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Traditional thinking - Leads to sorrow for Ghana and our people!

Parliament House    File Photo

Thu, 5 Jul 2018 Source: Kwaku A. Danso

Sometimes I feel really bad and sorry for Ghana and Africa and how we have allowed certain elements of belief systems and traditional thinking stand in the way of progress. The expected macho-man's arrogance and inner pride prevent us

- from learning from others, - from asking basic questions, and - from seeing our mistakes! No! We should stop deluding ourselves as the fastest growing economic and all that talk when we are also rated on the pages of infamy as the 5th dirtiest and 2nd in Open defecation!

Refusing to change can be dangerous. 61 years after independence and we cannot put crooks and thieves in prison! We cannot manage to have our research scientists develop basic vegetables and fruits and any new crops to consume and market, nor can we produce some basic things we need and used to produce!! Why have all these Ministers then? Why??

Ghana is actually falling behind as our population grows and towns sprout up without roads! I have two very good friends from the 1970s/80s who fell behind during the time Computers and Emails and now WhatsApp communications started, and today they are totally left behind!

One of them was a Professor who returned from the US and taught in some African countries and to-date returned to teach and retire in Ghana, but I cannot even contact him since none of our friends can connect to him.

The same traditional “respect for elders” has come to mean and imply young people cannot stand up and ask relevant questions and point out when our streets are filthy and roads shabbily designed and built to kill all of us; and we watch as these thieves and crooks masquerading as elected or appointed government officials make billions of moneys vanish and nobody goes to prison!

Ghana belongs to all of us and those young ones who think somebody else should activate for change better wake up! It is no more the duty of us older activists to do that but yours!! Stand up and talk and march to the offices of the Ministers or official like men and women you are and demand the change you want and deserve! Your uncles paid taxes and port duties and our money have been used to build the nation to date, and it is your duty to stand up to the Public thieves robbing you of even a chance for student loans!!

All the money that could be capital is being stolen as our new Presidents make promises but refuse to prosecute corruption already revealed by the Auditor Generals reports! We wait for Special prosecutors to be appointed and approved and Landcruiser vehicles ordered before we tackle thieves next to us! What kind of destiny is this!!!

Yes! I just returned from an extended stay in Ghana. I can shed tears today, but you younger ones may end up with no country in 50 years and just working and serving the Chinese if you do nothing and stop thinking God’s grace will solve problems you need to use your brains and efforts to solve today!

Long live Ghana. From Livermore, California Dr. K. Danso

Columnist: Kwaku A. Danso