Open Letter to Mr. Kofi Kapito..”Why should I put my phone off on May 27?

Open Letter to Mr. Kofi Kapito..”Why should I put my phone off on May 27?

Kofi,
I guess you are doing fine by the Grace of God. It’s just another normal day at work for me running through a tall list of meetings, appointments and deadlines I have to meet. In fact, I have to work hard to satisfy my clients in other to make my money.

Kofi, My secretary almost annoyed me yesterday when she indicated in my Diary that my phone was expected to be switched off on Thursday May 27, from 6:00am to 12:00 noon. I was not just shocked at the thought but I thought it useless for me to put off my phone knowing too well that I had four(4) meetings to attend, and other commitments (family and friends) to deal with by 2pm same day.

Knowing how committed and meticulous my secretary was, I invited her to my office to rationalize her notice on my calendar. That was when she mentioned your name, Mr. Kofi Kapito, the Consumer Protection Agency Boss. Coincidentally, that was the same moment that you were on TV3 Sunrise programme trying to convince Ghanaians about the need for them to carry out your suggestions of turning our indispensable phones off in protest of bad services being rendered to the public.

As a young man who have been part of all Vandals-led student protests in the University of Ghana while in school between 2003-2007, I considered the news as a radical stance which needed all the support it could especially from government.
Kofi, frankly speaking I am not sure this call is a good one and your attempts to justify it are making no impact. I think you are rather worsening the situation as many would see your suggestions and modus operandi as a desperate, attention-seeking and utopian for the following reasons;

1. Ghana cannot do without mobile telephony anytime, any moment, any day and any year. From the coastal towns near Keta in the Volta Region, to the oil rigs of West Cape Three Point in the Western Region, right to our boundaries near Buake to the Upper West Region and to the troubled spots in Bawku to the Upper East-Togo Boarder, constant and consistent communication is very vital in keeping our very social, economic and political life in one piece. The very thought that phones would go off on the said day could be the day that all manner of hoodlums, goons and nation-wreckers could take advantage of this newly adopted “culture of silence” to visit mayhem and settle scores, which could have otherwise been prevented.

2. Many business persons like myself, would have to lose millions of cedis, goodwill, contracts, and even relationships if this threat is carried through. I am not sure, Mr. Kapito, that you would rather sit down and smile at the millions to be lost in revenue and expenditure to the innocent citizens just in the attempt of “punishing” these recalcitrant mobile phone and internet service providers.

3. Your lack of support on the quest to fight this battle on behalf of your country should tell you that many are not listening, let alone interested in this idea of yours, save the Alliance of Accountable Governance (AFAG) and a few other institutions that are using this opportunity for reasons other than those you intended. I am not sure government would even encourage a thing like this as it has serious diplomatic and International Protocol ramifications for government. Our government might be seen as “unfriendly” to businesses and hiding behind this cloak to go on a “witch-hunting” expedition against private local and international Telecommunication and related businesses in Ghana. That would open a can of worms for the economic future of Ghana and I think it would serve no purpose for you as a generator of the idea and for us as a nation. Consider the Vodafone and the Kosmos experiences and you would appreciate this.

4. The media, that should be screaming the loudest, are dead silent and I can understand their silence. The media has corroborated this wanton abuse and thievery by these Telecommunication companies for their selfish gains. If you wouldn’t mind, Kapito, just do a simple survey. Get your boys to sit behind radio, TV and monitor our newspapers. A huge percentage of their advertisement budget, announcements and programmes (Live, recorded and lately Reality Shows) are heavily sponsored by these network providers. This was the smartest way these companies gagged our media to stay calm and humble even in the midst of public agitations against their services.

Are you sure Kojo Oppong Nkrumah of Joy FM Super Morning Show, Benard Avle of the Citi Breakfast Show, Gift Anti of GTV Breakfast Show, Alhassan S Suhuyini of Radio Gold Morning Show, Bola Ray of Drive Time, Bobie Ansah of Asempa “Eko Si sen” Kwame Sefa Kayi of Peace FM Morning Show and many other Editors in the print and electronic media would openly criticize let alone condemn these companies on their live shows knowing too well that they are broadcasting and publishing on the so-called “generosity” of these companies? The media, which represent the voice of the masses, have been gagged. Once they cannot speak in private and in public vehemently to criticize these companies fleecing us the same way they do with excitement and passion when a politician is engaged in a sex scandal or in corruption, your efforts as an individual would be totally useless. Lest we forgot how the Association of private broadcaster went to court and got a restraining order to lift the ban on the advertisement of alcoholic substances and herbal “bitters” on their channels. It tells you how “serious” we are as a nation!

5. The National Communication Authority (NCA) and Hon. Haruna Iddrisu’s Ministry of Communication are helpless in this instance. Helpless to the extent that they are heading institutions that are “toothless”. They can do nothing or take no punitive measures besides “expressing concerns”, being “worried”, “advice” or “suggest” (as always reported on our front pages). The NCA has no guidelines for standards, efficiency and quality control for these telecommunication companies and thus it has become a free-for-all game for these Happy-go-lucky Telecom companies to come to Ghana, acquire licenses, decide when to walk in and commence business and roll out whatever services they feel will earn them maximum profits and not necessarily maximum benefits and quality to their consumers. Take the case of GLO for instance, they have announced their launch over 3 times and postponed it indefinitely.

Who really cares? Internet services in our offices are terrible (the Vodafone Broadband Services) and yet who really cares? MTN’s tariffs, voice quality, lost calls, interconnectivity and “switched-off/Out-of-coverage area” notices are a nuisance, but again, who cares? That tells you how useless these institutions have been in failing to set standards that must be adhered to. Not too long, the Minister for Communications, Hon. Haruna Iddrissu, and his Deputy Hon. Gideon Quaiqoo made some moves to restore sanity into the erection of telecom masts and mobile number portability and the frustrations they are going through are obvious because of the absence of a legal framework to regulate these actions.

Kofi, for want of time and space, I will end here but not without reminding you that in as much as I would want to be part of this protest, I find it a rather easy way out of a problem. Switching off my phone on May 27 , would not help me and my business same way it would not help improve on the services. I would rather want to see you and those who reason with you to go to parliament to seek legislation so that a legal frame work is legislated to back such demands. It is only when this is done that we can make some progress. As to the hypocrisy of the media on this matter, I know it will not end anytime soon. After all, it is an unholy matrimony between the service operators and the media to “rub my back while I rub yours”.

Kofi, the next time you hear a radio or TV presenter say “… the best mobile network in Ghana”, Please do not puke but take it as the crystallization of corporate corruption in Ghana.

Have a great day, bro.

Truth Stands,

Mawulolo.