"I believe the power to make money is a gift of God . . . to be developed and used to the best of our ability for the good of mankind. Having been endowed with the gift I possess, I believe it is my duty to make money and still more money, and to use the money I make for the good of my fellow men according to the dictate of my conscience."-Â John D. Rockefeller
The efforts to reduce the disparities and bridge the income gap between the rich and the poor have become an important element of the development discourse at both the national and international levels. Social Darwinism was propounded by Hebert Spencer who argued that the best solution to poverty is to let the poor starve. Spencer is known for the expression “the survival of the fittestâ€. There is therefore a recognized struggle between the strong and the weak and the fit and unfit in every society especially Ghana where there are few rich and many poor.
The income disparities in Ghana clearly manifest the existence of social darwinism where we have a few rich and many poor and the worse of it the exploitation and mistreat of the poor. The gap has been drawn between the rich and the poor with the rich described as fit in the struggle and the poor unfit. The most central issue revolves around the question that, has there been fairness in government policies and programmes? Many development efforts have been geared towards bridging the gap between the rich and the poor but paradoxically the rich are becoming richer and the poor poorer. This is as a result of development policies that lack the internal framework to take more resources from the rich to the poor. It is known and argued that majority of the rich uses the resources that belongs to the poor taking advantage of their powerlessness to improve their living standards. Exploitation of the poor and the less privileged is on its ascendancy in Ghana which is clearly seen in the education sector, health sector, employment and general fields of endeavors. The rich is known to be leading the race; amassing for themselves wealth makes life easy for them amidst extreme and abject poverty of people at one side. But the issue is that, man does not have the right to use people for their own gain. The poor is always at disadvantage expecting nothing else but hunger. In the struggle, the unfit will strive to be fit whiles the poor will pursue richness.
The issue that will arise is very pertinent and dangerous; Social Darwinism will cause inevitable battle between those being mistreated, and not being paid enough (as to exploited workers). The tension is between the two classes (the rich and poor; fit and unfit) in an attempt for one to become superior to the other. It is a fact to establish that, the diverse crimes and other social vices is as a result of the poor and unfit to at least make ends meet. The increase in armed robbery cases on our roads and the country at large has instilled fear to people especially those that travel by night for diverse reasons. Recently, there have been tensions between some mining companies (the rich) in Ghana and some communities believed to be affected by the operations of those companies. The mining companies have taken the advantage of the powerlessness of those villages and have cause severe damages to their living standards with the emission of dangerous chemicals like cyanide. Being aware and enlightened of the dangers concerning their lives, the people counteract these operations in order to save their lives. Despite all these negativities there has not been significant improvement in the livelihoods of the local people (in facilities and infrastructure wise) affected by mining especially in Obuasi Municipality since the emergence of the mining industry. The ‘paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty’ really exists in mining communities at Obuasi.
Despite all these vast inequities, the poor and the unfit have the upper hand as regards the negative effects of social darwinism.
‘The sleep of a laboring man is
sweet, whether he eats little or
much; but the abundance of the
rich will not permit him to sleep’
- Ecclesiastes 5:12
The crime rate in the country poses a lot of challenges to the security agencies and as such plunges the lives of the people into general insecurity. Most importantly, the situation destroys the congenial environment for foreign direct investment (FDI). A significant driver for this cause is the attempt of the poor and the unfit to survive in this struggle and as such have a respected living status. A different situation is the blame game that exists between donor agencies and recipient countries as regards aid ineffectiveness. Despite the strings and conditions attached to these aids, the existing poor institutions in Ghana where few public officials can amass and embezzle state funds that belongs to the people, is to be blamed. The institution which is a system of rules, beliefs, norms and behavior that shapes the attitude of the people has rendered these aids ineffective. There exists ‘poor soil’ that does not support the growth of these aids. It was out of the aids from the United States that served as impetus to the growth and development of the economy of South Korea.
It is clear to establish that there is a paradigm shift of social darwinism; it is now ‘the survival of the unfittest’. The poor and the unfit are having their way as a step to emancipation from the exploitations of the rich and their target is the rich.
What best can then be done concerning this all important issue? All government policies and programmes should as a matter of importance incorporate the aspirations and needs of the majority poor and should be geared towards social justice and protection. According to Mary Robinson, United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights, 2001 ‘Poverty is the denial of human rights…..A human rights approach to development is needed to empower poor people to seek their rights and to hold governments accountable’, we are therefore to note that upon this context, there are many people whose rights are been infringed upon. This is a message to the rich and those involved in mismanagement and embezzlement of states funds to have the interest of the poor and the nation at heart. Let’s put in all possible efforts to bridge this gap. The rich is much at risks when the struggle ensues without prudent and pragmatic interventions. Remember, we should be charitable and help those in need.
By: Stephen Yeboah, Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.
Email: stephenyeboah110@yahoo.com
