Veteran satirist and social commentator Kwaku Sintim-Misa (KSM) has weighed in on two hot-button national debates — the approach to grieving families in the wake of the helicopter crash and the growing concerns over the rising costs of by-elections.
KSM urged leaders to prioritise empathy and truth when consoling bereaved families, while also calling for a broader conversation on the constitutional mandate for by-elections in a candid reflection shared on his YouTube channel monitored by MyNewsGh.
Drawing inspiration from Ecclesiastes, KSM reminded his audience that “for everything there’s a season.
There’s a time to mourn. There’s a time to rejoice.” He stressed that when tragedy strikes, leaders must understand the moment.
“When you meet with the grieving families, it’s a time to mourn, Mr. Speaker. It’s a time to console them. I would think it’s a time to assure them that this was not the work of God,” he said.
KSM sharply criticised the tendency of some leaders and religious figures to frame disasters or accidents as divine punishment or prophetic fulfilment.
“Please, keep your faith in God because this didn’t come from him,” he argued. Instead, he urged a focus on human accountability.
“This report will come out and we’ll see that it must have been some human error, some error, you know.”
For him, the truest consolation is honesty and reassurance: “Even at this period, the God that you serve is still with you. God never guarantees that nothing will go wrong.
“However, the guarantee is that if things go wrong, you must realize that he’s still in control.” He added pointedly, “I just beg to differ… it’s not a good way to mourn with people who are grieving” when leaders resort to invoking prophecies instead of offering genuine comfort.
