O.R.A.L. Paradise

18th Feb 2025 | Source: Prof. Kwesi Yankah

My recent post on oral cavities has aroused a blend of interest and outrage among friends and followers. Some readers who rushed to read it just before dinner time, complained that the repulsive oral cavity displayed as cover pix, led to a sudden loss of appetite, for which I should accept responsibility and an invoice. ‘Why do you spoil my appetite,’ says, Esther. Then comes Aba who speaks of nightmares my horrendous cavity pix gave her.

May I therefore take this opportunity to apologize to readers for not posting an advisory on viewer discretion, such as: ‘this post contains disturbing images not compatible with evening meals.’ There were others who vehemently opposed my view on the ORAL Committee and its genesis, and went on a frolic of free spanking on my body frame. To them the Committee’s work is a sad commentary on the negligence of the previous government, which should take full responsibility.

To compensate for any offense caused therefore, I today post dissenting views along with healthy oral cavities, that should whet readers’ craving for dinner. Let me confess though that the disturbing pix displayed recently is common in all local neighborhoods. Clean cavities still exist, and even for foul mouths, we share a collective responsibility in our search for transparency and accountability.

Below, I give pride of prominence to a sample of rejoinders: a blend of diverse opinion paying greater attention to dissenting voices, and a slice of the ‘O.R.A.L. Paradise’ Ghana has lost.

Have a pleasant meal:

Comments

Benjamin Bosomprah

Prof. Thanks for this beautiful piece. Those who were too young or refused to appreciate what you wrote on the breaking of the "Culture of Silence" by the late Prof. and the response by the late General that there would have been "fire", would not appreciate your piece on ORAL. They refuse to appreciate that the previous NPP government had no control over the Judiciary, otherwise all the cases you mentioned would have been executed before the NPP leaving office. These same people accused the NPP government of controlling the same Judiciary. Yet ORAL Ablakwa dodged questions and provided false information. For him and the MP for the 5000 housing units at Saglemi l say: "Their Conscience will judge them".

Jude Ntsiful

ORAL serves as a primary symbol to enhance the story in this remarkable write-up, which skillfully blends humor and incisive criticism. Prof. K. Yankah uses historical allusions and striking examples to enrich the narrative, and wordplay and strong sarcasm serve to both amuse and encourage introspection.

Patience Wetsi

Prof, you are indeed a great man. You are very right! What is good for the goose, is good for the gander!

Qorby Danquah

You hit the nail right on the head and as Afenyo will say when you point a finger at anyone, the rest of the 4 fingers point back at you! Time will tell!

Edmund Opoku-Agyemang

Woes of a Kwatriot vibes....we enjoyed reading you as you employed wit and satire to draw attention to the ills of the Rawlings administration. Over time, we have come to realize that the just gone-by government of Akufo-Addo of which you were a part in the first stanza, is the worst ever in our history. The matters at stake in ORAL cannot be humoured away as you have sought to do. The attempt to seek equalization from the Ablakwas within the context of their own accountability is a cheap shot at trivializing a matter of such grave magnitude. Our country is broke, largely due to reckless mismanagement of our resources and massive thievery the likes of which we have never witnessed before, one which every Ghana-spirited person must come onboard to fight. If Ablakwa is corrupt, your government had many years to investigate and charge him, especially since his parliamentary oversight work became a thorn in the flesh of the Akufo-Addo administration, yet it's only when his work is beginning to hit the real culprits that attention is being drawn to his ‘duplicity’. ORAL must work, and it will work. All are invited to support it to catch the massive thieves and retrieve the loot to rebuild our country. Dry, yesteryear humour will not cut it.

Agbey Albert Setor

Mr. Professor, so what actually prevented the past government from prosecuting and jailing those who caused huge financial losses to the state?

Stan Dugah

What stopped the NPP from recovering all loot from NDC politicians in the last eight years?

Kwame Baiden

So what did your NPP Government do about Saglemi, the Ambulance et al during their years in government? This is a non-starter.

Pharm Bash

Interesting write up Prof by all standards! Respectfully Prof,What happened to the statement that “Justice delayed is Justice denied”?, For 8 years these very cases mentioned were in court without headway! How long does the state require to prove a case if indeed evidence of wrongdoing existed as insinuated? Are the prolonged court cases not also financially draining the tax payers? Was the delay in justice delivery the fault of the supposed culprits who for 8 years were walking up and down the corridors of the court complex with their families and sympathizers to prove their cases? Yellow teeth can naturally be mistaken for poor ORAL hygiene sir.

James Amoah

You were part of a government that sang same song for 8 years and could not jail those people you are satirically accusing today. Bleeding is allowed.

Paa Yaw Arkoh-Koomson

The silent story tellers of the last 8 years have suddenly taken honey laced green tea.

Their voices which were missing from the hallowed opera cinemas are suddenly chiming a harmony of soprano, tenor, alto, forseto, baritone and bass. Funny they think we need to take them seriously. Mpaninfo) a )mo atena fie ama mmofra awe nanka, we see them as puff-adder eaters too.”

CONCLUSION

Let me doff my hat to all who took time to respond to my post on ORAL Cavities, and also appreciate our several new followers. I sincerely wish I could salute you all, the way Ajax Bukana, Nkrumah’s state comedian did it those days. Close to the end of his comic skit, Ajax would dance his way center stage, and draw the curtain down with his signature love gesture. While other artists would blow a kiss, or throw a bouquet, Ajax would open his mouth wide, remove his dentures and throw them into the crowd, as his fans raced to take cover.

One man’s cavity is another man’s paradise!

kyankah@ashesi.edu.gh