Lamentations of a young patriot

By Nana Nyan Tetteh

"In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of."

I sometimes sit in the quiet to think about this small land space called Ghana.

In 1957, a new country was born and we became a full republic in 1960. The Queen, our proverbial mother, sat us down and gave us our final chat which was full of advice. She was like;

My children, you are now all set to go into the world to live your life. You are young and vibrant, full of energy and with lots of enthusiasm to face the world. But my children, please and please, dont be naive to think that you know all and you are fully independent so dont require the help of others. Nope

You will face a lot of difficulties as you begin the journey of your life. Dont expect the world to give you anything, infact it owes you nothing. Dont expect situations and circumstances to be changed for you just because you are new.

Infact, people will want to cheat you out of anything and everything. People will promise you heaven, but dont believe them. Others will act and behave like your best friends but in reality, they are just sycophants. My children, the last but most important. Know that in life, there are three words which are priceless yet means a lot.

- Honesty - Selflessness - Patriotism

As your mother, I have lived my life with these words as my guiding principle. You look up to me and feel proud of my achievements. Infact, you look at my house, neighborhood, car etc and you feel soo proud. You tell yourself, mum I want to be like you when I grow up. I want to achieve the same things you have.

But I say to you, dont yearn to be like me, aspire to be more than me. I have brought you up in a way that you can achieve more than I have. Just remember the three words I mentioned earlier and it shall be well with you.

I leave you with these words. Eschew greed, selfishness, nepotism and hypocrisy. Rather, embrace virtues like responsibility, caring and devotion.

Take care of yourself, and don't forget to be of good behaviour. God bless you..

The above is just a fictional conversation between the Queen of England and Ghana right before the departure of our colonial masters.

Ghana, post the colonial era stood with a population of a little over 5.5m citizens. A country sooo rich with minerals and other natural resources. We were sooo rich in our little way yet we mismanaged it by lending money to other countries. We have gone through challenging times to get this far.

I put Ghana in a position of a young man about to exit the house of his parents to go out there and face the world all on his own. Ghana today is a SORRY state compared to it compatriots it started the journey with. We can make mention of Malaysia, S. Korea, Australia etc. The country Ghana has indeed developed compared to where it was in 1957. Yes we have but at the pace sooo slow that it even makes the snail faster than it.

What has caused this deformity?

Remember what our mum told us not to forget? Honesty, selflessness and patriotism. Are we honest as a people? No, I dont think we are. Do we put our country first and do away with our selfish need??

"I promise On My Honour, To Be Faithful and Loyal to Ghana My Motherland" These words open our national pledge that we are taught in basic schools. We are made to cramp them into our heads with no meaning whatsoever. We recite it with no understanding because we dont mean a single word of it. Advanced countries right form the word go teach their kids right from wrong. In Ghana, we have what is logically right and what is logically wrong. The truth depends on who is saying it.

Patriotism is something alien in my part of the world. You cant be patriotic in Ghana and enjoy your life. Nope, you will be corrupted by the system. It is sooo sad when you put in perspective our declining standards in almost all sectors. From education to health, agriculture to manufacturing, entertainment to technology etc.

We compare ourselves to the advanced world when it suits us and our arguments but will reverse to the underdeveloped partners of us here in Africa when that comparison will defeat us.

Right from the first coup that changed our country's destiny, we have been moving forward alright but with a wrong gear towards a bad direction. Politics in Ghana is now an avenue to make money. No one goes into politics with the conscience of helping the country transform. Everyone goes into it with his/her stomach and not the head.

We have had leaders since 1957 who only came to amass worth for themselves and grand children. A fresh graduate, with no job experience branches into politics and in a matter of 4yrs of political life become a richman. As to where and how he made the money, I wont say he stole it, but he didnt just save his salary to make that much.

We are the doing of our own downfall as a country. Despite our model constitution, vibrant press and diverse economy, it has been tarnished under our leaders. We have hollowed out institutions, among them bodies tasked with fighting corruption. And yet we end up with corrupt officials who steal from the state with impunity and go free.

The people has been reduced to petty mediocre minds. We have been sooo corrupted that we accept corruption as the norm. Even when our taxes are used to provide amenities for us, we jump into jubilation and sing praise to whoever is president. To us, he has done us a favour that is even worth more than the great sacrifice of Jesus.

When we pay taxes, and from it government uses part to build hospitals, schools, roads etc, and we sing praises and dance kpalongo as if the politician did it from his pocket. The politician expects us to line up on the streets and clap for him. How "childish" we can be as a people often baffles me.

But what do you expect?

We live in a country where everything has been reduced to NDC/NPP. Even the TRUTH has been politicised. A typical NPP sympathiser will jump to the defence of anything NPP even if it is a lie. And a typical NDC sympathiser will rubbish and render it nonsensical anything NPP even if it is the goddamn truth and the best course of action.

We are blinded by "stupid" political affiliation that it has blocked our sense of reasoning. NDC will never see anything good in Dr Bawumia, the astute economist. The NPP will never see anything of substance in the fine petroleum minister Emmanuel Arma Buah.

Why we do this to ourselves, I have no logical understanding. I ask myself, are we stupid, hypocrites, or just damaged beyond repairs?? My brother from another mother will always say "boy, Ghana 3nye yie oooo" to wit "my brother, Ghana will never make progress". And I will answer, boy, I want to believe Ghana will improve.

Our leaders travel on weekly basis to the advanced world. They see the beauty of the place and standard of life lived by the people. They interact with the leaders, and I am sure they learn a thing or two. But what beats my understanding is the fact that, from the moment their plane touch down at kotoka, they miraculously become oblivion of what they learnt and saw. You ask yourself, is it the case of mentally retarded or simply wickedness or just bad mindset? I cant think madness.

We need a total overhaul of our mentality as a country. If this is the way we gonna go in the next 20yrs, then I am afraid for my country. Politics shouldn't be an avenue to make money. If you want to make money, join the private sector.

We can't and shouldn't be satisfied with our current state as a country. With what we have been blessed with, the human and natural resource, this sorry state shouldn't be our situation. If common portable water is still a luxury to the few in this 21st century, then we should cry as a nation.

To borrow the words of a wise one, "When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves."

Another election is around the corner, I just hope we will go to the booth to elect people we know can do the job and not people with the mentality of a thief. I wont tell you whom to vote for, that decision is for you to make. It is my hope, that your decision wont be clouded by petty partisan affiliation.

"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."

God Bless our Homeland Ghana.