After 59 years of independence…
After 59 years of independence, it is time to have a frank conversation. This should be a real conversation; and there is no better time to do this than after we have successfully conferred on the Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyetta, Ghanaian presidency - no matter how momentary that was.
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It is time to look at ourselves in the mirror and confront the ugliness and foolishness that have riddled and continue to riddle our politics and national life.
And a good point to start is ourselves. Let’s stop the greed, theft, corruption and the mismanagement that we are so accustomed to. Let’s stop the foolishness that makes it possible for us to make nonsense of the judicial processes and turn to the point where we can resolve our disputes without making unconnected persons suffer incessant collateral damages.
Let’s stop the laziness and backwardness that makes us think that our only obligation is to kill, destroy and steal items and properties of persons who do not hold the same political or religious opinions as we do. Let’s shred off the culture of electing governments who do nothing but pillage the scant resources they have been called upon to manage and make the best of by paying close attention to what they do.
Let’s stop the personality worship, bootlicking, favouritism, cronyism and nepotism and begin to speak truth to power always. Let’s stop the culture of sycophancy and uphold our national anthem that calls upon us to boldly defend the cause of freedom and of right. Our anthem further calls on us to cherish fearless honesty.
Let us stop looking out for ourselves and rather look out for the greater interest, so that the next time you are taking an office property home or manipulating figures for your own ends, think of the big picture. Let’s kick back against kickbacks and corruption and all those who ride on ill-gotten fortunes.
Let’s stop singing, dancing and drumming in praise of the corrupt and switch on our antenna of honesty, diligence and hard work. Let’s stop the lies—the ones we tell ourselves and the ones we tell others. To whom you are going to vote for, by all means proclaim. To those you are voting against, by all means proclaim.
Let’s stop digging deep into the rut of dead habits and blind partisanship that continue to make us worse off than we deserve to be.
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Just in case you have forgotten, you deserve a good life. You deserve good roads. You deserve very good public transport. You deserve to see your dreams come alive.
You deserve access to healthcare unimpeded and without limits. You deserve to sleep without having to battle with the incessant whining sound of the mosquito close to your ears. You deserve to live a life that makes you confident. You deserve to have money in your account and pocket. You deserve to live in a state where the differences between A and B is not as a result of access to health or education, but rather as a result of a natural aptitude that the state can’t do anything about. You deserve to retire knowing very well that your years of faithful service will pay off.
You do not need to shout and jubilate anytime your lights go off and come back on. You do not need to be rejoicing that you have water flowing in your tap after a long period of absence.
You do not need to get to the point where you feel like you are lucky for some of the utilities and services that come your way. You must not be pushed to the point where you feel grateful just because someone did something that the person was supposed to do anyway.
For this reason, we must stop being thieves and stop electing thieves. We must stop being shortsighted and stop electing and appointing shortsighted leaders. We must stop accepting bribes; and stop giving bribes. We must stop being foolish, senseless and impulsive and all the nonsenses that we claim to loathe would also be over.
Our nation was never meant to be a place of lack, disease and of indecision. Our nation was never meant to be a low flying nation. Ghana was meant to be a strong and brave nation. Ghana was meant to be relevant and influential in the local and global scheme of things. We are supposed to be approaching the world with a flame of hope and not with a cap in hand.
Fifty-nine years down the line, it is important to have this conversation openly and as frankly as possible. It should not be difficult to come to terms with the fact that we carry bits of the nation within us; and whenever we stoop low, the image of the country also dwindles. The state rises and falls with us all.
politics_today@yahoo.com