Kokrokoo”, threatened to visit violence, fire and brimstone on the newly assigned NHIS Manager to the area, Mr. Daniel Adjei Danjuma, should he dare enter his office to perform any duties. The arrest of the Tuobodom chief by Techiman youth came a close second.
14. The most popular abbreviation: STX.
15. The most talked about commodity: Oil.
16. The most hesitant aspirant: Nana Konadu. Will she stand for the NDC Flagbearership or not? Still not clear.
17. The most challenged group: Alliance for Responsible Opposition (AFRO). They experienced more opposition within their ranks, leading to suggestions to form another group: Alliance to Keep AFRO Together (AKAFROT).
18. The busiest actor: Agya Koo.
19. The promise most expected to be fulfilled: “We shalll appeal!” Made various times by the Attorney General.
20. The most listened-to politician: JJ Rawlings. Everyone listens to his speeches, even when some know they may not like what he says.
21. Politican loss of the year: Uncle Dan Lartey’s death (29 Dec 09 but felt in 2010). I miss him, sincerely. Theresa Amerley Tagoe’s death came a close second.
22. The most anticipated date: 15 December, when first production of Ghana’s Jubilee oil took place.
23. The most secret naming ceremony: The change of name/restoration of name/putting up of signage – Jubilee House called Flagstaff House.
24. The most consistent TV station: GTV. Nothing has changed since I stopped wearing napkins, the one that used pins to hold intact.
25. The most anticipated death (Africa): President Yar-Adua of Nigeria. His aides told us he was getting well and started jogging when no one believed them.
26. Team of the year: Chelsea…of Berekum.
27. The most scarce product: LP gas.
28. My inspirer of the year: Farida Nana Efua Bedwei. It was a pleasure meeting her face-to-face this year.
29. Preacher of the year: Pastor Mensah-Otabil. His sermon “By Wisdom a House is Built” is one of the best I have ever read.
30. The worst excuse: Joshua Clottey’s poorly timed meal of Banku and okro stew with kawe. (Courtesy: Genevieve Parker)
31. Gossips of the year: Two Members of Parliament (names withheld). One said: “I saw the Minority leader threw his hands at you as the Speaker,” and the other said “Mr. Speaker, I overheard Hon. Hackman say you are not correct.” In both instances, Hon. Doe Adjaho was in the Speaker’s seat.
32. Absentee worker of the year: The Speaker of Parliament.
33. Best poetry line heard: “You said I was your heartbeat; are you still breathing? Because I just died.” From a poem by Ama Asantewaa at Ehalakasa Talk Party
34. Political bad move of the year: Gbagbo. [Gbagbo taw) ni 3gbo!] Best proverb that describes what he is doing was heard on BBC: “Only a foolish monkey climbs a tree in a burning forest.”
35. Footballer of the Year: Asamoah Gyan. My lesson from Asamoah Gyan’s progress: never listen to naysayers, including your own doubts. The journey from reject to elect is powered by belief, persistence and hardwork.
36. Boxer of the Year: Joseph Agbeko
37. The upgraded language in town: SLAFA – Suddenly & Locally Acquired Foreign Accent.
38. My satirist of the year: Francis Qouphy Obirikorang.
39. My best indigenous quote of the year: “Let’s thank God and think.” Pastor Mensah Otabil. This one came close too: “The mind of the ant is bigger than the ant-hill, afterall it [the ant] created the ant-hill.” Prof Atukwei Okai
40. Political gaffe of the year: Tie between – Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, John Jinapur and John Mahama. Rojo – For insulting Nurses; Jinapor for denying his boss, the Vice President, had signed a letter even before speaking to his boss, only to change his statement a few hours later; John Mahama – For his “Baloney” statement (Courtesy Kotei Neequaye, I added the Jinapor one).
41. The most debated word: Collateralization.
42. “Agyeeeeiiii” moment of the year: When Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty. Very very close second: when Suarez pushed the ball from the net.
43. The most forgotten Prophet: Apraku (my daughter) (courtesy Kwaku Sonny)
44. Biggest false alarm of the year: Ghana’s so called earthquake. (courtesy Sandi Nartey)
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Living With Long-Perspective in Mind
Posted in Commentary on social issues, Creative non-fiction, tagged Election 2012, Excursions in my Mind, Nana Awere Damoah on March 14, 2012 | 4 Comments »
Let’s call him Kwame Antobra. He was my year mate in the University and a very popular guy in the greatest hall in all the Universities in Ghana, Katanga. Kwame was the typical fun-loving student, who believed in the philosophy of our hall: play all you can, and learn all you should. The reason was simple: youth was short and must be enjoyed, but learning is what University is for and good grades are not only desirable but also necessary. With this principle in mind, Kwame indulged in all the activities that the hall had to offer, including the notorious proce (short form for processions) known as BWT.
Processions were organised at various times within each semester and for different purposes. There was the “First on asphalt” proce, which was done early in the semester to commemorate our return to school for another semester. Katanga had the right of having the first of such proces for the semester. Then, there was the Matriculation proce, when the hall escorted its new members to the Great Hall for their matriculation ceremony. The “Sharp brain” proce was conducted just a day before the start of the end-of-semester exams, and the idea was that if you had an exam early the next day, yet made time to go on a two-three hour proce that night, you were a “sharp brain”, an expression used to denote one who is intelligent. Those who went on “sharp brain” proce came back so tired they couldn’t learn again that night! The “Jesus March” proce was organised during our hall week and was usually well patronised, though it was not unusual to smell some un-holy incense within the march, exuding from the mouths! That was Katanga – all play all! The most notorious of all the proces was the BWT proce. I won’t go into the details of this proce but suffice it to say that it bordered on the obscene and the participants always went on this proce disguised, with masks on their faces and so making it difficult to know who was in the band. It was difficult to find out who wasn’t, also. Any one who indulged in the BWT proce was tagged as immoral, especially by our lady folks, who usually poured water on the guys when their obscenities went beyond the limits of sensibilities.
During our third year in the University, Kwame decided to stand a Student Representative Council position and suddenly it dawned on him that he needed to re-create the image he had created for himself in the three years he had spent on campus. And, certainly, he had to redeem himself from the BWT label. To do this, he decided to dress nicely, in a suit and follow the BWT train! It served two purposes: to show that he wasn’t in the disguised band, and to clear any doubts, there he was in person, behaving civilly!
Ghana has been practising democracy again since 1992 and within the last ten years, we have been really consolidating this system, since the then-opposition NPP party first won the general presidential elections in 2000 and lost again to the NDC in 2008. Increasingly, the vetting of appointees for ministerial, judicial and other public positions has been interesting. It has been said that when you become a public official, everything you do, even in private, becomes public. Thomas Jefferson put it succinctly: “When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public property.” Unfortunately, the domain for investigation is not only limited to the period within which you are a public property, but also includes your past, all of it! I have always maintained that we grow up, mature and occupy positions of authority in our nations and the world with our peers and friends and mates, especially from the tertiary levels of education. Test it. Watch around and take note of the persons occupying your equivalent position in similar organisations in your country and you will realise that they are likely to be your peers. As we grow up and behave or misbehave, people who would one day be our assessors, judges, appointers, and what have you, watch us. The opinions these people are forming about us will be the framework against which they will evaluate us in the future.
Some years ago, an MP who won a bye-elections to represent his constituency in Parliament, nearly run into a ditch when someone charged that he didn’t undertake his statutory National service. Fortunately for the MP, he had done his National service. I still see students finish school and dilly-dally with their National service. I wonder. See, your past omissions will always catch up with you. You may miss an opportunity to serve in a prestigious position someday, and the only fault could be that you didn’t afford to spend nine months today to satisfy a legal obligation.
Today I see a lot of young people involved in politics, which is great. What is not great is how some of them conduct themselves, especially in terms of their utterances. Some of these young guys need to know that there is a bigger world out there beyond politics.
Therefore, we need to act knowing that our deeds today will be used to judge us tomorrow. We have to act with the future in mind. Live in a way that you will not regret what you did today, when tomorrow comes.
Live today such that your name will be a good legacy for your child tomorrow. We live for a while here on earth, but the memory of this period lasts for eternity. It is incumbent on us to leave for our descendants a legacy of our names. As people who know that Christ is coming again, soon, we ought to also live so that on the day of His coming, at the end of time, we shall be found worthy to stand before the Jugdement Seat and pass the test, as people who have lived with long-perspective in mind!
Action Exercise
Think about five, ten, twenty years from now. Reflect on what you are doing or saying today. Will you be proud of it down the ages? Will what you said today come to haunt you later?
Quotes
Time present and time past,
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
Thomas Elliot
Whatever you do, do cautiously, and look to the end.
Anonymous
We are told never to cross a bridge until we come to it, but this world is owned by men who have ‘crossed bridges’ in their imagination far ahead of the crowd.
Anonymous
And it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgement.
Hebrews 9:27
For this reason, as we are circled by so great a cloud of witnesses, putting off every weight, and the sin into which we come so readily, let us keep on running in the way which is marked out for us, Having our eyes fixed on Jesus, the guide and end of our faith, who went through the pains of the cross, not caring for the shame, because of the joy which was before him, and who has now taken his place at the right hand of God’s seat of power.
Hebrews 12:1,2
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