In this eighth edition of our political odyssey, we will be looking at the vicious cycle of poverty and underdevelopment that has so far been our lot in Ghana. This man-made suffering is compounded by deceitful politicians (both the executive and parliament) who think begging for alms and irresponsible borrowing to fund non-priority projects such as construction of presidential palaces will help Ghana move out of the ?encircled gloom?.
In Ghana, it appears the two most profitable enterprises are Politics and Religion. The lack of accountability, failure to abide by regulation without any consequences, failure to enforce laws, fear of ?fire and brimstone, damnation and descent into hell in the life hereafter?, and the trusting nature of Ghanaians have all joined forces to provide an enabling atmosphere for the dark side of these two noble professions to emerge. In these professions, one is able to multiply any initial or a zero initial investment to an unfathomable degree. An ABOCHIE or APACHE with an unknown background, but possessing the right amount of swagger and the gift of gab is all it takes to financially succeed in those two ?old noble callings and profession?. Followers and supporters do not seem eager to ?demand? their share of accumulated wealth that arises from their own contributions. Politicians and pastors/prophets are content to flaunt their new found wealth with impunity next door to an impoverished family whose meager income is part of that wealth!
And this leads to the question whether God Almighty does partisan politics, showering His Bounteous Graces only on priests, pastors and politicians in Ghana? What about the masses? Why should they allow pastors/politicians to tell them to wait for their share of happiness and wealth only when they are dead and presumably in heaven? Is Ghana not every Ghanaians? heaven on earth? Is it not the masses, directed by God, as the religious holds firm, who elevate such enterprises of the politician and the pastor, turning them into wealthy moguls practically overnight, whilst the masses themselves continue to wallow in abject poverty? Is there no need for a true national re-orientation and paradigm shift?
In previous odysseys, we have talked about the German Philosopher Karl Marx who famously wrote in 1843 that, ?Religion is the opium of the people?. Leaving aside Marx?s debates over the existence of God, this quote has often been misinterpreted to mean that Marx meant that religion was tool used by the bourgeoisie to keep the masses quiet and complacent. While his statement is open to several interpretations, most scholars agree that rather, what Marx meant, as a criticism of organized religion, was that rather than solving the fundamental issues that are amiss in our lives or psyche, religion, and the reliance on pastors, priests and prayer, is a band-aid to make people feel good, something to fill a hole left empty by the lack or need of something else. The solution to human suffering is a Heaven in an after-life for believers. For Marx, religion is something that the oppressed people cling to and delude themselves with, simply because they have no idea of the real causes and solutions to their suffering. These causes and solutions are economic.
Nota Bene, the following paragraph may elicit diverse opinions, which ought not to cause apoplexy in anyone:
Many of Ghana?s pastors exploit the desperate need of the masses for rescue from their daily sufferings. By posing as representatives of God with the means of offering salvation through prayer (and a healthy donation), these pastors strip the masses of their ?worldly goods, mostly in cash?, appropriating those to themselves. The question is not whether religion is necessary, but whether the churches, and those who claim to represent the church are. For many Ghanaians, Christ is their only hope. The problem springs from those who require cash and monetary donations to provide the path towards that hope. In Luke 17: 20 - 21, the Bible says, ?The kingdom of God cometh not with observation; neither shall they say, Lo here! or, Lo there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you. ?, meaning, to the understanding of this writer, that all human beings have the ability to reach God, without the intercession of other people claiming to be the path to Heaven. In fact, that was the very reason that God came down in human form as Jesus Christ: to obviate the need for human intercession to reach Him. So while there are obviously many good pastors who consider their congregation as their flock, it is important though to remember, that one can follow the tenets of Christianity while being critical of those pastors who would claim to have all the answers.
In the present context for the benefit of the philosophical and to assure accurate interpretation, the following is translation from German into English of Marx?s full statement:
?Religion is, indeed, the self-consciousness and self-esteem of man who has either not yet won through to himself, or has already lost himself again. But man is no abstract being squatting outside the world. Man is the world of man?state, society. This state and this society produce religion, which is an inverted consciousness of the world, because they are an inverted world. Religion is the general theory of this world, its encyclopedic compendium, its logic in popular form, its spiritual point d'honneur, its enthusiasm, its moral sanction, its solemn complement, and its universal basis of consolation and justification. It is the fantastic realization of the human essence since the human essence has not acquired any true reality. The struggle against religion is, therefore, indirectly the struggle against that world whose spiritual aroma is religion.
Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.
The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo.? [Karl Marx, 1843; ?Contribution to Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right?]
The incessant sunny disposition of Ghanaians appears to be proof positive of George Santayana?s observation that ?there is no cure for Birth and Death except to enjoy the interval.? Santayana was the same sage who spoke the immortal words, ?those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it?. Do Ghanaians learn from history? Are Ghanaians condemned to repeat the past? Hungry Ghanaians are not as angry as they ought to be. They hold in awe, rather than in contempt and disdain, questionable characters who emerge with unexplainable wealth. The poor Ghanaian is not nearly as perturbed as one desirous of escaping penury is supposed to be. The astute Ghanaian who sees through the deceit and corruption of political leaders and public servants is not as sufficiently annoyed as one who must desire a just and equitable society ought to be. Wouldn?t it be exhilarating news to hear that from hence Ghanaians are resolved to reject funeral and other types of monetary donations from people who are clearly criminally corrupt and perhaps of illegal drug dealing disposition? Wouldn?t it be heavenly for Ghana?s prophets to eschew worldly possessions and live like Old Testament prophets they quote and admire? Wouldn?t Ghana break the cycle of poverty if her politicians were to realize that the source of their ill-gotten wealth is not permanent and that they might become as equally vulnerable as the weakest member of society the very moment they lose power?
Ghanaians have the reputation of being a happy, carefree and easygoing people; our President has affirmed this stereotype recently. Even our newborn infants who enter the world innocently are later caught up in the national psyche of extreme happiness, regardless of whether they will eventually become impecunious or successful. While happiness is indeed a fine quality, doesn?t Ghanaians? permanent state of ?happiness? curiously contribute to our lack of progress and development? Is it a decree by God, the Almighty, that all Ghanaians are to have a luminous temperament, whether or not their bellies are empty, or, whether their leaders are stealing them blind? Would the religious and the secular not have different answers to such question?
The statement on May 11 2006, attributed by the GNA to the Minister of Finance, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu that ?Ghana needs about six billion dollars to enable her to break the cycle of poverty,? is a strange one. Where on God?s green earth can Ghana find that money free and clear without conditionality, if she does not generate it by herself? This is how our politicians begin to sell our birthright for ?a mess of pottage?. How can Ghana be the world?s leading producer of Gold and Cocoa, with gold selling at its highest price in decades, while Ghana herself makes only 5% of the total revenue that accrues to the foreign companies in control of our gold?
The neo-colonialist hears these kinds of statements and comes forward with a minuscule percentage of the amount mentioned in one hand, and with chains in the other, for a ?lopsided? negotiation based on a ?take it or I leave? stance. Baah-Wiredu said ?with the country's scarce resources she ? had to rely on other nations for assistance?. Ghana has rich natural resources, a fraction of which, if possessed by other countries like Israel, would have now been showing singular results.
Israel is a small country in the Middle East, with a land area that is slightly smaller than New Jersey. In fact, Ghana is approximately 21 times the size of Israel. It is a country with very few natural resources; its main natural resources are timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, and sand. Ghana also possesses most of these natural resources in significant quantities, in addition to our other resources such as gold, cocoa, coffee, and so on. In addition, Israel, being located in the Middle East region with its immense sand deserts, is very limited in the amount of arable land and water resources available to it. Good land suitable for farming is very limited, and clean water suitable for drinking, irrigation, and other uses is also extremely limited, and pose serious constraints.
Yet, despite this poverty of resources, Israel is a technologically advanced nation with a GDP of some US $140 billion (2005). It has managed to significantly develop its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past twenty years, in spite of limited natural resources. Today, although Israel imports considerable amounts of grain from other countries, it is largely self-sufficient in other agricultural products. Cut diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are the leading exports. Although Israel receives a great deal of foreign aid from the United States, it is impossible to ignore the fact that Israel?s scarce resources have not prevented it from moving from one of the world?s poorest resourced nations to become one of the wealthiest.
By comparison, our Finance Minister bemoans Ghana?s poverty, while clean fresh water from our rivers and lakes flow into the Atlantic Ocean and we cannot irrigate arable lands to grow enough rice, corn and other food items to feed ourselves! Other countries invest in technology and grow agricultural products like tomatoes on desert lands and Ghana imports their produce to feed our people! Meanwhile, our politicians occupy their time by riding in the latest, most expensive vehicles and attending endless foreign conferences, while this farce is perpetuated.
GHANA IS NOT A POOR COUNTRY; RATHER IT IS GHANAIANS WHO ARE POOR. Poor management of all our activities is the result of a poor education system that is failing our children, and as a result, sabotaging the nation?s future. The curriculum of yesteryears continues to be used in teaching the future generation. In particular, those children in the rural areas, who comprise the majority of Ghana?s youth, seldom get the full complement of educational tools. If you teach future leaders using obsolete text books, how do you expect them to be competitive in a scientific global continuum?
In addition to the issue of archaic textbooks being used to teach the nation?s future leaders, there is also the problem of Ghana?s overcrowded classrooms. Our teachers are overworked, underpaid, underappreciated, and overwhelmed with the sheer responsibility placed on their shoulders. To add insult to injury, politicians living in the lap of luxury, with all allowances, including garden boys, paid, are quick to tell teachers to show patriotism and accept postings to remote villages with little assurance of very basic needs.
According to the May 12 2006 edition of Public Agenda, Jonathan Adabre writes, ?an intractable problem of inadequate and unfair distribution of trained teachers, deteriorating education infrastructure and poor working conditions among others, has left many public schools in both rural and urban communities without the required number of teachers?. He reports that even in schools where teachers are available, the Pupil -Teacher Ratio (PTR) is so high that effective teaching becomes almost impossible.
The following cases represent the depth of the crisis facing our educational institutions:
A classic case is the Zuabulga DA Primary School in the Upper East Region, where one teacher now teaches over 214 pupils. A similar situation exists at the Ahomahoma DA Primary School in the Ashanti Region and the Nkronua DA Primary School in the Central Region where one teacher handles 193 and 192 students respectively. Likewise, at the Kotobabi No.2 DA primary school in the Greater Accra Region one teacher has been tasked with teaching 96 students.
Adabre emphasizes that these high Pupil -Teacher Ratios (PTR) are however, against both local and international standards for ensuring quality education delivery. The Ghana Education Strategic Plan (ESP), recommends a PTR of 35 to 1 for primary and 25 to 1 for both pre-school and the Junior Secondary School levels. Internationally, the PTR is an important indicator of how effectively and efficiently quality education is being delivered and is generally accepted as normal if it remains at 40 is to 1. But with Ghana?s PTR widening to as high as 214 pupils to a teacher, stakeholders fear the country?s already poor educational standards could worsen.
For further reading, please refer to the excellent article in the May 12 2006 Public Agenda, ?National Scandal?As one teacher teaches 214 pupils? by Jonathan Adabre (http://www.ghanaweb.com/public_agenda/article.php?ID=5243)
The Ghanaweb Photo Report also tells of a poignant situation of the state of classroom blocks in rural Ghana. Dilapidated, ramshackle, with no windows blocks, that are capable of falling down at any moment and God Forbid, kill or injure innocent lives. It would be then that an SOS appeal for proper attention to educational infrastructure would escape the lips of politicians and the public. The 30 million dollar loan from India now being expended on the Presidential complex at Peduase is a crime against all rural children of Ghana who sit under trees, sheds and other dilapidated structures. The children?s lives are in danger! Please observe the following photo report on Ghana?s misplaced priorities published April 10, 2006.
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/photo.day.php?ID=102460
This indictment against politicians who acquiesced to the presidential palace deal cannot be complete, if mention is not made of the fact that several millions of dollars were also used to renovate The Castle, the current seat of government, as the first official act of the NPP administration, upon assuming power. Meanwhile, by the look of the crumbling classroom blocks, (referred to) there had never been any renovations done since they were constructed when Okomfo Anokye was still alive and doing his magic. Is it any wonder that low productivity is the preferred option of politicians, and that rubs off the masses who have no incentive to break their cycle of poverty? The Cocoa Affairs buildings, housing Circuit Courts in Accra collapsed and injured people. Courts and classrooms are shaping up as Ghana?s weapons of mass destruction. The funny thing is that the same greedy politicians with misplaced priorities will be the first to hop on airplanes to parts far and near to seek for funds for projects that have zero chance of helping the poor educate their children, but have 100% chance of putting money into the politicians? pockets.
More substantively, in Economics, the term ?development trap? refers to countries which exhibit a vicious circle of poverty; they lack productive capital to undertake development projects. In many developing nations, because of a lack of economic opportunities, incomes are low. Therefore the people in these nations are unable to pay for goods and services that would enable them to increase their incomes. This leads to low demand for goods and services. Therefore, investors and firms do not find it profitable to do business in these nations. This leads to the inadequate provision of infrastructure, which in turn leads to lack of economic opportunities, and so on, ad infinitum, unless something is done to break the circle.
Again, in previous odysseys, we have discussed the imperative need for Land Tenure Reform and the revamping of the Abunu and Abusa systems as a means to break Ghana?s vicious circle. Many, if not most, Ghanaians are yet to understand that these arguments for change are not a threat to their traditional lifestyle, but rather, a source of change with the potential to unleash unprecedented economic activity and provide more choices for all Ghanaians, not just the wealthy among us. Hard working Ghanaian farmers are poor because they the ?producers are not empowered? to realize the full benefits from their labor. They receive poor remuneration for their lifetime work with no possibility of expanding into other areas concomitant with agricultural endeavors, such as modern preservation and food processing. In the first place, the farmers lack the necessary training and skill. They virtually live from hand to mouth. They are unable to maintain any savings to improve their own productivity, and without any meaningful investment strategies, they remain peasant families.
Yet, 90.5% of these farmers and 99.7% of politicians are the same people who will resist mightily, any move to revamp Ghana?s outdated system of land tenure. Although these farmers are among those who stand the most to gain from a more modern system of land tenure, centuries of ingrained resistance to change, poor (or no) education, and a (rightful) suspicion of the motivations behind reformers guarantees that land reform will remain a politically sensitive, controversial, and unpopular issue. Meanwhile, every day that goes by without this sort of change is a day that eats away at a bright vision of the nation?s future. Also, the future of Ghana?s next generation is compromised because of the shortsightedness of their elders. As a result, the ignorance and illiteracy of the majority of the nation?s people, especially those in the rural areas, will conspire to cause them to resist the change that would have served them the best, while maintaining the status quo for those who are already wealthy. It does not make sense that Ghana?s dilapidated classroom blocks and educational infrastructure is ignored while the Peduase Presidential Complex is needlessly renovated.
Quite apart from gold, Ghana also possesses large, commercial quantities of bauxite. It is Ghanaians who cannot fathom how to utilize these resources to our best advantage. The Highly Indebted and Poor Country is certainly a misnomer. They could have found a better acronym to describe Ghanaians, such as HIP-FIP, or Highly Indebted Poor and Foolishly Impoverished People. Why our president would agree to untruthfully refer to Ghana and not Ghanaians as ?poor? is matter that would have taken him before the Sanhedrin if we were in the Old Biblical era. Let?s re-emphasize that GHANA IS NOT POOR BUT GHANAIANS ARE POOR!
How can the poor Ghanaian maintain savings and invest in his own development, when he lacks the means to end the cycle of poverty? He has no scientific training. How can real development take place when the levers of the economy show no sign of life with nothing resembling economic growth?
H. De Soto told his audience at the British Council Hall in Accra that poverty could be tackled and defeated with efficient land reform system where the tenant farmers, usually the largest block of the poor, are able to own and develop property with minimal or no government interference.
Dear Reader, can the poor escape the cycle of poverty on their own? Some proponents argue that, the poor cannot get out of poverty by themselves and are trapped in the cycle. Reformists argue that ?the well-off have a moral, religious, or human obligation to make that intervention?. Socialists, argue ?that reformists forget that keeping people in poverty may be a deliberate policy of the ruling class or elite, and that "do-gooder" interventions aiming to improve the lot of the poor might actually have the effect of making their problems, or those of other people, worse, not better?. Yet others argue ?that the poor must themselves show the will to revolt against poverty, and improve their lot, through becoming politically aware and taking charge of their own destiny?.
It is time for Ghanaians to stop relying on politicians and priests for rescue, and look within themselves for change.
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