Kabu Nartey writes: LOCKDOWN LIFTED 14 Reasons Ghana should’ve wished 2 more for Nana
It takes humane principles to damn the ‘economicentric’ argument in the wake of a human crisis.
Privilege me with a day’s president, give me same health advisors, the finest of scientists, a critical media and the best of frontline workers; and I would’ve still:
- Continued a curfew for at least two more weeks to avoid counting our eggs before they hatch.
- Continued to clean the cities and fixed many broken things as I complete my getting hold of the viral situation even firmer before a curfew lift, subsequently. Because as theorised at the beginning of this pandemic, life should never be the same when the curfew is finally lifted. But just when the Ghanaian was going to be socialised to change perhaps forever, life was back like nothing happened in the first place.
- Fixed the many identified challenges associated with social interventions, including the free food distribution as reported by a vigilant media. Because I’ve committed to doing it.
- My advisors wouldn’t rush me to saying I’m ahead of the virus even when my curve is only reaching an instantaneous velocity.
- Neither would I have fallen for the people’s pressure, and a premature belief that suddenly, my people had become aware of COVID-19
- I shall leave the record-making knee-jerk decision to countries noted for taking higher science risks because ours could be a door of no return.
Because guess what?
- I’m not naive that science isn’t our thing, three weeks is too short a time to be talking science and more so, the typical Ghanaian isn’t a scientist rather an avid believer that this virus in question is still a supernatural, a sickness for the rich, hence a lift would mean unguarded freedom and jubilation.
- But if I could not feed the over 1.2m citizens facing food insecurity because I wished to use the money for other equally important economic things, I would have wished my people died out of hunger rather than die in the humiliating grip of a virus.
- Lives aren’t specimens for experiments, albeit living in a curfew can get very boring, Oliver Twist citizens get annoying and insatiable many a time.
- Of an ailing economy, a hungry people and a scientific lift of a curfew, I still insist, Nana President should have given us two more. I mean two more weeks to interrogate the so-called science which seems very inconclusive.
- Two more weeks to adjust the good social interventions. Two more to get the message to sink deeper and to conclude whichever science, either social or political science. Kabu smiles…
- The President has been good with some calls since our fight against Covid19, I’ve been a loyal fan. But as I still maintain the lift was a premature decision. A few days ago, his approach was quite appreciable of the centre-right posture, that is granting freedom to an ailing economy and a locked market. A rather opposite to the centre-left posture he took initially. However, his current posture has a record of always struggling to balance the protection of the people and a growing capitalist market and lately, a virus.
- But that’s why I’m not the president. His is backed by law – the Imposition Act of 2020, while mine, a mere wishful thought and patriotic exuberance.
- Though two more for Nana President would have been more cautious of our fight, I advise you as a fellow concerned citizen to please keep observing social distancing and face masking as directed by Nana President, as you step out, hopefully with some beard and light skin, kind courtesy a three-week partial curfew. Kabu smiles…
#StaySafe! #CoronavirusIsStillReal!
The author is the GJA Student Journalist of the year and a political communications consultant.
Opinions expressed by our contributors do not reflect the views of theghanareport.com