EDITORIAL: Celebrating or Mourning Ghana at 55

The Land of our Birth, Ghana reaches another significant milestone this year. She will be “celebrating” her 55th anniversary of independence from colonial rule. Past occasions of similar nature have been celebrated by Ghanaians in Ghana and by Ghanaian citizens abroad in very joyous ways. We celebrate these occasions because the citizens of the country believe that they have earned the right to celebrate our achievements as a nation.

When Ghanaians celebrated the golden jubilee of the country at 50 years old in 2007, there was euphoria and great expectations that a solid foundation had been laid for the country’s progress and development. It was also expected that the next fifty years will see the country moving on to greater heights. This euphoria and great expectations have been subdued since the nation turned fifty. News coming from the Land of Our Birth is no good. It breaks our hearts to see, hear and read about the way the nation is drifting with seemingly no sense of direction.

Our greatest achievement as a nation has been the fact that we have managed to hold our nation together. In the face of all the upheavals and turmoil happening around us on the continent of Africa, we have managed to hold our country together and prevented it from descending into chaos. However there are people in the country who are doing everything they can to push the nation in the direction of chaos and turmoil. A disturbing culture of public insults has enveloped the nation. Politicians and public officials openly insult each other with no consequences. This behaviour pattern of our leaders bodes very badly for the nation’s future. It is the beginning of the process of laying a foundation for future crisis.

We call on all respectable opinion leaders in the country, especially our religious leaders, to use the occasion of the nation’s fifty-fifth birthday to call our public officials to order. They should be cautioned to refrain from actions and behaviours that have the potential for pushing Ghana to the corner where some of our neighbours have ended with very dire consequences. We wish all our compatriots both at home and abroad a very happy anniversary. This is an election year in Ghana and with the process comes all kinds of dangers and behaviours from politicians and some citizens that have the potential of derailing the stability and development of the country. As we celebrate the occasion of 55 years of independence, we should also pause to say a prayer for the nation. It is our fervent hope that subsequent anniversaries will see the nation in happy moods and conditions for celebrations and not occasions for mourning any misfortunes.