Have you ever been refused a visa in your life? Well, you are not alone if you have. Former US President Jimmy Carter, and former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, received a 'no visa' slap from the Zimbabwean authorities a few weeks ago. The refusal must have hit former President Jimmy Carter so hard that he is reported to have said in an interview with the BBC that he had never been refused a visa anywhere in the world. The remark followed a relayed message from former President Thabo Mbeki to Mr Carter and former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan that issuing of visas to them on arrival at Harare Airport 'would not be permissible'. Incredible as the refusal might have sounded to the world, in reality, that is the absurdity well-meaning world leaders have had to contend with when it comes to dealing with the internal affairs of President Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe. If it is not interference, it is seen as an intrusion. A BBC news report on the• two eminent world acclaimed leaders refused visas surprised me a bit. My surprise stemmed from the fact that the two were well-known individuals and did not require to produce a 'sponsor's guarantee nor a proof of employment or letters from their employers as is the case in many entry visa requirements. On second thought, however, I did not see the need to be surprised if, indeed, their mission was to have anything to do with the country's state of affairs. Did nobody advise them that the presiding officer does not allow 'intruders'? The duo, together with Madam Graca Marcel, wife of former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa, had wanted to assess the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe, but their two-day visit to Harare was made impossible by the visa refusal and they had to pitch camp in South Africa to complete their mission from there the three international figures were part of a group called the Elders, setup to tackle world conflicts. According to them, the sole aim of the trip to Harare had been to help people in Zimbabwe, and that they had no intention of becoming involved in any political negotiations. May be quite rightly so. Who would want to face President Robert Mugabe when it has to do with his country's internal politics? Really, it appears that in the eyes of Zimbabwe's powers that be, you do not have to believe in yourself or your titles too much. The rules of the game are changed any time, depending on someone's moods. The Government of Zimbabwe reportedly made it clear to the eminent persons that they were not welcome in the country. Period. I have been wondering why two well-known world faces and peace-loving individuals with fine diplomatic credentials and widely travelled too, could be turned out by any country, especially when their mission is nothing but peace and love. Why would any country in such difficulties refuse good intentioned gestures by such peaceful personalities? The people of Zimbabwe have been through so much and torn apart by divisive party politicking. The crisis in good old Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe gets worsened by the day with no end in sight as the people wallow in deep hunger, extreme poverty, scarcity of commodities and all manner of diseases, the latest of which is reported to be a cholera outbreak, which has swept across the country and even entered neighbouring South Africa with hundreds of lives lost. So, if the Elders had their visas processed by their protocol officers and indicated that they were tourists, would the Zimbabwean immigration officers have turned them out? By the way, are there any tourist• attractions left in that country after years of heightened crises which for years never seem to go away? For those who have been refused entry permits to visit other countries for whatever the attraction, immigration officers do cite one reason or the other. Sometimes, many more reasons are lumped together to confuse applicants. In many cases, the claim by the visa officers is that the refused applicant does not have 'convincing' reasons for the visit. Sometimes too, the reason is that the applicants do not have enough funds to support their trip. In other words, a failed applicant would be a liability on the country they are seeking to visit. Can anyone imagine the former President Carter and former Secretary-General Kofi Annan not having enough funds to enter Zimbabwe or becoming liabilities on Zimbabwe's public resources? Were their applications assessed by the immigration authorities at all, or were they a handed-down kind of decision? What an embarrassment to former President Thabo Mbeki who has been working hard to broker a peaceful power sharing in that country. We are not told if the two Elders did appeal against the decision of the Zimbabwean authorities to refuse them visas. Even though I can almost predict that the Elders would not have worried themselves with appeals, the question I want to ask is, who would have heard their case even if they did? By the way, were their visa fees refunded to them? They must have paid billions of Zimbabwean dollars for that. The case of former President Carter and the former UN Secretary-General brings into focus the issue of visa acquisition and processing by the various foreign missions here in Ghana. The process can be humiliating, frustrating and tedious. The visa forms, to start with, are always unfriendly; the visa fees are a rip-off. The consular staff are most disrespectful, inconsiderate, and sometimes intimidating. As for the waiting period, it is just unproductive and unnecessary. For one to go through all these sometimes irritating processes and then be denied a visa at the end of the day with a loss of the fees paid can be stressful. Travelling itself these days has become a whole production process. It is fast becoming a nightmare. No wonder some resort to 'pray for me' assistance from all types of pastors, while others fall prey to con men and get duped of thousands of Ghana cedis. If we are able to develop our country as much as the South Africans have done, .we would love to chill in here and contribute to the development of our tourist sites and visa officers will begin-to find other professions. The Jimmy Carters and the Kofi Annans will use their time profitably, like visiting the Mole Game Park or Kakum Forest to refresh themselves. What is all this business about 'I cannot grant you a visa entry at the moment' or 'you have failed to provide sufficient information to process your application'? We will pay the fees to patronise our tourism sites and shop at our malls. That is the message we need to send to consular officers. Credit: Vicky Wireko, Daily Graphic; vickywirekokoandoh@)lahoo.com