Feature Article : "The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Modernghana.com."

Blame Our Shortcomings and Iniquities on Second –Hand tyres.

“Ban all second-hand imported tyres,” while we're wantonly consuming lead-saturated and toxic contaminated foods, imported from abroad.

Just Weighing in on the import used-tyres banning debate:

To the whiners at MTTU, Ministry of Transportation, and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Services……….

Yep, I said it... this is to all of you whiners who love to outsource responsibility and accountability and blame everyone but yourselves. Every mistake is someone else's fault.

Using imported used- tyres banning to atone their deflated images :

If all goes as expected the Police Motor Transportation and Traffic Unit (MTTU) and Customs and Excise Services will soon ban the importation of used tyres into the country. Yeah, Way to go….. Brilliant idea!
Banning used tyres? I couldn't help feeling nostalgic!

Blame the motor accidents on the used-imported tyres instead of the drivers who constantly gab on their cell phones when they are supposed to keep their eyes on the road. What about lack of regular mainte-nance? Blame it on witchcraft or on your grand-mother, when the brakes on your vehicle give up on you. Ghanaians have the tendency to blame everyone else, but themselves when they screw-up. Why can't the police charge the drivers who ride around with defective tyres ? Don't hold your breath!

That's just a warm-up!
Listen to me on this one: I was surfing the web the other day and I came across a piece captioned”Used-tyres imports face Ban”. According to the article, the commander of MTTU, ACP Daniel Avorga, who allegedly confirmed the story on the Joy FM radio that “many accidents cases where tire bursts preceded the actual accidents, bad tyres were the causes”. He also confirmed that,” the tyres were second – hand tyres imported into the country” In other words, the imported used tyres are responsible for the rampant car accidents we experience in our part of the world.

Yep, not the over-speeding, not wrong over-taking, not distractions, not poor -vehicle maintenance and not bad road networks. I beg your pardon!

I don't dispute the fact that bad tyres are sometimes responsible for most of accidents, but for their own greediness and selfishness, some drivers decide to use bad or defective tyres and that has nothing to do with import tyres . After all, Ghana doesn't produce tyres .So my question is: what are the drivers or the vehicles owners' role in all that? I don't think banning imported used- tyres will stop them from using defective tyres on their vehicles.

This reminds me of a story about a lady who sued the McDonalds' restaurant when she accidentally discharged a hot –cup of coffee on herself. She claimed it was the fault of the people who sold her the hot coffee; therefore it was their fault that she got burnt .Mindful of the fact no one drinks warm coffee in America—it has to be hot. Anyway, her lawsuit was thrown out of court for lack of sufficient liability claim. If you screwed–up play the shift-the- blame card. Hello??

What is wrong with that picture? Wait just a minute here: What happened to responsibility? Don't we take responsibility any more? It seems annoying to have grown-up people continuously putting the blame on others for their own stupid faults and shortcomings. So the government is banning used-imported tyres simple because they cause motor accidents? Perhaps we need a little force to administer a serum of responsibility and accountability into our drivers and Police on our roads...

What is the logic in that? Am I the only soul on this planet who thinks it's a stupid policy? Why stop there? Let's ban all used household appliances ,second -hand clothing, used –bags ,used- vehicles ,used -cell phones and any used electronic gadget, The list is long ,but you get my point. Not only some of these items are contaminated with blood-borne pathogens that can cause deadly diseases, but they are also very defective and health hazard.

Yeah, in this global economic downturn the top priority is to ban the importation of used -tyres. I would surely like to know the status of the nation after the ban is put in place. Please someone should call me and if you have no units flash me and I'll call you back. (Another joke!) It defies all expectation and logic.

O' mine, o' mine! This shifting- of- responsibility has engulfed the entire society and our students are in it too. .You know damn well, if you watched too much TV and party every night your academic grades are going to be lousy. But don't worry; you can still blame that on your school, teachers or parents. Nope, it's not your own damn fault. Why take the responsibility if you can blame it on someone?

The drivers are not responsible for their actions. The Politicians are not responsible, parents are not responsible, our leaders are not responsible, and the police are not responsible, the government is not responsible. No one is responsible .So we can easily outsource the blame and accountability. I'm mad as hell! .I'm getting a headache, pass me the Tylenol!

By now, you can tell I have a personal grudge against people who are lazy, lack of integrity, irresponsible and fail to be accountable and afraid to stand up for something positive.

You might think my indignation is too excessive. But, if you understand what these traits are doing to the nation and our individual progress you would revise your opinion. As a nation, we have no problem spending our last coins of reputation for principle and sound judgment to buy a short-term gratification. Do I need to go on? Please don't get me started!

Unfortunately, for decades we have lowered the ethics bar and we religiously keep low –balling our expectations for ourselves, our kids and one another, all in the name of instant gratification or unwillingness to accept responsibilities. The celebration of low expectations in our part of the world has slowed the fire that powers the engines of productivity and progress .Do they ring a bell? Employers care less, Poor employees' morale, poor customer service, poor service and lower profit. We're all victims as well as perpetrators so don't take yourself off the hook yet.  Continued    Source: Kwaku Adu-Gyamfi

"The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Modernghana.com." To have your articles publish, please submit them to editor@modernghana.com.

Other Articles by Kwaku Adu-Gyamfi