When Reality Strikes: This Coronavirus and Akufo-Addo’s Challenges at Election 2020
Folks, this coronavirus scourge is nothing to disregard. It is terrible in any sense and must be seen as such.
If you doubt it, just consider the huge negative impact that it has had on global transactions—travelling, economic activities, human interactions—or just anything else.
I have no doubt that it is worse than the “pandemic” that the World Health Organization (WHO) has qualified it. At least, in our time on this wretched planet, this is the first time that human beings are exposed to a kind of “disease” that comes from nowhere to destroy as it wishes. No cure, no answer (for now).
Those claiming to be “experts” in virology themselves are more confused than anybody else nowhere near their status because COVID-19 ( or is it 9″?—Whoever gave it this name must be a genius) is not only life-threatening, but it is also indefatigable, at least, for now.
No matter how it is viewed, this pandemic is a huge test to our generation. What can our leaders do to ensure that it doesn’t decimate our population? I leave it to them.
But I won’t let them alone because whatever they decide to do will be based on the taxes that the poor citizens pay. We have heard of how countries have set aside unbudgeted-for sums of money to tackle it.
The United States’ Trump says he has set aside over 5 billion Dollars to do so and put his Vice (Mike Pence) in charge of affairs. His comments in an interview published a day or two ago makes me wonder whether he knows what is really at stake. That’s the result of politically motivated knee-jerk moves.
Let’s zoom down to Ghana, where Akufo-Addo has given a poor account of his leadership regarding this matter.
His hurriedly-arranged public speech to the “nation” in which he told Ghanaians of the confirmation of two cases of the coronavirus (from two foreign nationals from Turkey and Norway) belies the fact that much had been happening under the rug that his government failed to deal with.
We don’t want to go into the intricacies, but we can say with all confidence that Ghana under Akufo-Addo in this circumstance of the coronavirus isn’t safe. Many reasons:
- Health facilities aren’t equipped to solve the problem; the government threw out a deceptive claim that it had begun constructing a facility that could house 100 victims but won’t tell Ghanaians where that facility was located or anything else. What is that nonsense?
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Resources aren’t available anywhere to assure Ghanaians that the coronavirus now in their midst can be dealt with; and Ghanaians are so communalistic and fellow feeling as to be agents for the spread of this disease. What has the government put in place to tackle the situation? Nothing!!
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Health facilities built by Mahama or being built by him at the time that Akufo-Addo stalled it all with his so-called victory at Election 2016 are still crying for support to help solve health problems. Those facilities couldn’t have been initiated if they were not to solve peculiar problems. By stalling their progress or preventing their being used, Akufo-Addo made a dirty move for nasty political expediency that is now emerging to hit him hard in the face.
This coronavirus will disgrace him. The uncompleted, uncommissioned Legon Hospital, Bank of Ghana Hospital, Trust Hospital of the Bank of Ghana, Kumasi Military Hospital, etc. mock him!!
Folks, let’s come down to the quantum of money set aside for this coronavirus thing. One hundred million Dollars!! Thievery on parade!! No more!!
In any case, this coronavirus is set to disrupt the normal run of affairs worldwide. I have begun seeing a lot happening already to suggest that normal human behavior before now will not be the same from now onwards.
There is so much panic. Politicians manipulating the situation will be the worst hit because their plans will backfire. Such will it be for Akufo-Addo in Ghana, especially if this coronavirus scourge hits hard.
Jean Mensah’s plans will flop because Ghanaians won’t line up for re-registration toward a new voters register (not to bring in the controversy surrounding the machinations about contracts on the new BVD system, which smacks of more corruption than imaginable); no Ghanaian will bow to the pressure to be duped again by Team Akufo-Addo; and many more.
So, where do we get to? Simple. Akufo-Addo’s major challenges at Election 2020 will no more be on the NDC but on his own ups-and-downs in his deception of Ghanaians. Thank God, this coronavirus is emerging to put him where he belongs. To the victims, due…due…!!
Source: Michael Jarvis Bokor
