I confess that I do not know Opanin Afreh personally, yet I have a certain degree of respect for him, simply because someone had enough faith in him to put him in a position where people listen to him but the more I read ‘Rehabilitate Madam Fathia - Opanin Afreh‘, the more I become convince that Opanin Afreh is probably of the of stock of Ghanaians who being so privileged, seek to glorify others who have little or no need or once had a life of affluence at the expense of the ‘little’ people.
Opanin Afreh’s proposition may be wonderful in a nation flooded with wealth and as such may not create an outcry but in a nation where masses of ordinary Ghanaians are in dare need and can barely afford one good meal a day, where public welfare services are so poor or simply none existent, it stirs up disgust, to say the least. Perhaps, Opanin Afreh is out touch with the poverty situation in Ghana.
It would be interesting to know what prompted Opanin Afreh to propose that ’ If today the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which is an offshoot of the UP, is in power it will be prudent for the government to rehabilitate the wife of the man with whom they fought for independence for the country.’
At what cost and why should the tax payer or national funds, be the source for such an expense? In any case, why is there a need for such an extravagant expense? And if there is such a need then I humbly suggest that Opanin Afreh takes his hat around to all those who personally benefited immensely from the CPP government, perhaps they may deem it practical to make a contribution for old times sake! By the way, did the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah not build a ‘home’ for his dear wife in her home country? I wonder!
Opanin Afreh also talked about reconciliation, how does Opanin Afreh feel about reconciling is the gap between the few rich (big people) and the many poor (little people)! Does Opanin Afreh accept that a fair distribution of national wealth should include the little people.
Perhaps, Opanyin Afreh should be advocating for a national forum for conferring honour on the little people who have made practical contribution to building our nation, and at this point I am tempted to mention a few such people but I have no doubt in my mind that the ordinary Ghanaian knows his or her ‘hero’. I dare say that Opanyin Afreh’s bright ideas on this occasion are grossly impractical. There is a time for everything but I doubt this is it.
Further, and this is not to impugn Opanin Afeh, the days when politicians and their cohorts are honoured for albeit serving their own interests are numbered. The Ghanaian politicians should be aware that we are now at a stage where we the little people of Ghana will give voice to our thoughts about how the country is run. The wrong doers may think they have gotten away with it, but the day will come when they will be called to answer for their wrong doing. At that point, hopefully, the punishment may far outweigh the pleasure derived from the wrong doing. It has been done before!
Finally, it may be that Opanin Afreh is a very wealthy man or at the very least, has a comfortable lifestyle with no affiliation to poverty, hence, in a different world but in the world of the poor ’little’ Ghanaian, every little counts!
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