GHANA’S INDEPENDENCE: ANOTHER MILESTONE OR WASTED YEARS?

Ghana is 57years old. On this occasion, and like several others, I am in a dilemma; should I jubilate or weep. Should I shout ‘hurray’, pop champagne, give a toast, sound the trumpet, light explosives, play the drum, as normally happens with birthdays and other milestones? Milestones of achievements or success perhaps? Or should I bow down my head and weep? Weep for the underachievement and underdevelopment I see around me. Weep for the people we have become, as suggested by a friend a couple of weeks ago?

Where are the visionary vistas?

Can they be found in our leadership of misappropriations, bribery and corruption, bi-partisanship, selfishness, gluttony, to mention but a few?  A leadership of misguided priorities, if any! Can they be found in a citizenry of lazy, corrupt, nonchalant, passive, selfish, tribalistic, and godlessness?

For today, I can only weep. I weep for men like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the big six, who were instrumental in the fight for our freedom. Considering the misadventures in this nation, I doubt whether we were actually prepared for the responsibilities or perhaps, consequence of that freedom. I weep for the soldiers or ex-service men who sacrificed their lives to build this nation. I weep for our great-great grandparents who lost their lives in this struggle. I weep for the good people of old, who worked tirelessly in securing this land, her resources, and her heritage. Most importantly, I weep for the few, struggling each day to uphold truth, freedom, justice, devotion, and most importantly, the spirit of patriotism.

And to what avail?

That we will trade off this land and all her resources for our selfish interests? That we will throw away our heritage? That we will allow bi-partisanship tear us apart? That we will allow bi-partisanship kill the spirit of patriotism? That the current breed of Ghanaians would scramble for any ship that would pull into our docks to take us to foreign lands for so-called greener pastures? That we will allow all sorts of dictatorship and neocolonialism pervade us? That we will underutilize our God-given talents and resources or in most cases, misuse them?

This is the nation we call home. This is our motherland. That is the people Ghana has begot! That is the people we have become! And so on this Independence Day, I weep! Many may choose to call the rainfall on 6^th of March 2014, showers of blessings, but I choose to call it a storm of pain, bitterness, sorrow and disappointment! It was no shower, as we prefer to call it. It was a heavy downpour, an outpour of grief and sorrow. Ghana must wake up.

Ghana is our heritage, secured for us, at the peril of priceless lives. This is a legacy. What have we done with this legacy? What have we done to this legacy? What will be said of us tomorrow?

Indeed, Ghana has come this far, through our collective efforts and effortlessness. Have we done enough? Considering the level of literacy and resources available back then, both human and otherwise, much more was achieved. In Ghana today, all kinds of resources are at our disposal. How useful have they been?

At our workplaces are stories of underemployment. We keep talking about unemployment, and yet, a considerable percentage has jobs, but is not working satisfactorily. We keep talking about better conditions of service when we do not merit it. It is all about greed and laziness. What are we doing for this nation? We may blame our leadership, but we are the government. We are no different from our leadership; from the same stock.

What is your dream for this nation?

A dream of robbery, stealing, murder, bribery and corruption, embezzlement, and all kinds of crimes, perhaps? A dream of laziness, self-pity, and mediocrity? A dream of resentment, hatred, to mention but a few? Ghana deserves much better.

Our governments seem to gamble, try and error in finding solutions to our problems. In the end, they lose their way; they get lost in the maze they create. Others get drowned.

Ghana is 57 years old, at least, old enough. For most 57 year olds, three years to retirement. As a nation, we should be at the peak of our development. Rather sadly, Ghana is far from that. For once, let us stop the try and error approach. Let us put a stop to gambling this nation away. For now, I can only look forward to another year; another milestone, or wasted years…….

Anna Esi Hanson (nnhanson2@yahoo.com); esociocomm.blogspot.com

SILENCE

"In our world are people who live in perpetual joy and happiness…
Others have been confined to perpetual sadness…
This is a life of no escape…
They suffer in pain…
Their pain, concealed…
Their tears unshed…
Their pleas, unheard…
Their scars, unseen…
There is no escape…
They suffer in silence…
The world of silence is one of darkness…
The world of the silent is one of several stories…
Stories better left untold…
These are stories of hidden truths, the bitter truth perhaps...
Better left unsaid, better left unheard…
For this, its victims had prices to pay.”…

My Ghanaian Economy; So so wahala

For those who know me personally, I have always been a fan of President Mahama but considering all that is currently facing this nation, I must ask: Bosso, how far? Because all around me, it is so so wahala!!!

Bosso, how far now? This country is facing several hardships. This bus seems to be steering off course, and so, we need to alert our driver.

For a fact, most countries are facing hardships. It is a global recession. My Italian colleagues would tell me that, on the average, most people in Italy earn below their average household expenditure. In the United Kingdom, things are no different. Even in America, God’s own supposed country, things are quite tough, and have been for a while now. What then becomes of our poor economy? Our economy, that is so reliant on foreign aid. Our economy that depends on foreign economies! In a country where we go carrying collection bags at various summits purposely for funds for almost all projects. A country that goes a-borrowing each time a project needs to be executed. So so wahala.

Quite recently, I heard on the news that Ghana made at least 800million dollars from our oil revenue. What has, or what will become, of that money? I live in Takoradi, and I keep asking myself this question on a daily basis; what is happening to the revenues from our oil exploration. We keep boasting of our oil country, but what is happening to that money? What of the oil? Yes, this country is earning from her oil find, but are Ghanaians enjoying the true benefits, if any? Until then, it is so so wahala.

I know some may argue that these monies are being used as subsidies but subsidies to what? Considering the current daily tax upsurges, I have serious doubts. Rather sadly, the usual talks continue. It is always talks about government putting in measures to secure our currency! Measures to curb inflation! To the average man, a hodgepodge of meaningless words! Are they any true measures? Like most measures put in place in the past, we feel the sting each day. Ghana never takes a holistic measure in addressing issues. We only put in temporal solutions, and then as always, a few years down the lane, nemesis catches up with us. So so wahala.

The economic hardships we are facing in this nation did not just pop up on us one morning like a surprise! It was gradual! There were warning signs, but our leadership ignored them. The poor state of our economy is because our leaders have failed to find lasting solutions to our developmental issues. Yes, the issues this country is facing are mere developmental issues, and not mystics. Our leadership only gives it surface dressings as solutions. Just like how we treat potholes on our roads! So so wahala!

Can Ghana ever learn to tackle issues from the foundation? Leaders come and go, and yet rather disappointingly, they leave without finding lasting solutions to our problems. In Ghana today, prices of utilities keep soaring each day. Can our governments not learn to take a bold step by increasing these prices once to cover a considerable period? That would save us the yearly or considering our current situation, the daily increments. Our central bank is talking about closing down dollar accounts, and yet, there are talks of exemptions, and so, in the end, the standards are further lowered! We keep talking about inflation but to what avail? Can these daily increments in any way, stabilize our economy? Of course, our dirty politics is quite elusive to the realities surrounding us. So so wahala.

Our central bank has now seen the need to forestall local transactions in foreign currencies. I am indeed surprised at how long it has taken us to come to this reality. But the question is: how many Ghanaians have dollar accounts or largely trade on such terms? It falls back to those on top! Yes, we are the cause of our own problems and so, in finding solutions, we conveniently go on a wild goose chase! We have made our markets and economy so susceptible! And for what? Our selfish interest, as always! So so wahala.

Can our governments really solve our problems? I am not happy with the current happenings in this nation.

President Mahama has been behind the steering wheel of this bumpy ride for some time now and as an optimist, I look forward to when he would turn this bumpy ride into a safe and smooth cruise. Until then, the future seems really bleak. So so wahala. Bosso, how far? It is so so wahala.