The price of development! Are we ready to pay?

Ghana’s underdevelopment and malfunctioning institutions, like many developing countries, is a major subject of discussion especially when compared with advanced countries. Though comparison will not cease as difference are rife, it is equally worth noting that development as we see from a distance or experience through travels do not happen by chance but are well planned and often preceded by costly decisions.

One of the tragic accounts of the US history is the forced relocation of thousands of Native American in the early 19th century – 1838. Native Americans called Cherokee, who had struck treaties with and fought alongside the burgeoning white population, were driven out of their native land. They were forced to match a brutal 1,000 mile westwards without basic needs in what is known as The Trail of Tears resulting in the death of many. I am not trying to justify this brutality but until we are prepared to pay a price as a country, we shouldn’t expect anything better than we see now.

What price are you prepared to pay for your country? God gave His Son to die a shameful death on the cross to save us. Jesus chose to be unpopular by doing the odd – e.g. He drove out all those who sold in the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers – Matthew 21:12.

Likewise, for Ghana to make development strides, some presidents must be ready to take bold and crucial developmental decisions that may guarantee one term presidency. Similarly, political parties should be prepared to undertake audacious developmental decisions and be ready to go into opposition if the people so decide. Unfortunately, we hardly see such bold decisions in our country Ghana. Few of such ideas are often poorly introduced and/or easily fizzled out by resistance. I draw lessons from the recent attempt by the DVLA to enforce road traffic regulations (LI 2180) and the demolishing of Sodom and Gomorrah by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

The road traffic regulations (LI 2180) aimed at promoting road safety. As part of this LI, driving license will only be issued to people with minimum of high school certificate. Though this law has been in the pipeline for years, stakeholder consultations and education have not been carried out adequately prior to its enforcement. The already change resistant attitude coupled with the poor education resulted in a sit down strike and a mass protest by drivers. By mid-day into the protest, there was announcement of the law being put on hold and business resumed as usual. The very Ghanaians who compare standards elsewhere to Ghana resisted a law that aimed among other things at streamlining standards of human resources on our roads as being unfair. Secondly, the most hazardous flood on June 3rd gave some impetus to the AMA to demolish the long embattled Sodom and Gomorrah. Though this is a bold but an ad hoc action, it required the support of all but what did we see? Blame games among authorities, people in government and political parties. Resistance was expected from displaced residents. However, people in government and other stakeholders who are expected to be unified on the issue were equally divided.

What is obvious is the knee jerking political will, lack of planning and proper educational plan and lack of attitudinal support of citizens for well-meaning developmental decisions. Education is indispensable in changing attitudes to tackle our numerous problems. Nevertheless, it is looking like our attitude as Ghanaians has long passed the stage of education to serious enforcement as indicated by Brigadier Nunoo Mensah, who stated that “Ghanaians must be governed with iron fist.” I cannot agree more with the Brigadier. Arguably, our attitudes remain our greatest woe to our perpetual underdevelopment. Unfortunately, our attitudes are so entrenched that one wonders if any kind of education will ever change it if not backed with serious enforcement. For instance city authorities try to build market among others for hawkers. Yet most of these markets are empty because buyers prefer buying in the streets so far as there are sellers there. This is a big disincentive for law abiding sellers in these ghost markets who eventually join in the hawking. What is the way out? - Millennial project of changing attitudes of over 20 million citizens and/or effective law enforcement.

Even though there is no single solution to our problem, it is clear that education combined with all other strategies without strong law enforcement will yield no dividend in this country. Authorities must therefore be united and undeterred in law enforcement. Secondly, individuals and institutions must be supportive of difficult decisions that hold a trail for a better tomorrow.

Emmanuel K. Mawuena

kmawuenah@gmail.com