Editorial
Passionate appeal to Russia to call-off war with Ukraine
Dear Editor,
War, in which ever form it takes, be it between people of two tribes, between two communities, two Nations or between allies of Super Powers in the world; is in my opinion, not only destructive but also demonic. It must not be supported or welcome by any decent minded person living anywhere in the world, under the sun.
War is devastating, it traumatises people, leads to misery and derails the progress of humanity. In modern time, it is highly considered barbaric for a group of people to take up arms to wage war against fellow humans, no matter what might have caused their action.
Just as people admire little good things done to them by others, on the contrary, trivial things we may do, or say to others without being so careful, can lead to offences which nevertheless, could spark serious misunderstanding and eventually lead to war.
Sometime ago in Ghana, misunderstanding between two women over the inability of a customer to afford the price of a guinea fowl at the market place sparked war between two neighbouring tribes. Because the seller’s remark to the customer was considered highly insulting and was not kindly entertained.
The loss of lives and properties that followed the war was so much appalling and disturbing. The cost incurred by Government’s intervention in that tribal war was so huge that the money could have been directed for development of a deprived community elsewhere in the country.
Now, let us consider the Russia and Ukraine issue that has become recipe for war.
Ukraine, a close associate of Russia intended to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) of Europe. But Russia is not comfortable with the idea. Russia considers that by so doing, Ukraine’s action would undermine the strength of Russia and its allies in the Eastern block of the world. On the other hand, Ukraine authorities are of opinion that Ukraine is a sovereign state and they are free to make a choice and so Russia should stop any attempt to intimidate them.
The world has now become a global “Village” and so nations have become inter-dependent. Almost every nation of the world is a member of the United Nations Organisation (UNO) whose principal aim is to avoid a third world war so that humanity can live in absolute peace and stability everywhere in the world.
The destruction of lives and properties in Ukraine by Russian rockets or arsenals as of now is too disheartening, callous and inhuman. It is therefore to use this medium to humbly and passionately appeal to the powers that be in the UNO, not to be sitting on the fence but to do everything possible within their power to bring the war to a HALT and to call the warring countries to the conference table for jaw to jaw discussions to ensure amicable resolution of the empasse. This is very crucial and necessary because usually, when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. President Putin of Russia, please, at least, for the sake of the ordinary suffering people of Ukraine, tamper justice with mercy and allow peace to triumph over war, soonest. We need peace, stability and progress everywhere in the world but never, never, and never war.…
CONCERNED CITIZEN OF THE WORLD
(J. K. TETTEH – KPODJIE)
c/o EBENEZER PRESBY CHURCH,
P. O. BOX 10, SOMANYA E/R
PHONE: 050557672086
Editorial
Wage sustained campaign on sickle cell, others
Dear Editor,
I read in the last edition of your esteemed newspaper a story about sickle cell and an advice to the youth, especially hoping to get married, to be aware of their sickle cell status before falling in love.
That is a very important call on the youth in my view because of the lack of awareness on the condition which has the tendency to affect one’s ability to live a decent life.
Sadly, awareness creation on some of these medical conditions have not been sustained ones.
Just like the breast cancer disease and many others, we often wait for particular periods earmarked for awareness on the existence and management of these diseases.
Although it is good enough to set aside particular days, weeks and months to thoroughly deliberate on some of the medical mishaps, it is equally important to wage a sustained programme to always referesh the minds of the people of these conditions.
Sickle cell for instance is one of the health conditions one don’t hear very often but its implication can prematurely curtail one’s life.
The youth must be aware of its existence and the importance in knowing status before falling in love.
For me, the education must even stretch beyond falling in love since there are those who also engage in casual sex. They can also be caught up in this web and in the case of pregnancy with both have the S OR c genes, then it becomes likely to have a sickle cell baby.
I want to appeal to the authorities to make those calls very regular for the youth to be aware.
Ofori Mike,
La
Editorial
Ensure right material are used for storey buildings
Dear Editor,
I write to draw to your attention to a growing phenomenon in our society and the country as a whole.
Growing up, I only saw a few storey buildings around the country. Most buildings I saw were ground structures that housed families.
I am now becoming a bit worried about the rate at which storey buildings are being built across the country.
While putting up a storey building helps in the effective utilisation of natural resources such as land, it could also lead to the loss of lives and properties if the right building materials are not used.
In Ghana, we have witnessed a number of storey buildings, including shopping malls and church buildings collapse, leading to loss of lives.
Often, investigations conducted by regulatory authorities in the building and construction sector have revealed that those buildings collapse because the right material was not used in the building process.
Although there have been calls from a section of the public for authorities to inspect storey buildings in the country to prevent disasters, I think those calls have fallen on deaf ears, considering the fast pace at which individuals and businesses are putting up storey buildings in the country.
Some of these storey buildings that are near completion or abandoned by its owners and cited in close proximity have even developed cracks, which poses threat to the lives of those who lived around.
I, therefore, as a matter of urgency, urge the duty bearers and regulatory authorities in the building and construction sector to ensure that those storey buildings are inspected and the contractors held accountable, to prevent another Melcom disaster.
Osei Kuka,
Accra
