Decisions breed seasons, a fact that distinguishes the right-thinking from the stinking-thinking, enabled by bias, apathy, heavy-handedness or downright lack of integrity.
Sometimes, some folks are so afflicted by a spirit of greed that they their decisions are dictated by it, and they end up upended, their behavior knocking on the doors of the Hall of Shame.
Often, culprits have been motivated by envy, bias, breakdown of discipline or protocol, given that we are all products of our environment.
In the African environment, THE ELDER IS ALWAYS RIGHT, regardless of conduct or consequence, which is hardly deemed the fault of the elder.
Conversely, THE CHILD IS ALWAYS WRONG, EVEN IF RIGHT, regardless of circumstance, in any dealing with an elder, especially a notable one, who ought to know better.
Tragically, after several years of independence, it seems like civil justice has passed us by, still entrenched in firm layers of African justice, seemingly insulated from accepted international norms of justice, without regard to age or status.
Given shortfalls in attempts at emulating democratic norms of the First World, Third World countries, especially in Africa are quick to adopt the fanciful, yet less meaningful norms of the First World.
Incidentally, in Africa, the more wealth some folks have, the worst people they become. They become challenged by the power money generates and daze their consciousness to the point they go under the influence of that draw, less integrated into society.
Ironically, African societies tend to bestow bias on the more privileged, even if flawed characters. They tend to get the better end of justice, almost above reproach, while the less privileged get the short end of it.
Instances abound. I will cite a few, beginning with Ghana’s immediate past Sports Minister , Elvis Afriyie Ankrah.
He has been given a reprieve by President John Mahama, is still serving as a Minister of State, and has been given his right to appear before the ongoing commission set up by President Mahama to inquire into events surrounding the colossal failure of Ghana at the Brazil 2014 world cup.
Likewise, Akwasi Appiah, the immediate past head coach of the senior national football team, the Black Stars, was given a reprieve after his mighty failure at this year’s world cup, having only managed to gather ONLY ONE point out of a possible NINE, was re-signed by the FA, given an almost 100% raise, plus a dubious handshake deal of a reported $100,000 ‘signing-bonus’.
Inspite of the resultant hue-and-cry, the FA stuck with him, till the FA cut him after gathering FOUR out of a possible SIX points, citing treachery for his public contradiction of the association, over the position of, and, as has emerged, the imposition of a technical advisor, on him.
Following his firing, Akwasi Appiah has been given his right before the said commission, during which he was accorded a hero’s status like a decorated war general, in a fan-club atmosphere by the audience dominated by FA membership and media associates, and applauded, winning over a number of fence-dwellers and critics, alike.
On the same day of his testimony, retired Ghana international, Stephen Appiah, in my estimation the best Ghana captain ever, gave testimony before the commission in his capacity as an erstwhile member of the backroom staff of Akwasi Appiah during the world cup fiasco.
As part of his testimony, though, he recommended that certain players currently under discipline, namely Kevin Prince-Boateng and Sulley Ali Muntari, who were booted out of camp during the Brazil 2014 world cup, be denied their right to have their say before the commission.
That is a terrible suggestion, indefensible and unacceptable.
Perhaps, I should not be surprised, for Stephen Appiah is an African! So, he subscribes to the African justice which denies justice to the aggrieved 'child', while pious 'elders' get audience and applause before a commission set up to ensure fairness and impartiality.
Fortunately, I do not bear an affliction of the spirit of sycophancy. Therefore, with a clear conscience and duty to my nation, I hereby register my dissent with Stephen Appiah, and the semblance of agreement to his recommendation by the commission.
I take issue with Appiah’s recommendation and I urge the commissioners to reject it, because it was obviously influenced by his position with the technical arm of the FA, whose membership, some sections of the media, and President Mahama, have also gone on a player-bashing spree, since the world cup disaster.
Those aforementioned players may not be angels; neither are they evil, especially given the extenuating circumstances surrounding the shame and waste inflicted by officialdom on the entire contingent, at that global showpiece, turning Ghana into a global laughing-stock.
Almost every Kofi and Ama in this administration, affiliated bodies and media alliances have aimed and shot blame at the players, at will.
Therefore, it is only fair and logical that they be granted their day before the commission, and help the commission, all Ghanaians, and the whole world, get a fuller picture of what truly transpired.
I suspect that the management of the FA and/or other vested interests want neither Kevin Prince-Boateng nor Sulley Muntari to have their day before the commission, nursing a genuine fear of further exposure, following Akwasi Appiah’s recent exposure of the association.
It makes it even more imperative, then, to give them, and Adam Kwarasey and Michael Essien, their day before the commission, to record all sides of the story, for posterity, lest there linger a suspicion of bias, prejudice or predisposition by our august commission.
For a body “… carefully selected because of their high sense of fairness, impartiality and for some of them, their knowledge of football”, whose membership are highly recommended, it would be a grave act of omission, and a commission of an act of injustice, to deny those players their day before it.
Perhaps, it would have helped if all, not just some, of the membership had substantial knowledge of football, besides their touted fairness and impartiality, carefully being monitored by some watchdogs of justice in this country.
Any injustice anywhere ion the world sets a bad precedent everywhere in the world.
So, ekowasmasports.com appeals to the conscience of the commissioners to change the course of the narrative, so far, and give the aforementioned players their day of testimony before the commission.
Let it not be said of the commission chaired by Justice Senyo Dzamefe, ably supported by Kofi Anokye Owusu Darko and famed lawyer-broadcaster Moses Foh-Amoaning, that, once upon a time they showed bias, sacrificed fair hearing and deprived fellow Ghanaians of their inalienable rights.
That would be a tragedy in the face of increasing calls for equal rights and justice, in our young democracy. May posterity forbid.
Kudos on your great work, so far, commissioners. More grease to you, commissioners, for the dispensation of fairness and impartiality in our great land.
May your names be recorded on the right side of history, certainly not on the wrong side of history.
Ekow Asmah Sports