Hard work holds key in 2017

In a couple of days, all of us — young or old, rich or poor, man or woman, among others — will welcome the New Year and bid farewell to 2016.

The entire world will usher in the New Year with many activities, including church services. Some will choose to be at drinking bars and pubs or even stay in their rooms to welcome the New Year. As we welcome the New Year, we will make all manner of resolutions in anticipation that we will follow them religiously to make our lives better.

Another unique phenomenon that will take us into next year will be the inauguration of the new government a week into the New Year. Ghana will be governed by a new President who will be sworn into office on January 7, 2017.

Already, expectations are so high, to the extent that we forget, as a people, to realise that the promises made by politicians can only be realised if the citizens play their respective roles in the entire governance structure to enable the ruling government and the President, for that matter, to actualise the promises made during the electioneering.

It is against this background that the Daily Graphic entreats all and sundry not to lose sight of the fact that we will be responsible for the success or otherwise of the new government. As a result, in our New Year resolutions, we ought to resolve to play our respective roles to make Ghana a better place to live in.

For instance, workers in the public sector have a responsibility to ensure that services rendered to private sector players and other stakeholders help promote economic prosperity. As an example, the processing of documents, among other things, should not be done only because something has been passed under the door to bribe people into action.

Private sector players should also not cut corners when they are given contracts to execute projects with the taxpayer’s money. They need to be as diligent as possible to work according to standards and specifications, so that the projects they work on will last to benefit the people.

We believe that for the country to generate wealth to be shared among us, our roles in all facets cannot be downplayed. We all need to put our shoulders to the wheel to deliver to the best of our ability.

It is the belief of the Daily Graphic that until we play our roles, we will not have the moral right to call politicians to order. We should be reminded that sovereignty rests with the people, not the government, and, therefore, we need to do what is deserving of us, so that when our leaders stray, we can have the moral authority to force them back on track.

Our leaders hold power in trust for the people and for this reason we cannot allow politicians to dictate the way things must be done.

We need to work with them and ensure that our productivity is high because it is only through increased productivity that we can generate wealth that we can all share. Failure to do that will retard our desire to make progress and make our New Year resolutions worthwhile and meaningful.