Opinions of Wednesday, 19 February 2020

Columnist: Abdul Hayi Moomen

The demolition may be legal but not logical

Abdul Hayi Moomen Abdul Hayi Moomen

Nyaba,

Permit me to tell you a popular story.

A student from the University had failed his final law paper and was obviously not happy.

He questioned the professor and decided to make a raw deal with him...

He asked the Professor, "do you consider yourself to know everything about law?"

The Professor answered, "Absolutely, otherwise I would not be capable of standing in front of you and lecturing you on the subject."

"If you can answer this question, I will agree with you and accept my final examination marks, if you cannot, you will have to give me an "A". The student challenged.

The professor laughed over it but agreed.

"What is legal but not logical, logical but not legal and neither legal nor logical?" asked the student.

The professor thought about it for hours and pondered no answer. He had to finally give up as he really did not know.

He gave the boy an 'A'.

The following day during lectures, the professor was still struggling with this unknown mystery and decided to pose the question to his students.

"Class, what is legal but not logical, logical but not legal and neither legal nor logical?" He quizzed.

He paused for a second in shock when all students raised their hands with a possible answer.

He pointed out one student and waited...

"Sir, firstly, you are 65 years old, married to a 28-year-old woman, this is legal but not logical.

Secondly, your wife, is having an affair with a 23-year-old boy, this is logical but not legal.

And thirdly, your wife's boyfriend has failed his exam and yet you have given him an 'A', that is neither logical nor legal.

Nyaba, in the case between Raymond Archer's factory and the Ghana Trade fair Center, the demolition and how it was carried out does not make sense to me even though it may have been legal.

You see, in an era in which one of the greatest challenges facing any government, is the issue of creating jobs, it is unbelievable that someone whose children have perhaps been secured permanent, well paying jobs and who were educated at the expense of the tax payer, will turn around and take such harsh decisions that will take more than 100 persons out of work.

It may have been legal to kick Raymond's factory out of the premises of the Ghana Trade Fair center but was it absolutely logical to carry it out in that manner? Couldn't the authorities have, perhaps moved out the equipment and other machinery in the factory before proceeding to demolish it?

Or was this payback time?