The sages say that you never ask your country what it can do for you, but what you can do for your country. That saying is profound for several reasons, the first being that it removes one from sliding on the path of selfishness.
Making a decision to do something is always very difficult. Whether it is a decision to help someone, contribute towards a cause or ignore an enemy. My father always told me that it is difficult to build but so easy to destroy.
His conviction was that it took God a week to build the universe and man but it only took Lucifer a day to try to destroy it all. But he always said ‘at the end of it all, light will over power darkness”.
I have had the privilege to spend some time around people of different tribes and nations. I watched people being victimized and attacked not because they were doing something wrong but because they were often misunderstood and misinterpreted or their actions were misconstrued totally.
I have heard of stories of people who devoted their time and energy attacking people thinking they were exposing an enemy of progress. Just like the biblical story of the Pharisees who thought they were doing a service to the people by attacking Jesus Christ.
A good friend of mine made a profound statement in his book “fallen heroes”. He said on page 122 that “Just because you are doing something good doesn’t mean the world will rally behind you” As funny as it stands, there are people who take pleasure in destroying what other people have built and i believe that is what Manasseh is doing to Dr. Agyapong.
One thing I have personally witnessed in Ghana is that people doing something good are never celebrated nor urged to contiue to do it right for more success.
They are rather singled out and publicly crucified mostly lead by some media men in media trials because of they have been misunderstood or miscontrued. The case of the Jospong Group of Companies and its Executive Chairman, Dr Joseph Siaw-Agyapong is an example of such people.
I have read many articles and heard commentaries of people coming against Dr Siaw-Agyapong and his businesses as if the man is not part of us Ghanaians most especially Manasseh. Sometimes I am tempted to ask, what at all has this man done to warrant such public crucifixion by Manasseh and his ilks but then I also give consideration to where the attack is being engineered.
For instance, an accusation by Manasseh Azure that Zoomlion Ghana Limited, one of the companies of Dr Agyapong, has “duped Ghana millions of cedis with little or no work done” is unfortunate.
I have taken time to read some of the report shared by Manasseh, concerning some of the contract dealings of Zoomlion Ghana Limited with the government.
Judging by what the he wrote it is clear that his agenda is aimed at attacking the personality of the founder of the company. I recently read a commentary from one of the many epistles of Manasseh.
In the said commentary, the writer called on the President of the Republic and the authorities in power to turn their attention to Dr Agyapong and his companies, particularly, Zoomlion Ghana Limited. That is where I find the whole crusade against the man a bit unfair.
I haven’t met Dr Agyapong personally and I am not craving to know him but judging from what his company has achieved over the past few years, I believe such men have to be celebrated. Do we as a people have to subject a man to such level of attacks?
Is it right, fair and godly to set up businessmen, who have achieved great success in their operations to public oersecution? Is it right for a man born of man to wish his fellow man's fall just because people have their own have agenda?
Personally I have great respect for achievers who rose through fires of afflictions and attacks just to be known for one thing—helping their nations solve problems.
Zoomlion Ghana Limited came in at a time the sanitation conditions in Ghana had reached unlimited levels with the country struggling to tame the tonnes of waste generated in the cities daily.
This company single-handedly fought through many shadows to get the government to see the need to invest in the sanitation sector. We watched the company birthed, crawled and now that it’s walking, some people are acting as if it didn’t go through the process.
Do we always have to brand successful companies as corrupt? Must we always be mischievous about things we do not understand? That is why i said such people are behaving like the Pharisees who attacked Jesus Christ because they didn’t understand why the son of God should be born to a poor family.
Just because Zoomlion Ghana Limited has now become a global waste giant doesn’t mean it used dubious ways to get to that pedestal. Like Manasseh is saying, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo should turn their heat on Dr Agyapong and Zoomlion.
King Herod hands were forced to sign the death warrant of Jesus, even when he (the King) didn’t see any wrong doing in him. Is that what Manasseh wants the President to do? Is Manasseh saying our entire system is blind?
We have had a number of government officials and the President himself applauding the contribution of Zoomlion Ghana Limited. For President Kufour, at last year’s end of year Jospong Group of Companies annual thanksgiving service, former President urged Ghanaians not to brand successful companies as using corrupt means to make money.
He singled out Jospong Group of Companies and applauded its Executive Chairman, Dr. Agyapong for his role in national development. President Nana Akufo-Addo during a tour in Greater Accra region commended Zoomlion Ghana Limited for the work it has done towards addressing the sanitation challenges in the country. If these two personalities could look beyond everything said about Jospong and applaud him, why can’t we honour the man for his works?
The likes of Bill Gates, Aliko Dangote, Warren Buffet and some of the world’s celebrated business men didn’t get to where they are now being attacked and branded as corrupt by their own countrymen.
It is time as nation we move away from pettiness and deal with the real issues of why Ghanaian companies cannot boast of being among the first 100 African brands, if not global icons. Its time we begin to look for ways to support our own and push them to the top.
We need to support our own and stop this crusade to get businessmen punished for no wrong doing. That does not mean, any person we think is corrupt out to experience the same faith.
Just because people are being attacked doesn’t mean they are doing something wrong.
Nehemiah was attacked for trying to re-build the broken walls of Jerusalem. Sanaballat and Tobiah didn’t think it was a good course. Manasseh may not think Zoomlion Ghana is doing any good work but that doesn’t mean he is telling the truth or his wishes for the fall of the company is right.
Perhaps let’s just shut down Zoomlion down for a week and see the implication on the country’s health system.
Source: Richmond Yaw Asamoah, Freelance Journalist
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opinions are like noses everyone has one. offer facts and lets assess the case you are making Mr. Asamoah. As a journo who is worth his sort, undertake your own investigations and come out with counter evidence/information and let ghana look at it. yes zoomlion has done a lot in terms of waste management for ghana but the end doesnt justify the means. not in the case of Zoomlion and their ways. When they took they "ways" to liberia with the world bank project (was it liberia?) the got caught and sanctioned!!! yet you want us to praise them? it tells on the kind of person you are Mr. Asamoah.
SAD FOR U WRITER.......WHY SHOULD U ALLOW UR EMOTIONS TO TAKE OVER UR HARD EARN REPUTATION,WHAT WILL BE THE ESSENCE OF THE SCHOOL FEES THAT U PAYED.WE NEED GENERATIONAL THINKERS.
ZOOMLION is fraud!!! There is evidence. The World Bank banned ZOOMLION from their procurement because of fraud
Manassas hate people who call themselves as business men only to dupe the state. Enough is enough.
I agree with you on your first paragraph that one must not ask for what his or her country can do for him/her but what he or she can do for his/her country. Mr Siaw Agyapong who happened to be the CEO of zoomlion has taken more from Ghana than what he can do for Ghana but there are ***barred word*** and sycophants like u trying to blame those who are working for mother Ghana. I can tell for a fact that Ghanaians are now matured and ur propaganga will not work. Zoomlion has stolen too much from Ghanaians and must count himself Lucy for not being in prison.
Fraudstar zoomlion man. Leave gbestile lands alone. Poor people take loans to buy land and you come and wall it claiming ownership because you have equally fraudulent politicians supporting you. You will never know peace till you leave our lands for us.
Typical mercenary Ghanaian journalism.Nobody has said at any time that Zoomlion has not done to some extent its bit as far as management of waste is concerned in Ghana. The thing is that Dr Agyapong is so so pathologically greedy.How he can sleep at night when out of 500 cedis paid to each Zoomlion worker he pockets 400 and pays 100 to the poor sods is what beats my imagination.The man seems to have the knack for rewarding mercenary writers like this one to do his dirty work in the media.Remember his problems in Liberia?Remember his plan to be the one towing all broken down vehicles in Ghana including motor bikes.and all the underhand dealings with the district assemblies?Of course he has done some good things and that what was recognised by the president when he said to him 'deal with your issues'.So Mr writer take your incoherent effusions and shove it up your a-r-s-e.
If you have been paid to subvert the truth then you better return the money because you have done a very poor job of it. No body,including Manasseh, is against genuine entrepreneurs serving Ghana. What we are against is someone masking as entrepreneur and defrauding the country. How does Zoomlion justify paying 100cedis to each employee at the end of every month and collecting 400cedis as management fee for each employee? What about the inflated prices of items which are way above their fair market price? Employees were not provided with medical care,etc yet 400cedis was collected every month to manage them whilst they were given 100cedis to take home? Does this rented novice of a writer think Ghanaians can't discern right from wrong? The world bank scrutinized the activities of zoomlion and banned them from bidding for contracts because they were implicated in corrupt practices. These are the issues Manasseh tried to draw attention to and you come up with this ***barred word***: quoting and misquoting scripture here and there! It is absolute blasphemy by trying to use scripture to subvert the truth!
So when are we going to support generational thinkers like the Zoomlion boss and rather put a stop to this pull him down syndrome.May God continue to strengthen him for he is a blessing to this generation.
Mr writer. You didn't not establish any lies that Mannaseh had told about Zoomlion and it's CEO.Are the things Mannaseh wrote about Zoomlion true or not. Are they not factual. Are you saying that because Zoomlion has done a good job or is doing a good job we should keep quiet and let them defraud the state? Kuffour and Akuffo Addo did not Mr. Siaew because they think he's done no wrong. If they have done nothing wrong let investigation establish that and will will all condeme people who want to take Zoomlion on for no apparent good reason. This your PR gimmick for Zoomlion and Mr Siaw will not wash. Thank f his hands are clean let wait for the investigation by the AG's department to be concluded.