The status of the nation is like an elephant on clay feet; our endowments are huge but we lack vision, fortitude and direction to harness them to fruition. Ghana is governed by leaders who cannot think beyond their noses nor create any idea, subjecting the entire masses to deprivation in the midst of plenty. People with unparallel intelligence, knowledge and ingenuity have no role to play in our society because of their perceived politic alliances and tribalism. It is very sad but very true that our dear nation has no vision and ideology. What identify us as Ghanaians today is one basic philosophy “each one for himself, God for us all”, a thriving dangerous dogma born out of corruption, greed and selfishness. How do we explain or justify: the filth around us, the sanitation mess, the infrastructural deficit, the mass unemployment, our state of power rationing (no electricity), no water, bad roads, the astronomical high cost of living, growing deadly wings of tribalism and nepotism, the organized elite corruption and supervision of wasteful use of state funds, the outrageous growth of public debt from GC9 (nine) billion cedis in 2009 to GC34 billion in 2013, the gargantuan external loans to the tune of $14 billion with nothing to show for etc., etc.? Wow!! This is not just pathetic but a piteous spectacle and is a very sad story.
The current condition of our nation is simply hopelessness. This nation has no plan of its own. We behave as if we are not born of the image of God, the creator. We simply lack creativity and all that we do best is consume. Our problems are not only about political jargons, rhetoric and lies, but our inability to evolve a constructive development plan that takes care of now and the future. Why do we take interest in deceiving the masses with statistics that we have achieved lower-level income status when about 60% of our populace has no functional toilets, no water and electricity? How can the state of the nation be anything encouraging to talk about when only about 1% of the population accounts for the super rich, 5%-10% are okay, 10%-20% are surviving and the rest are languishing in abject poverty and deprivation? I sincerely believe in my eye mind without any reservation that If Dr Nkrumah were alive, Ghana would not have been a third World country because he had a strong vision of where he wanted to take Ghana to when he stated that “I am going to make Ghana a show piece within which you can come and enjoy but within our rules”. How do you see our country today, our leadership and the mess caused by activities of Chinese ‘galamsey operations. How come that ex-Chinese prisoner gang workers on completion of contracts in Ghana are now able to stay on in the country, arm and organize to undertake illegal “galamsey” mining activities. It is particularly worrying that these Chinese characters have been known to routinely threaten rural folks who protest at the adverse implications of these illegal mining activities on their farmlands, streams/rivers and other and environmental damages. Our political gurus are not helping whilst some Chiefs have also compromised their wisdom and leadership roles in the matter
When the Police chose to attack these Chinese they do so only to make money because of greed! Other concerned and protesting individuals or groups have lost the battle because of regulations from Politically-Appointed and tribalistic Top Government official s at the Ministries in Accra as well as supervising public officials in the field who have either joined or connived with those in charge of these ‘gold mines’, in their operations. Who then watches the watchman?
I listened to the President’s State of the Nation’s address on my trip from Bekwai to Prestia and I questioned myself whether we have real leaders in Ghana. I found my trip rather agonizing and disheartening, and I was sad. Can you imagine seeing little school kids having to walk for over 5 miles by accident -prone roads plied by heavy trucks, to go to school? How can a nation get the best from these tired minds without nearby schools to attend, even as we have monies to buy private planes, pay kickbacks for frivolous loans for the nation, inflate contract prices for party faithful, etc. etc.? This nation is going nowhere for all the bad reasons and until we get somebody like Dr. Frimpong- Boateng, a very resolute, focused, selfless individual and with demonstrated dedication to lead this nation, we will continue to wallow in poverty irrespective of our abundant human and material resources.
My brothers and sisters, Ghana is becoming a jungle because we are backtracking in development. It was a cultural shock to me to see the level of land abuse by galamsey activities. The land destruction was so hugemongus that one questions whether we have leaders as well as law enforcement agencies in this country. The Offin River was muddy and you can see activities of galamsey operators using propellers on the river with impunity. Yes, if you want to have a feel of life in a jungle without laws then ‘you’ve got it’. The scene was really absurd and ridiculous which reflects the state of the nation managed by arrogant Team B gurus with no life experiences like the Muntala’s, the Ablakwa’s, the Fiifi’s. Are these our leaders today? This country is toast!!!
The road network was the ‘best’ that I have seen since I was born at a time when good was bad. I have used the road from Obuasi to Ayamfre before and it did not look that terrible until recently. One unfortunate observation was that we do not seriously work to best practice standards \specifications; lack the maintenance culture and will always wait until something gets terribly bad. Indeed, the road from Obuasi to Prestia is a real mess, characterized by gargantuan potholes and dust. What happened to the Youth Road Maintenance propaganda initiative? How does a society grow when we do not have a philosophy and everything is politics? We practice nothing and believe in nothing, just live day-by-day as a country of consumption. This is pure doomsday theory.
Everybody on the street can award contracts especially to foreign contractors; get our share of the booty while the country suffers because the profits thereon does not stay in Ghana. This explains while we have contracted over $14 billion in external loans with nothing to show for the deliverables in our daily lives, as we continue to struggle. How are we developing our local component to assume some of these major contracts so that the profits will stay in Ghana; what strategy do we have to boost up local industries so that we can reduce our import bill of consumables (over $3 billion) and create jobs in the countries? What incentives (tax breaks) and subsides are we giving to our dying industries i.e. poetry, textiles to enable them compete with other foreign companies? Why do we have to import clinker to the tune of $3 billion when we can develop a production base here in Ghana at the cost of about $150million over the coastal area where there are no jobs? Can’t we manufacture canned tomatoes and fruit juice in Ghana or give value to our raw materials? What is the politics about GNPC? What happened to all the many research works i.e. solar lights for our street lights executed by students of KNUST? Who is managing this country’s resources? When are we going to enact the Public Rights to Information Acts so that we can all understand how damn we are in relation to many of the frivolous contracts we have engaged in (loans fees to financial engineers, insurances Consultants and others)?
God in His infinite wisdom knows that we can neither take care of ourselves nor manage the abundant resources He has given to us. Occasionally, He sends rains down to clear the dust around and gives us some good breeze; He also washes our filthy gutters and drains for us and makes our dusty roads comfortable because we can’t manage anything. This country, my brothers and sisters, is on a perilous terrain to destruction, and we need thinkers and patriots to salvage it to the promise land. Notwithstanding all our economic endowments (oil, gold, bauxite, diamond, cocoa, timber, etc), we are presently the 9th worst mismanaged economy in the whole world (out of 213 countries) because we cannot manage anything. After 56 years of independence, we can only state that we have failed as a nation because of our dirty politics, tribalism, greed, selfishness and nepotism. President Chavez, ‘Friend of the poor’ is dead and so are President Mills and Aliu Mahama. Those who are stealing the country’s resources should remember that good name is better than riches because life is measured.
Yaw Antoh Edusei, Virginia, USA.
