Unless A Big Man Dies

Emmanuel Opare DJAN, Daily Democrat

Institutions tasked to undertake basic functions to ensure public safety tend to believe performing these responsibilities is a favour they are doing Ghanaians, such as fixing a faulty electric cable, exposed electric wire, pot hole on a major road, pipe leakage, a malfunction traffic light or a road construction defect just to mention a few.

These obvious life threatening incidents sometimes take weeks and months with intensive public outcry or a big man's intervention for the institution(s) concerned to rectify.

The traffic light serving the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) head office road, Cocoa Service Head office, Lotteries road and the Independence Square road has not been functioning for the past one month, resulting in numerous road accidents. These accidents have occurred as a result of free-for-all movement of cars and vehicles, especially by drivers from the Independence Square and the Arts Centre who think they have the right of way. Also ,the the traffic light near the Psychiatric Hospital at Adabraka and the Adabraka Polyclinic breaks down too often, exposing motorists and pedestrians to danger.

One wonders if the monitoring divisions of these institutions are alive to their responsibilities. Until a life is lost, especially when the deceased is a big man or a relation of a big man like a the unit committee member, assembly man, a top civil servant, a journalist, a lawyer, doctor, teacher, Minister, MP or the President, the problem receives no or little attention.

The police MTTU sometimes offer temporary relief but they are not always available at these dangerous points; however, they quickly and busily seen at these places after an accident, trying to put things in order. It is worth noting at this point that prevention is better than cure so taking post-accident actions is good but it is better to prevent such accidents. The situation where swift action is only taken on cases involving 'big men' must cease. Every Ghanaian is important. We are all human beings with a common destiny. There is nothing like an inferior or superior human being; if care is not taken, we would gradually end up creating a class society where people outside a particular class are considered and treated with contempt. This would, undoubtedly, lead to the get-rich-quick syndrome, which we are already experiencing in the form of 'Sakawa' and 419 fraud. There is no denying the fact that some issues deserve more attention than others, but if actions are taken merely on the basis of one’s status, then we are preparing the grounds for trouble in future and we shall all face the consequences.

The ‘big man’ attitude must stop now!!