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Sam Atukwei Quaye, Municipal Chief Executive of the Ga West Municipal Assembly

Congrats, Ga West Assembly, but why the ‘big English’?

Double congratulations to the Ga West Municipal Assembly (GWMA)! Firstly, for insisting that every house in its municipality should have a toilet and, secondly, for giving owners and occupiers of buildings there without toilets more time to construct them.  But I wish the GWMA had used simple language to communicate its decisions.  

Recent, advertisements in the Daily Graphic announced the good news of the extension of the deadline to obey the relevant bye-law. 

However, after October 1, those who have still not built toilets in their premises will face court action. The Assembly aims to ensure that by 2018, some 80,000 people in its area will have access to household toilets. 

The above is my interpretation of the advertisements – a half page on May 30 and a full page on June 2 – and I hope that my understanding of the text is correct because it is full of legal terms and ‘big English’. 

Part of the advertisement, which had the heading “MORATORIUM”, stated:

“PERSUANT (sic) to the Courts Act, Act 459 (1993) and PERSUANT (sic) to the Criminal Offences, Act, and (sic) Act 29, (1960) the Commission of a crime or breach of the provisions of the Criminal Offences Act is punishable … and no provision is made therein for the holding in abeyance the application of the requirements of the law.

“AND PERSUANT (sic) to the District Assembly Bye-Law … a breach of the provisions of the sanitation bye-laws results in the appropriate punishment upon conviction as provided.

“The Municipal Assembly, desirous of maintaining a cholera-free environment … and supporting the provision of toilets in every compound …. 

“PERSUANT (sic) to the objective of creating access to toilets for 80,000 people by 2018 … the Compound Sanitation Steering Committee has entered into a six (6) months moratorium … to stay prosecution of landlord/Occupiers of premises without toilet.

“The objective is to afford Landlords/Occupiers … adequate time to provide toilet and other household sanitary facilities within the period of the moratorium.

“The Assembly … shall, therefore, intensify its public education and sensitisation programmes to urge Landlord/Occupiers of premises to take advantage of the moratorium to construct household toilets.

“However, any Landlord/Occupier who fails to take advantage of the six (6) months moratorium effective 1st April, 2016 and ending 1st October, 2016 to construct household toilet in his/her premises shall be prosecuted thereafter as provided.” 

By the way, should it not be ‘PURSUANT to’? Why “PERSUANT”? (Anyway, a legal source tells me that “persuant” is wrong.)

Why on earth did the GWMA think it necessary to use such stiff language for a very progressive announcement that needs to be put plainly so that everybody can understand it?  

Frankly, when I saw the heading, ‘MORATORIUM’, what came to mind immediately was that the publication was about Ghana’s debts. Somehow I tend to associate ‘Moratorium’ more with postponed repayment of debts than anything else.

The first question I asked myself was: who is this message aimed at? Secondly, does the GWMA have proof that its residents are mostly lawyers, or people with such high educational qualifications that they will easily understand this? 

Also, does the Assembly have any research findings which show that the majority of the affected are newspaper buyers and readers? But it is hard to believe that people who build houses without including toilets will belong to the newspaper-buying class.  

I wonder if the Assembly members themselves buy and read newspapers. Great if they do! Some of us have been campaigning for more newspaper readers, as the numbers seem to be reducing rapidly. My fear is that few of the target people will see the ‘Moratorium’ notice.

Even among those who buy and read newspapers regularly, how many will bother to read the ‘Moratorium’ text – apart from curious columnists, like yours truly?

The advertisement says that the Assembly is to “intensify” its public education. Well, I just hope that the public education messages will be in clear language, otherwise probably few of those affected will find out about what their Assembly is offering them. 

My guess is that if the Assembly is having to extend its deadline, it means that not many have complied. Anyway, if the Assembly’s previous notices have been written in that kind of legal language, how many understood or even bothered to read them? 

Apart from the need to present such public notices in everyday language, it might also have been useful to have listed some of the Ga West communities. 

Even more important, is the Assembly offering any assistance, by way of loans or technical advice, to interested landlords/occupiers but facing difficulties? And if there is a tenant whose landlord is refusing to build a toilet, where can that tenant report the landlord? 

Needless to say, it would be better for those tenants if such reports could be made confidentially or anonymously.    

But I’m still wondering why the GWMA chose this kind of presentation for a message that it needs everybody to understand instantly, without having to look for a dictionary. Maybe the person who wrote it is in love with legal terms.

Incidentally, does the Assembly have a Public Relations or Public Affairs Department? If so, is it involved in the writing of its publications? If the Assembly has none, maybe it is time to establish one so that its publicity can be handled in the right way. 

If this particular advertisement was written or approved by a Public Relations Officer, then something is seriously wrong with that official’s understanding of their work. 

Evidently, a local government notice needs to be in language that the majority there will understand; but, in the first place, one must be certain that the message will reach them. 

For example, a full page advertisement in the Graphic is impressive but costly and, therefore, it should be money well spent.     

 

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