No Experience Required

Ghana politics continue to make me chuckle. In more ways than one I must add.

The latest furore to overtake the MP’s is the introduction of a bill which in part will allow non resident Ghanians to vote in National Elections. The bill was introduced by the Ruling party (NPP) much to the consternation of the opposition NDC.

The NDC had a solution to the fact that the NPP majority would ensure the bill was carried. They boycotted parliament. Which for elected individuals boggles my small brain.

Not content with that, they decided that a march would be required as well. The destination of the march was…….. the houses of Parliament. In order to present a memorandum expressing their problem with the bill.

Now I would have thought that more voice would be heard by vigorous debate within the hallowed sitting room would be more appropriate instead of the infantile route taken. What it did do however was generate a huge amount of press – which one would feel was their original goal.

Listening to the lads discuss this on Ghana Radio, I had a quiet chuckle as to certain aspects of logic used:

Interviewer: “why would you not want Ghanians living abroad not to vote?”
MP: “because they do not pay taxes”

Now forgive me if I cursed the interviewer for not following up on this rather interesting answer.

I pay tax in Ghana. Using the same (flawed) logic of our opposition MP, I should demand my vote.

I can then hear the MP say in his logical way “NO you cannot vote as you are not a Ghanian”

So then – in order to vote you must be BOTH a Ghanaian and pay taxes?

Yes?

What about the unemployed Ghanians that do not pay tax as they do not have a job. That means they cannot vote.



See – when you try and fight something that is logical with an argument that is illogical – you will fall flat on your nose every time!

The fact that my country does not allow me to vote if I live offshore is a problem for me as well. Despite the fact that I do not want to vote – refer previous blog – I am pissed that I am not allowed to exercise my right not to vote. And that logic is deeply flawed. SO I will not argue it. *chuckle*

Developments in this regard will be watched with interest.

Aircraft in Nigeria have been getting bad press over the last few months. Having a few of them falling out of the sky tends to do that.

I thus read with interest an advert in the local press placed by Virgin Nigeria for an Aircraft Captain.

Part of the required attributes was “Jet Flying experience will be an added advantage”
*cough*

If you going to fly a Jet as a Captain I would hope that Jet Flying Experience would be a REQUIREMENT not just an added advantage. I will have to ask the skipper next time I fly Virgin Nigeria just how much “jet flying” experience he has……

I am on the road at the moment and had occasion to drop in and check up on the progress of one of the jobs we are doing up country.

The job was somewhat on target, but some rather interesting aspects of the job came out in the meeting we had. We were given a pipeline to run, which evidently ends at a pump station. The job was critical and had to be completed in 11 weeks. Threat of death and dismemberment etc. if it was not done.


It however turns out that no-one has determined where the pump station is going to be. So no trench has been dug. And because no-one knew where the pump station was going to be, no-one ordered any pumps. Result: Some scratching of heads and fast blinking of eyes when this aspect was noted under the “possible delays” section of the meeting.

It remains to be seen when the line will be operational.