Losing Jake amid the spectre of security threat
It is with a heavy heart that I write regarding the death of Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, a former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a foremost public relations and advertising expert.
Advertisement
Again, it is with grim thought that I acknowledge the first quarter of this year as one steeped in adversity for Mother Ghana.
For besides Obetsebi-Lamptey, this country has lost other fine personalities, including J.B. Dankwa-Adu, former MP for Akyem Abuakwa North, Comedian Bob Okalla, DCOP Angwubutoge Awuni, Isaac Yeboah who was managing ace musician, Amakye Dede, and Madam Tina, who was the Greater Accra Women’s Organiser of the NPP.
The country has indeed lost a gem of a statesman in the person of Obetsebi-Lamptey. It is ironic how death can unite a people in grief and I feel very proud as a Ghanaian listening to tributes in his honour, as they pour in from all sides including his political adversaries.
Come to think of it we are all one big family called Ghana and must not allow tribe, religion, culture and particularly politics to divide us.
Today in death, Obetsebi-Lamptey is being eulogised and acknowledged for his contribution to the development of democracy and to a large extent the country.
But in every society there are fringe elements, and so even as a large segment of society are praising the man, there are others on social media stoking the embers of hatred and accusing him of having acquired government property through deceit.
Rightfully, the acting chairman of the NPP has come out to respond to the misfits and so I’ll put the matter to rest, but I must say it was so un-Ghanaian
Other Trending Stories
Initiatives
As someone observed some time ago, in this country we are too quick to vilify and very slow to praise.
Jake Obetsebi- Lamptey brought many fresh insights into our political environment and is noted for introducing a number of things including the Friday wear, paragliding festival in Kwahu in the Eastern Region of Ghana, the Joseph Project which sought to reintegrate Africans in the diaspora into the socio-economic systems of Ghana and Africa and beautification of Accra, among others.
These initiatives, when critically considered and carried through, can yield massive dividends for the country I believe.
At this point I join the family of the late statesman in their grief over their loss and ours as a nation.
Mercenaries
We woke up last Tuesday to news of the arrest of three South Africans who are in the country conducting illegal military drills. The security personnel must be commended for acting swiftly, but again it brings into question the alertness of the country’s security at our ports.
The Major Hazis among them claim he was part of a similar exercise in 2012 and left soon after. Is our security telling this country they failed to pick up that intelligence and so watched the man to come in the second time?
In this period of an upsurge in terrorist activities, it is pertinent that the country’s security and intelligence gathering outfits up their game so that we are not caught in any unforeseen circumstances.
As for the speculations as to who brought them in and on whose behalf they were working, we have to leave that to the security agencies to handle so we don’t fan the already insidious and volatile political atmosphere.
I repeat once again what former President Kufuor said recently, that politics is not war but rather a contest of ideas. For those also who have made politics a career I say it is wrong.
Politics must be considered a vocation where you come to do your bit and leave the stage when your time is due for others to continue since no one in this country is indispensable.