2016 Elections Yet Indication Of The Beginning Of The End

2016 Elections yet indication of the beginning of the end
In his poem "Lochie Warning," Thomas Campbell alluded to the fact that "...coming events cast their shadows before".

Yes, coming events,indeed,cast their shadows before....
I've always wondered as much I've  pondered the faith of society taking into cognizance the kind of system we have running when I came to fully appreciate what Karl Max and Friedrich Eagles meant by fierce class struggle between the mercilessly oppressive "bourgeoisie's(the property owing class) and the peasant cum oppressed "proletariat's(the industrial working class) in their literature  "The Manifesto of the communist".
The factual realities of this literature will establish itself in the concluding part of this write-up!

Meantime,I'm sure it's not lost on you that the 2016 voter exhibition exercise which lasted for three weeks and afforded citizens the opportunity to verify their names and help clean the register ended last Sunday with reports of low turnout and amazing apathy in many polling stations across the country.This was despite the fact that the 2016 edition of the exhibition exercise took three weeks to complete as compared to the past where it lasted for two weeks...
Indeed, I made some time to visit one or two of the exhibition centers in my constituency and can also report that the situation is either worse or same as the media is reporting for other centers.

Thinking I'm surprised, right? No,'surprise' has never been contemplated as a word in this turn of events.As a matter of fact and in all conscience, I felt this coming. I sensed it. I prophesized it and philosophers even philosophised it...!

Don't you think it's hard to imagine and even arresting if only you don't shut your critical distance and margin that with barely four months to the general elections,the many political parties we have in the country are yet to unveil their campaign promises(Manifestoes) to the owners of power (the voter's) and give us reason(s) to entrust our legitimate power into their hands as mere trustees?
Even at that,the major political parties that are likely to gain the mandate of the people to exercise power have all exhibited to us their campaign teams but are uncompromisingly silent about exhibiting their Manifestoes;and at their usual best are accusing each other of what they described as 'fear of copy work."Flabberwhelming" and amazing,I guess?
What does this tell you? Well, for me,I think they are just interested in our votes and feel they owe us no responsibility to give reasons in return for same.After all,"some people can't think far and the Ghanaian voter can't think far some! Really!

Democratically cankerous enough,in all these, the media is abased as it's quiet, civil society is debased as it's hired and the ordinary man is at gazed as we are fired!It's amid such gloom,the EC out of no fault of theirs exhibited the voter's register when the People have not been shown an exhibit of any campaign message.Now, tell me what you would have expected if not apathy with no sympathy!

The hard truth in all these is that, we are likely to record a low turnout in the 2016 general elections.And the situation has never been different from the previous elections(Subject to your own assessment).
Infact, I have tangled myself in grassroot politics before and I continue to do so,howbeit,with limitations considering the fact that I've to reconcile such engagements with my role as a media person.And note-worthy without mincing words, I can tell you unequivocally that the Ghanaian voter is increasingly awakened and mad at the politician over his/her unjustified situation.
I tell you,when you hear rancorous expressions like, "I won't vote again! Politicians are liars! They are all the same!'Politrickcians' are corrupt..."Just know that they are simple expressions of the reality yet unborn...

And I will at this point implore you to take it or feel free to burn the sea,the days when the owner's of the land (proletarians) labour and plead unheeded before their exploiters and supposed masters/trustees(bourgeoisie's) is near collision...
It will mark "the beginning of what I christened the end";Where if you permit me to refer back to the literature I introduced earlier on;Karl Max (1818-1883) a revolutionary German economist and philosopher, and founder of the communist movement saw history as the story of class struggles, in which the oppressed fight against the oppressors. According to him, as history unfolded, the victory of one class would pave the way for the future freedom of the rest of society(see Karl Max and Friedrich Eagles(1886).The Manifesto of the communist:International Publishing Co.).

In such a society, the masses(underclass) will resent and rise against the nonsense in the system,and the days when the corrupt politicians and abusers of power oppressed and exploited the slaves and poor labourers(masses) will come to a perpetual end.
In such days, the bourgeoisification of society will ipso factor pave the way for the proletarians to establish a new classless society where the land, industry, labour, and wealth will be shared between all people pari passu. All people will have the right to education,access to health care and the basic necessities of life, and the class structures will disappear...No more first class citizens, second class..., third class... ad infinitum!
In such a society,corrupt chiefs and traditional authorities who have vouched to continually divide and cause anarchy(chieftaincy crises) in society will run leaving their sandals behind, and harmony will reign.Did I just say that? You know I can't possible say that alone. Blame Kwame Nkrumah for saying that first!

Today,the politician and wielders of the people's power can afford to misbehave and manipulate the fortunes of the people and wilfully refuse to awaken to the simple fact that:power is not attained for its own seek but is to be exercised for the common good of all....
They can continue to harden their hearts,corrupt their minds, bleed the public purse, stoss away in flashy cars and wasteful convoys at the tax payers expense whiles the masses wallow in abject poverty and struggle to catch expensive but nonexisting public transport (reference to the stampede I've ever been involved in struggling to board a public transport from Circle to Legon).

When those days come,maybe just maybe we will know where power actually lies and who power ideally belongs to. As the old colloquial adage will have it, "a word is enough for the wise; or do they usually say, 'a word to the wise is in the North?"
Until then, let's continue to pray for our dear country(Ghana), especially so,as we prepare to go to the polls in December that the almighty God will grant us victory of peace over war....
May God bless our homeland Ghana.
The writer is just a concerned Ghanaian youth who is entitled to his opinion just like any other meaningful Ghanaian.You may agree or disagree with my writeup.But don't do same for my person.
READ MORE ON MY BLOG:ananpansah-ab.blogspot.com

By:ANANPANSAH, B ABRAHAM(AB)
YOUTH ACTIVIST/RADIO PRESENTER
0241129910/0200704844 /aananapansah@gmail.com

We are the future and hope of our community

We are  the future and hope of our community

"The world's biggest power is the youth and the beauty of a woman"-Chanakya

Today,12th of August,2016, marks International Youth Day....And if you can vividly remember, sometime this same day(three years back), we launched for the first time in Damongo the International Youth Day Celebration and the Youth Manifesto with proud support from Denmark Civil society organisation, GCRN and Radio for Peace and Development.
That was the beginning of the journey that brought us this far...

But the interesting question remains:Have we really been able to do anything meaningful with the opportunity offered us, and our collaboration with relevant stakeholders for the benefit of the youth and our community? I say an emphatic yes, though with little challenges.

Three years down the memory lane, has the community benefited from our exuberance, and how does the future looks like if we hold onto the spirit of youth?

The future appears promising from where I stand as a youth,but only if we re-focus our sense of purpose and direction.
Let's ask ourselves, where we came from;what we stand for and where we want our community to be placed in the not too distant future!
We hold the power and the strength! Thankfully, we have listening and willing leaders to partner, edge us on and give us the needed push.
Hence, for most of the time, my heart bleed with pain, when I see us  trying to abuse this golden opportunity.

Instead of being actors of change, we turn ourselves into enemies of our community by the sort of things we do (Divisive politics and lack of respect for elders stemming from difference in political ideologies).
We turn ourselves into enemies of our community when we engage in unnecessary banter and throw salvos at each other.
We turn ourselves into enemies of our community when we try to reduce the integrity of this au-gust house, and refuse to measure the content of our messages...

This is the moment of sober reflection and deep introspection. We have achieved a lot, and we have fallen apart a lot.
But in all these, there is hope for the future, if we can pick and patch the pieces together.
Let's keep this in mind, "youth is not a time of life; it's a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple needs;it's a matter of the will, quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotion; it's the freshness of the deep sprint of life"-Samuel Ullman

We are the hope of our community and country, and we are the flame that will spark the change and needed transformation in our dear community.

Long live the youth of Damongo!Long live Damongo and gonjaland as a whole, long live Damongo Youth Parliament (DYP); and may the good lord bless us all and fasten us together in unity of purpose for community and country.

By:ANANPANSAH, B ABRAHAM(AB)
Radio Presenter/Youth activist
0241129910

6 things Mensah Otabil Said that shocked Ghanaians

6 things Mensa Otabil said that shocked Ghanaians

Posted by ANANPANSAH, B ABRAHAM (AB)

Ghana’s most influential personality and head of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Pastor Mensa Otabil is not just revered for his prolific sermons on African liberation and but also basing Christian teachings on the upliftment of Ghana from a dependent economy to a strong and independent one.
Here is a careful selection of top quotes by the famous preacher which have always been the topic of discussion in Ghana’s political landscape .

1. I believe one of the biggest challenges we have as a people especially in this country is lack of creativity. We solve problems in the same old way. You put people together to think about a program and they will give you the same ideas that came up in 1957 and say this is how it was done, but that was back then. We don’t challenge our minds to invent – Mensa Otabil (sermon on Generational Curses).

2. The challenge for nations like Ghana is not the challenge of talented citizens. It is the challenge of poisonous environment. An environment that has been poisoned by ordinariness, by mediocrity and sometimes by a clear agenda to destroy talents – Mensa Otabil ( Speech at Grand finale of the 2016 Springboard road show).

3. I have been a Ghanaian all my life… it seems as if we are on a permanent trajectory of deterioration, when things go bad, they don’t revert to normal, so I find it difficult to see things getting back to normal based on my experience as a Ghanaian – Mensa Otabil ( Speech at Festival of Ideas 2014)

4. Ghana is hard and that is not a political statement – Mensa Otabil

5. What would make a man who is 60 years old with a lot of degrees in his life: be it BA, MA, PHD, become bald head, big time known, great, married, children, 60, at the twilight of his life when he should really contributing positively to life, at the height of his life goes to take a girlfriend who is 22 and the girlfriend tells him: ‘You are my sweetheart, I love you’, and the man can’t think! Who will love this pot belly? – Mensa Otabil (Sermon on Wisdom in 2014)

6. In Ghana, it is easy to see a foreigner prosper than to see a fellow Ghanaian prosper. – Mensa Otabil (Sermon on Wisdom in 2014)

7. It’s an insult for Mark Zuckerberg to be richer than Ghana – Mensa Otabil (Keynote address at Albert Ocran’s 2016 springboard convocation programme)
Source:YEN

A Class Five Pupil Threaten To Kill Colleague With Knife

A Class Five Pupil Threaten To Kill Colleague With Knife
A class five pupil of Nabori D/A Primary School in Damongo in the West Gonja District has threatened to kill his colleague with a knife.

The incident which took place on Wednesday afternoon at the school premises is reported to have been fuelled after the student,Inusah Dauda a class five pupil in his late thirteens picked up a quarrel with the victim,Soori Victor a class four pupils of the same School during a P.E session.
The two after quarreling and physically exchanging blows in the field were reported to and punished by the P.E teacher...

Inusah Dauda who felt aggrieved with the whole situation returned to school with a knife after the second break session and picked up a second quarrel with the victim where he pulled out a knife and threatened to kill him.

pupils who were around the scene quickly reported the incident to the school authorities who intervened by seizing the knife from the pupil and subsequently referred the matter to the disciplinary committee for appropriate sanction and action.

Further information sourced by the school authority has revealed that Dauda Inusah is among a group of other three students all at a sister Junior High School who are fond of sending knifes to school for God knows what reason.
The school is,however, putting adequate measures in place to track down the gang and to involve the P.T.A in addressing the issue and similar one's.

Story Filed by ANANPANSAH, B ABRAHAM
(PAD FM news Desk)

0241129910/0200704844

Visit ananpansah-ab.blogspot.com for more updates

LETTER OF APPRECIATION

LETTER OF APPRECIATION!
DAMONGO YOUTH PARLIAMENT(DYP) expresses heartfelt appreciation to hon.Galus

According to Thornton Wilder, “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”
It's so gratifying to have someone who cares for the development of his people and at the same time very accessible and down to earth as our MP in the person of Hon Adam Mutawakilu Garlus.
Your person,  inspirational leadership style and rare qualities sum up to make you a treasure we very much cherish and uphold.
Honorable Sir,We write on behalf of  Damongo Youth Parliament to say a big thank you to you for your unflinching support and unquestionably resolve to ensure that the youth within your jurisdiction develop and prosper in their God given potentials.There is ample and visible evidence attesting to this fact and as young people under this youth parliament,we are inspired and very  much challenged to chase our dreams, question the status quo and rise up far above the ordinary and rub shoulders with our peers elsewhere.
As a youth parliament,we require mentors such as your kind who have proven in their fields of endeavors that they are a force to reckon with to motivate, guide and groom us into “stars on earth“.
You have been on our platform serving as a reference point and a covering which has added an unquantifiable value and importance to the group.
The legend and astute actor Sam Loco Ife of Nolliwood fame and of blessed memory once said, “many words do not fill a basket and so lest we bore you with a long speech; we seize this singular opportunity to on behalf of the house render our heartfelt gratitude to you for the following:
1. A cash donation of five hundred Ghana Cedis you made to DYP to enhance our activities
2. Your resolve and in fact promise to assist us in which ever way we may deem fit as a group particularly in such areas as logistics, means of transport to enhance our outreach programs to the communities
3. Your willingness and promise to serve as one of our mentors and your readiness to collaborate and to inspire us to greater heights by promoting our interaction beyond the shores of Damongo-Youth Dialogue.
We very much anticipate your presence in one of our sittings in the not too distant future.

Damongo Youth Parliament, we are a non partisan and non religious group of young people with the sole purpose of uniting and affording ourselves the opportunity to development through dialogue and a coordinated efforts.
We are resolved and opened to partner with like minded individuals or organizations who are Willing to work with us without sacrificing our ideologies for any contrary reason.
Sir, It is a sign of mediocrity to demonstrate gratitude with moderation and so we say ASANKUSHUN, Yenawura Hon Garlus!

Signed:Executive Board-
Damongo Youth Parliament (DYP)
(We are creating a space for dialogue and development)
Powered by Radio For Peace and Development

I started serving my people before I became MP-Hon.Galus

I started serving my people before I became MP-Hon.Galus
Described as someone who is rising rather so fast through the ranks, the member of parliament of Damongo Constituency and the Vice Chairman of the Energy Committee of Ghana's parliament hon.Adam Mutawakilu(Galus) has disclosed that he started serving his people even before he thought of going into politics.
He made this disclosure during an interview session on a local radio programme dubbed "Youth Parliament On-Air" under the auspices of Damongo Youth Parliament (DYP) on Radio For Peace and Development in Damongo in the West Gonja District Sunday Everning.
"Before I even thought of becoming a politician, the youth have been a priority of my development agenda and I relate it back to 1997 when I was in Damongo Secondary;I organised classes for the youth after teaching; and when they had difficulties in Science, I personally wrote and printed out a book called 'Galus Series' to aid their learning.When I gained admission into the University of Ghana, I still came back on vacations to teach at Dass and Jakpa JHS as well free of charge..., and when I started working in UDS, the youth still remained very critical to me such that any 'Gonjalander' not only from Damongo who applied to UDS and is qualified irrespective of the competition, I ensured that the person gained admission, and when you gain the admission and I identified it, half of your fees will be paid by me, and I have done that over that period till I became the DCE and continued with that and became an MP"-Stated the legislature of Damongo Constituency.

In responding to a question on youth and employment including empowerment as spelt out under policy area 6.1.5 of the National Youth Policy,he admitted to the fact that there were challenges.But albeit those challenges, he was making frantic efforts to better the lives of the youth of his Constituency and to arrest the problem of youth unemployment head-on!
This he said was visible in his efforts at improving the quality of the youth through education by expanding and improving access to the Common Fund, admissions into Senior High Schools and Tertiary Institutions,lobbying for formal sector jobs for the youth, MP end of year gala matches and competition in the area of sports and developing potentials and relief items to tailors and hair dressers in the non-formal sector and skill development through to cash donation to the Damongo Musicians Union among others.
He further disclosed that intentions were far advanced to establish a 'Youth Development Fund'.A localised fund that will be owned and managed by the youth for the purpose of entrepreneurship and skill development.
"The youth development fund is owned by the youth. So, there will be consultation with the youth.They will have their leadership, and anybody involved in setting up a business is qualified to benefit from the fund.I will do what is called 'oversight responsibility' to ensure that they use it in the manner they request for it"-he asserted.
He however,admonished the youth not to limit the issue of employment to only the formal sector, as opportunities in the informal sector abounds and that the youth should learn to network, identify opportunities and get them involved.
"Networking is very very critical in modern Ghana and we have a lot of platforms:Facebook,WhatsApp, viber and a lot more! Please,as youth,networking,making friends is very very important.Because,in most of the job vacancies they don't even advertise; Network and get us involved".
The World Bank recently identified that 48% of the youth in Ghana are unemployed.

Story filed by ANANPANSAH,B ABRAHAM (AB)
PAD FM news desk
0241129910/0200704844

We know the body responsible for declaring election results in Ghana but....

We know the body responsible for declaring election results in Ghana but....
It's once again here; the season of elections, the quest for power and the cover of cowards to incite violence.But the silent majority says 'Peace'.And so,let's get the issues;
"NPP will declare 2016 election results"-Peter Mac Manu, a former chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party and the Director of Elections of same is reported to have declared(See Myjoyonline.com publication of Tuesday,7th June, 2016).To add acid to base, the NPP Director of Elections further stated in the same publication...,"We cannot sit down and repeat the same (mistake we did in the 2012) in 2016".
Really? You cannot sit down and repeat the same mistake you committed in 2012 in 2016? What mistake did you commit in 2012? Is it the mistake of accusing almost anything and everything for your defeat?Is it the mistake of not training your polling agents to be vigilant enough in protecting the votes of the party at the polls? Or its the mistake of a regret for wasting the precious time of Ghanaians at the supreme court?
Well,what ever the mistake so conceived might be is none of my business. But my peace is my concern and my business.
As a matter of fact,I don't usually feel comfortable doing write - ups on partisan politics, especially,when it has anything to do with either the NPP or NDC for fear of mudslinging,columnation and unjustified vilifications.But as I said,my peace is my business and compelling concern in this matter.
Indeed, the peace of Ghana is the peace of any individual and 'free citizen' of our dear country.For this reason and to the extent that the statement of Peter Mac Manu has security implications,I deem it necessary to add my voice to the issue at stake as many well meaning Ghanaians have done already.
Infact,I'm cocksure and the facts suggest that Political Parties have always declared their own results in national elections in Ghana(You remember the declaration made by the late chairman of the NPP Jake Obetsebi Lamptey; He even went ahead to instruct the EC to hold on any declaration of results).But thankfully, the discerning and peace loving Ghanaian has always disregarded such self imposed declarations by political parties.Why? Because our political parties are fast losing integrity and the public has little trust in them when it comes to power and elections.No wonder,most people will often than not say, "we are waiting on the EC to officially declare the results".
This is a clear indication of the fact that as a people, we all know the body mandated by law to conduct and declare results of elections in our country, thus the Electoral Commission....
And so it's a bit thick and disappointing for Peter Mac Manu to make such a statement at this critical point in time....
With barely five months to go to the polls,this statement seem to suggest a clear declaration of intention by the NPP not to accept any results that does not favour them in the 2016 elections.Yes, the NPP has declared its intention to 'win the elections at all cost'... And this is a bit unsettling and worrying as it reflect a mark of "undemocratic thinking".What are they afraid of? A possible defeat!
In the nick of time, the NPP must come clear on this issue and disassociate itself from this highly irresponsible statement.
The National Peace Council and all well meaning Ghanaians must also decry in no uncertain terms this reckless statement.Let's get Mac Manu to back down and 'eat his words'.The elections of 2016 must be fought on issues not violence or threats....
Ghana is bigger than any individual or political party.We will not sit down aloof and watch any person or group of persons take this country to a ransom.Our peace is our development and freedom and we will not(With emphasis) condone any self-seeking person or group of persons who will try to gamble with and jeopardise this peace.This is the reality that all must wake - up to....
May God bless our homeland Ghana and strengthen us in unity and the national struggle.Amen.

By:ANANPANSAH, B ABRAHAM (AB)
University of Ghana Business School/Teacher/Community Radio youth Advocate And Presenter
024129910/0200704844