Why has it become a big crime to criticize ...

... and demand for better social services in Ghana??

I have been following and reading with keen interest on the electronic and print media, as well as monitoring political talk shows in the country .i.e. News file, The Big Issue and feature articles via ghanaweb.com, and other political discus on the structure and style of governance in Ghana with grave concern. Interestingly the focus of these discussions and some feature articles tend to focus the spotlight on the ordinary Ghanaian on the streets , who has despite an ever ailing and challenging economy , works hard to meet his/ her tax obligations for the total development of this country, that seem not to be doing enough with our taxes towards improving the development deficit in Ghana . It gets murkier when you are not even too sure whom to blame .Since one is likely to be branded either as an anti-government person or a pro-opposition member. Sometimes am tempted to believe that we are at a standstill in our development efforts. Most panelists and columnist who write and express their views on issues of governance on media platforms usually tend to blame our current predicament on the unpatriotic posturing of the ordinary Ghanaian, using an unconventional comparative analysis with other citizens from developed countries specifically U.S.A and U.K. without objectively doing a cause and effect analysis of our governance system.

This rather unfortunate skewing of issues to paint the Ghanaian as unpatriotic is become nauseating and gradually creating a culture of mediocrity among the citizenry. I have been wandering and asking myself all the tough questions as to what these experts and people in position of authority seem to be saying, when they assume such stance in the debate, that we can no longer express our rights without being branded one thing or the other. Experts and technocrats who argue and do such comparative analysis usually pitch the Ghanaian with other citizens in making such unfair juxtapositions. Truth be told, much as I agree to some extend with some of their concerns, many will agree that the level of patriotism in a country is largely influenced by the environment, like the scientists say the object takes the shape of the container. The designed systems and structures of governance usually shapes the thinking and behavioral pattern of the citizenry. By this I am not in any way trying to hold brief for the Ghanaian for his/her unpatriotic nature in helping shape and contribute effectively to develop Ghana .This preliminary commentary is laying the foundation for further analysis of the situation in Ghana vis -‘a- vis other countries usually cited in such comparative analysis .

A friend, who recently completed his medical course in Ukraine, shared some insightful thoughts about how systems and structures tends to influence behavioral patterns in that country. He said Ukraine does not have a utopian situation where life there is a bed of roses, but in terms of social services and effective citizenry participation on issues of governance, they are a country to envy .Ukrainians tend to show a greater deal of patriotism towards national issues in a proactive way , the big question is why ? because they are directly made part and parcel of the design and framework of the governance system that ensures a greater accountability on the part of those governing and those who are governed. That sense of belonging and a strong voice in the governance process is what has largely influenced their sense of patriotism, the state is doing all it can through the provision of visible social and economic interventions to make life more comfortable for Ukrainians, these solid interventions naturally creates a deeper sense of patriotism in the country.

Essential social service that makes every day living a delight has adequately been provided by the Ukrainian government from education, through to health, sanitation, affordable housing and reliable internet services have been made available to the ordinary person on the streets of Ukraine. Despite these interventions you still hear occasional upheavals and streets protest about living conditions not measuring up to standards in the country .Would it be fair to say by this , Ukrainians are not patriotic enough and that their actions amounts to crying wolf when there is none? Same cannot be said for their counterparts in Ghana, who do not have access to these services and yet won’t hit the streets in protest. I find it bizarre when the middle class in the Ghanaian society decided to express their displeasure at current happenings through peaceful matches and demonstrations to press home their dissatisfaction on rising cost of living, heavy tax duties , continuous increment in fuel prices, water , electricity etc (Occupy the flagstaff house match by the middle class)Some people in authority who have been put there to ensure that these essential services are readily available to the Ghanaian ,who despite worsening and unfavorable economic environment manages to meet his/ her taxes obligations and when they in return demand for better services through constructive criticism of the system, they are labeled and called all sorts of names. This practice of unduly tagging and associating a particular group to a political party just because they have decided to question systems that are failing must cease. Even in the developed countries where honey and milk is assumed to be flowing in gargantuan proportions, still citizens’ question the system, when social services do not meet their standards and are not branded as unpatriotic. A case in point is Brazil where there was continuous protest matches on the streets of Rio de Janeiro to press home the need for better social services. To quote a friend who said “ that even the road to hell is dotted with good intentions” Suffice to say that, no matter how harsh and uncomplimentary these criticisms maybe , the people in authority ought to take them in good faith and find ways of managing the situation.

Our governance system since 1992 has been structured in such a way that, the elected president and his cabinet of ministers have been given the leeway and in some cases arbitrary powers to make decisions on behalf of the people of Ghana. The constitution allows the president to appoint persons in higher positions to the least person in our theoretical decentralized system. I dare say, it makes little room for the ordinary Ghanaian to make any meaningful inputs but for few exceptions in instances of referendum and general elections to choose leaders, are all examples where the voice of the ordinary Ghanaian is heard but for these pockets of events, the president and his team in government determine how the show is run in this country. When you read the 1992 constitution chapter 6 –Directive Principles of State Policy, it clearly gives you an idea of how the governance of this country has been structured.

I find it misleading and very unfair that people in government and experts on governance will be quick to put the blame on the ordinary Ghanaian whose role is clearly limited in determining policies and programs for the country. When citizens under difficult economic situations fulfill their tax obligations, it is only fair that those who have been given the mandate to govern , also fulfill their part of the bargain by providing social services that are almost always not existent in this country and let’s stop branding the ordinary Ghanaian as unpatriotic when they show a little bit of dissatisfaction at the worsening state of social services.

I recently had a chat with one of the directors of an NGO, Amplify Governance, a Canadian –Ghana Government project that is seeks to create awareness on the need for people within the local assemblies to pay their taxes as a way to attract development in such communities. In our discussion, Bethany Barody a Canadian, coming from a country where evasion of tax is a serious crime, appreciates the need for paying taxes, simple reason being that she knows the worth of her taxes i.e. however the situation in Ghana is different , the inertia on the part of Ghanaian not to pay taxes stems mainly from the fact that , they feel these taxes that have been paid over the years have not resulted in any serious developmental projects. Access to health care is a huge challenge, quality education is not existent, infrastructural, and sanitation and housing are still issues Ghanaians are battling with after 57 years of independence. She identified that people will be more than willing to pay even more for taxes if they were getting direct benefits for their taxes, from a survey the organisation conducted in the Savelugu-Nanton district.

If for some reasons some Ghanaians have found a way to evade taxes, is the duty of government to fix the problem in any case a party is voted into power to fix problems and this goes for current and future government. This cannot be enough justification to say that because government fails to monitor the provision of subsidized products on the market, that eventually get smuggled into neighbouring countries, should be blamed on the ordinary Ghanaian and hence enough reason to stop providing such services for fear of it being smuggled , for me is such arguments are lame and unfair. When systems fail to work, the blame must be put at the door steps of the people that have been given the mandate to rule, much as I agree that governance is a shared responsibility but the greater of the responsibility lies with the government of the day .It is only in Ghana that when people fail to deliver on certain promises they made, they devise and generate so many reasons to justify their failure.

If government and people who should know better fail to recognize that the unpatriotic nature of the Ghanaian is largely influenced by the heavily politicized environment and in some cases bad policies and programme interventions that have failed to yield any positive effects on the Ghanaian but will constantly blame the ordinary Ghanaian on street for all the problems facing this country, I advise that before they go on such tangent, they should spend some time to read and reflect over our constitution especially chapter 6.

I am all for a responsible citizenry ,provided government creates the needed social and economic environment that meet the needs of her citizenry ,then anyone will be justified to criticize , when citizens fail to fulfill our citizenry role. Until government designs sustainable systems and a friendly governance structure that provides equal social services for all, it will be unfair to judge and compare the Ghanaian to his /her counterparts in developed countries where proper and working systems have been designed to make life worth living. To conclude that the Ghanaian is unpatriotic using such comparative analysis can best be described as a travesty of justice on the Ghanaian. Individuals who think they love this country more than others should rather focus such energies into critiquing policies and programmes that are not sustainable and cannot provide adequate social services for all.

When governments learn to judiciously use our resources that ensure adequate social services for all, citizens will also learn to be responsible and be more patriotic towards national issues. Collectively we can help develop Ghana and put it on the world map of developed countries.

Long live the Ghanaian, long live Ghana!!!

Van-Ess .A. Alootey( alooteyvaness@yahoo.com).