When will we stop politicking

When will we stop politicking and start to pitch in nation building?

By Cletus D Kuunifaa

In his piece featured Saturday, 21, 2013, on Ghanaweb, Dr. Michael J.K Bokor posed this central question: shouldn't a proper think-tank be more interested in proffering ideas and strategies for national development than setting itself up as a reactionary force that is always alert to verbally attack the government for anything it does? Probing further, I want to know when will we stop politicking and start to pitch in nation building?

It is very interesting how people easily lambast government and yet offer nothing as alternative solutions or ideas to move this country forward. Sometimes, you read these articles laced with intense criticisms and you wander what the hell is going on? Who the heck do these people think they are?

Honestly speaking, assertive criticisms are certainly good for reform in Ghana. Constructive criticism surely must be welcome news. But what is not good to engage in is to be senseless and reckless in criticisms and suggestions. That is why some political parties, some think-tanks or better dubbed “sh*t-tanks”, by Dr. Bokor, are IRRELEVANT to me. You are a group of people full of hate and insults, strategizing for personal interest, but what Ghana needs right now are people who can come up with solutions, generate ideas, construct knowledge and put that to use to turn the nation around for prosperity and for posterity. This, to an extent, some groups like the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) , the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD) are up to the task and have proven their mettle, have evidence to show, by virtue of their scholarly research findings and objective critical analysis in addressing some of the problematic socio-economic and political issues in the country.

The problem we have is, some of these think-tanks, where there is nothing profound or intrinsically valuable about what they do, take delight in taking issues that do not deserve criticism out of proportion and out of the blue, they come out with their unfounded, baseless propositions in dribs and drabs that do not move the needle at all in terms of constructive and critical thinking that they profess to be engaged in.

It is common knowledge that only good leadership and an agile bureaucracy will result in accelerated development in Ghana. To suggest any nonsense and report as though it were some sage advice is symptomatic of the child-like behavior that these sh*t-tanks exhibit time and again. They are a total waste of space and time.

IMANI must have clue as to what their mission statement prescribes for and allows them to do. Lest, they are categorized otherwise! When the citizenry comes alive that nothing qualifies this think-tank to give advice on governance, when Ghanaians begin to doubt the think-tank’s expertise and ideas, then havoc beckons and it would be about time they give us a break!

By Cletus D. Kuunifaa, Long Island University, LIU Post, New York. Can be contacted at dipnibe@yahoo.com or Follow him on twitter @ckuunifaa