Our copy cat mentality

Over the last few months, l have been observing how all of a sudden our leaders have acquired a copy cat mentality whenever they return from foreign travels.

Our leaders travel to foreign lands,observe a few things and immediately they return they pronounce policies and programmes on what they saw in those places for implementation in our country.

These pronouncements are made without due consideration of our circumstances and prevailing conditions.

Very early in the Presidency of our leader, he paid a visit to Washington in the USA and saw the US National Cathedral. So impressed was he with that imposing structure that immediately he returned home, he announced his intention to have a National Cathedral built in Accra.

The US National Cathedral was built several centuries ago by the founding fathers of that country.

lndeed , the founding fathers of the US built that country on strong Christian principles and believes hence their motto , " In God we trust ". Can the same thing be said of our country ?

Our President again visited Singapore and was so enthused about the high level of environmental cleanliness in that country. Immediately he landed at the Kotoka Airport, a declaration is made, " Accra will be the neatest city in the world ". What fantasy !

Perhaps, what our dear President lost sight of are a few facts about Singapore.

Singapore is a country where discipline, law and order are sacred.

lt is a country that does not brook nonsense as far as law enforcement on environmental cleanliness is concerned.Singapore is a small city state covering a land size not bigger than the Port city of Tema .

It is reputed to be the most wired country in the world in terms of CCTV coverage. Consequently , outdoor activities of citizens and visitors alike are closely monitored on a daily basis .

Is it possible to implement these in Accra ?

Our hard working Vice-President paid an official visit to Rwanda and saw at first hand the deployment of drones in that country's health care delivery programme . " Wao " ! he exclaims, asks a few questions and pronto, Ghana must also have same . He arrives home and sets into motion.

It will be faster and more convenient

Next day , the Vice-President announces that from tomorrow , Ghana is signing an agreement with a company to bring in drones for deployment in Ghana to distribute essential medical supplies to inaccessible locations in the country .

Perhaps , the Vice-President may not have been informed of the circumstances which necessitated the use of drones in that country .

The use of drones in Rwanda is not a sign of technological advancement but of necessity.

Rwanda is a small country the size of the Greater Accra Region nestled among ranges of mountains . Most rural locations are not easily accessible by good road networks.

As a result , leaders in that country may have resorted to the use of drones in order to get emergency medical supplies to areas not easily accessible by road.

How have we come to become copy cats in this country ? What has become of our originality of mind ? Do we necessarily have to do things just because others are doing same ? It is not entirely out of place to visit foreign lands , see great things and resolve to implement same in our country.

No , not at all ! It is ,however, instructive to hasten slowly in our resolve to introduce such programmes, taking due cognisance of our peculiar circumstances.

The writer is a retired Assistant Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority .Writer’s

E-mail : markmawutor@yahoo.com