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Ghana And Its Silly Old Men

Sat, 1 May 2010 Source: The Royal Enoch

I believe that Ghana could do so much better. Better yet, I honestly believe that Ghana could do great. We have all that it takes to stand up and be counted. Contrary to what some might believe, corruption isn't the enemy. Corruption was here before you and I were born. Perhaps, it would be here long after we have settled for dust. Corruption, in fact, is everywhere. No country here on earth has been spared of this plague. Therefore, I would have to disagree, when other say that Ghana is where is at because of corruption. Ghana, I believe, is where is at because of something else. You see, we Ghanaians are raised to respect our elders. We see our elders as the embodiment of wisdom and intellect. We go to them, whenever we are in need of sound advise and counsel. As a result, our elders, even though human, are treated as if they are infallible. We don't hold them accountable for anything. We don't dare correct them--even if they are found to be in the wrong. Our elders, therefore, have made themselves believe that they know it all, albeit untrue. Then again, nobody has ever stood up to them. Their elderly authority has never been challenged by the young men and women. One, of course, could blame this on our upbringing.

Unfortunately, the false notion that our elders somehow know it better resonates in our politics today. The nation's various political parties are headed by empty headed silly old men, who have nothing new to offer. These tired old men call themselves politicians, when, in fact, they don't even know what a politician is supposed to do. For instance; they are totally ignorant, when it comes to running a country in an orderly fashion. They don't know how to create jobs for the masses. Simply because; they lack entrepreneurial skills. Don't come to them with the idea of city planning because they don't know what that means. Affordable houses to house the masses is a no--no. A welfare system to soft cushion the financial fall of the unemployed until employment is in order is never their priority. As a result, armed robbery is in full swing. Using some of our gross national income to invest in domestication is always an after thought. An address system, which almost every country in the West happens to have, continues to elude us. Importing less so that we could create more ourselves is an idea left unattended. Our decrepit education system, which is in urgent need of modernization, is looked at with their arms folded.

Our elders, ever since 1966, have been steering this country like a drunkard behind the wheel. They have been trading a coup for a coup. They see the nation's young men and women leaving the country in search of a better life on foreign shores. Even to the extent of risking their lives and humiliating themselves. And, what do these elders do? Nothing. They even encourage them to flee to these foreign places so that they (the elders) could live off the remittances. Three years ago, the silly old men, who were ruling this country, decided to order a brand new presidential jet plane, a Falcon 900, for the exclusive use of the President. It's estimated that this jet plane would cost Ghanaians millions of Dollars when delivered. My question is; what became of the numerous Ghana-airways planes on the ground? Couldn't they have chosen one to serve as a presidential plane? You know, to cut down on the national expenditure. Undoubtedly, Ghana is suffering because of these silly and uninspired old men, who have hijacked the nation's politics to the detriment of the nation. Ghana would never move forward as long as we continue to waste our votes on these silly old farts. Their archaic ideas wouldn't even inspire a chicken to lay an egg--let alone get a country moving.

Sadly, the young men and women, who are supposed to stand up and reclaim what's theirs, are joining the political parties of these tired old men instead of forming their own. As a result, Ghana's future looks bleak. The young men and women should understand that these silly old men don't have their future in mind. Simply because; they don't think about the future--let alone plan ahead. In fact, these silly old men are the reason why the world keeps laughing at us. They are shameless, and their actions only bring shame upon us. Surely, they make us look like fools in the eyes of the world. The young men and women should, therefore, rise up and rebel. Ghana belongs to them and their children's children. They shouldn't look on unconcerned, while these tired old fools run it aground. The sooner they rise up--the better things would be for them. I say power to the people.

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Columnist: The Royal Enoch