Largely, there is seething intellectual dishonesty and hypocrisy in Ghana because those in academia have been hypnotized into mental inertia or social alienation by the political class. The same rod has hit the clergy, the traditional leaders and the silent majority.
Everyone is silent not because everything is right or that everyone is happy but they simply want to avoid castigation and mudslinging. They don’t want offend and ruffle the hyenas, wolves, and hawks who are ever ready to tear apart and suck blood out of anyone who speaks up. However, our collective failure to speak against and fight impropriety and evil in the society will ultimately spell doom for Ghana.
I think the intellectual community has generally disappointed Ghana more than any other group of people. Astute doctors and professors seeking to please their paymasters in utter disregard for the national interest and the common good. Those responsible for churning out data on the pandemic since day one have largely been politically correct rather than scientifically correct.
The current Ghana COVID-19 case count of 4263 is a serious indictment on the claims that Ghana peaked in our case count on April 25, 2020. Unless we divorce politics from the fight against the pandemic, Ghana will be ultimate loser.
Ghana Health Service and Ministry of Health should avoid giving jaundiced figures and analysis concerning COVID-19 pandemic. The reason is that if the President on the basis of their figures and analysis lifts the ban on social gathering and open our airports and borders, what will happen in Ghana? It would be both suicidal and foreboding. For instance, Ghana took a fatal gamble by lifting the partial lockdown earlier than expected based on data from GHS and MOH and the aftermath is what we are witnessing today.
Moreover, once Ghana is not going for total nationwide lockdown, government should urgently implement targeted lockdowns of specific areas considered hot spots of the pandemic. Government needs to condon off hotspots for effective testing and treatment immediately. Parts of Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi and Eastern Region among others should be under strict lockdown without further hesitation.
Finally, government and health service communication should be managed well otherwise they could mislead Ghanaians to think all is well when it is not the case. In furtherance of the “Spread Calm and not Fear” mantra, most of the press conferences have sought to paint a rosy picture where Ghanaians are told not to panic because everything is under control since community spread is contained. We have been told many times Ghana is ahead of the virus because Ghana is leading in testing in Africa. However, the fact that Ghana’s case count keeps rising should be enough to make every Ghanaian apprehensive. Currently, only three out of the sixteen regions are COVID-19 free. Ghana sits on a time-bomb.
(CLEMENT ADJEI SARFO, THE CRUSDAER, [email protected])
