Section of NPP supporters
By Newton-Offei Justice Abeeko
Here is a little education for Samuel Okudezeto-Ablakwah and his cohorts who are seeking to reap political capital from misfortunes of our brothers and sisters presently held up in China due to the outbreak of the Codvid-19.
Stages
The outbreak of a disease always occurs in three major stages, with each stage requiring laid down protocols in handling it. These stages are:
- EPIDEMIC. It is when there is an outbreak of a disease in a community at a particular time.
- ENDEMIC. It is when a disease is regularly found among particular people or in a certain area. Example is malaria in the tropics.
- PANDEMIC. It is when a disease is prevalent over a whole country or the world. Example is the Coronavirus (Codvid-19)
In the cases of Epidemic and Endemic, therefore, patients can be moved across borders, albeit neighbouring or continental, for medical attention.
But in the case of Pandemic, the disease then becomes globalised and therefore states with weak health systems become vulnerable while advanced states with capable medical systems are the best places to deal with it.
It is in line with this that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially issued a global advisory for victims of the Coronavirus not to be admitted into states with weak health systems.
Reckless elements
These facts notwithstanding, we have elements of a reckless opposition party literally running amok with uneducatedly silly pronouncements intended to play on the keyboards of emotions of our students in China and their understandably apprehensive family members back home.
Indeed, I have always maintained that Okudzeto-Ablakwah has absolutely no knowledge in the field of international relations and diplomacy, and it is sad that such a character is being touted as the minority spokesperson on foreign affairs, and a potential foreign minister, should NDC come back to power in the next millennium.
This is why I’m always at pains to remind ourselves, appointees of Nana Addo’s administration, to stay off needless acts and focus on helping him to deliver on his social contract signed with the good people of this country in order to continue winning the trust of ordinary Ghanaians.
Four terms
And I would remind us of something Nana Addo told us, the national communication team, in a meeting at the party headquarters after the declaration of the 2008 election results.
He said a lot at that meeting but what really stacked with me was “FOR THE GOOD PEOPLE OF GHANA TO REAP THE FULL BENEFITS OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE, THE DANQUAH-DOMBO-BUSIA TRADITION MUST BE IN POWER FOR AT LEAST 20YEARS CONSECUTIVELY“.
We were not successful again four years later, but God made it possible in 2016. And as a campaign aide, I witnessed, at first hand, what Nana Addo had to go through on campaign across the country before Ghanaians gave him the opportunity to serve. It is therefore incumbent on us, his appointees, to ensure he succeeds, to make it easy keeping NDC in opposition.
Character
I sometimes get amazed as to where Nana Addo actually gets his energy from. And I think that should be a source of motivation and a great challenge to us. We must also reflect his humility and approachability because politics is about making people’s lives better and not throwing our weights about.
We shall surely be victorious come December 2020 but the target is way beyond, so let us stay focused.
