The Economy and the only Ghanaian workers it can support

BY: SESHIE, STANLEY

We are all born Ghanaians. But in the light of our constitution and

practice of governance as in allocation and management of our father;

Ghana's resources, for the development and improved conditions of all,

it seems not all of us are Ghanaians. It is increasingly becoming

clear that there are some people who are also more Ghanaian by work,

and have the exclusive right to have the economic goodies of Ghana

reflect in their services and life than others. As such, unlike

others, they can enjoy and have been enjoying everything free in the

economic house of Ghana. Not only that, when they end their services,

they take additional unimaginable huge sums of money called ex-gratia.

Whereas those of us just born or working outside that "Ghanaian work",

we watch with awe in ignorance and fear to even uter a word. Even if

we do, who will listen when the only Ghanaian workers are united on

these economc freebies than to our collective development as a nation?

That is why somehow, I am astounded by the handling and treatment of

the people (outside that Ghanaian worker) by themselves as reflected

in our reactions towards the doctors' demands.

The demands of the doctors were certainly not done in the absence of

reference. It was done, probably with reference to those, whose work

might be as demanding as theirs, yet whose conditions of service and

salaries are not just reasonably but astronomically better and beyond

reach. When they submit via proposals for defining of their condition

of service that will ultimately be approved by the only Ghanaian

worker via negotiations, hence subject to probable downward review,

the politicians successfully unleashed the emotional public on them,

as if the proposal was the final immutable say.

As expected the public behaved as if it is only the doctors' decisions

that had direct effect on them. Meanwhile, in nation building, the

political decisions affect us more than any, as it carries more

weighty consequences. This heightened anxiety of the people is

understandable given that the services of doctors have direct bearing

on saving lives, at least from dying from preventable and treatable

causes and diseases. For that singular but central core of duty, the

public is justified in their anger against them. But here is a

situation wherein, metaphorically, the doctor is now the "patient",

waiting for treatment from the politician? As a public, don't they

deserve our compassion that they professionally envelop us with when

we go to their offices?

Must we descend on them with all sorts of rationalizations, insults

among others as suggestive solutions to their demands, outrageous

demands? Some people are even suggesting that the government let them

resign en masse if they refuse to back down reasonably? Is this a

nation crying that the only way to make the economy more robust and

viable to undergird its developmental agenda is to radically and

enduringly shift from importation to exportation? In other words focus

and invest in manufacturing and training of skilled labour necessary

to take more active roles in industrilization and service provisions?

Is our bigger pictorial means of developing so subliminal that we

cannot realize, and be held by it till its actualizations? We have

imported almost everything as a nation, and now we want to add

doctors, simply because some people voluntarily come to help us.

Cubans had trained enough doctors to export. Ghana has undertrained

and its now conditionally disabling the trained ones to have room to

import more. What a suggestion?

The public reactions to the doctors' demands which is but a proposal

awaiting approval, therefore subject to downward review from the

negotiating government, reveals the psyche of the Ghanaian, reflecting

their almost seemingly support for the politicians as the only

Ghanaian worker. We, other workers were set against ourselves when it

comes to demanding for improved conditions of services among others in

the economic house of Ghana. Else how do you explain the reverberating

chorus throughout the nation that the nation's economic capacity

cannot sustain such insensitive outrageous demands annually? Meanwhile

this same Ghanaians are seemingly confortable with the same economy

sustaining the sensitive exorbitant freebies, allowances among others

of Article 71 office holders, in addition to ex-gratia.

I am beginning to think that the politicians and the makeup of Article

71 office holders are the only Ghanaian workers, and need to have the

best of conditions of service, inspite of the fact that we are all

working assiduously to develop this nation. Any wonder that almost

everyone from other works especially the youth are nursing and

gravitating towards joining the only Ghanaian workers, assured with a

defeaning silence of public support of their inalienable right to

improved conditions of service characterised by freebies and

ex-gratia. Never mind that, with the exception of the only Ghanaian

workers, the total continuous summation of their work output is yet to

reflect appreciably in the lives of us all. Next year, 2016, the only

Ghanaian workers will qualify for taking another ex-gratia again, in

addition to all the freebies, allowances and huge salaries they

enjoyed in their four years tenure of services. They are the only

people Ghana's economy can support without anyone saying that is

outrageous and unreasonable.

Email:seshiehanku@gmail.com

Whatsapp:0508951323