Ghana: Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year!

Saturday is Christmas eve and the night is a happy moment for most people in places where the Yuletide is observed.

Generally, the Yuletide is a period of happiness, and so many joyful events are organised at this time such as Christian conventions and crusades, pleasure travels, marriages and marriage anniversaries and holidaying as a pastime.

However, in this same period there occur disasters such as road crashes, and deaths and injuries resulting from activities meant for pleasure, including swimming and drinking.

For instance, due to the high number of people wanting to travel elsewhere to spend the Christmas as against the comparatively limited number of commercial vehicles, some drivers endeavour to speed to certain destinations and back to pick more passengers.

Their act is also meant to take advantage of the situation to make more money.

In some cases, the unexpected happens and lives and property are lost.

Sometimes too, others over-indulge in eating, drinking and acts of debauchery and contract diseases as a result.

Criminal activities also rise in the season and, relatedly, some people also get into arguments and fights that can disturb public peace.

In view of all these, those of us working on the Ghanaian Times wish to appeal to homes, the youth especially, churches, driver unions, National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), passengers, the police and other security services, as well as entertainment centres to play their respective roles in making the season pass as the happy occasion that it should be.

We believe the driver unions, NRSA and the police would not shirk their responsibility in checking driver misbehaviour, particularly regarding alcohol intake, drug abuse and recklessness on the road.

The police should go the extra mile to ask passengers about how well-behaved or reckless drivers have been on the road and, at least, caution them.

They and other security services should be more serious in checking crime in this season.

They should be mindful of the fact that the citizenry relish the peace and tranquility in the country and would not like criminal elements to undermine it.

We have trust in the country’s security personnel, as always, would not go to sleep and allow miscreants to have a field’s day.

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The home should also advise its young members against activities that can make them run into trouble as they enjoy themselves this Xmas through to the New Year.

The youth must be made aware that the stage they are in now is better used to prepare for adult life rather than making entertainment their preoccupation.

Times are hard but we know people would manage to celebrate the season and so we advise that they should be modest, avoiding anything that would bring regrets during or after the season.

Let’s eat, drink, dance and do all the partying but we should be guided by moderation in all that we do, remembering that after all the enjoyment will come the time to go back to work, school or any other activity we are engaged in now.

Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year to our cherished readers and the entire country!