The Unkindest Cut

If you acquaint yourself with the dynamics of daily events in Ghana, you will begin to understand the filth in our society and how vindictive most of our leaders are. Events characteristic of our nation today is one of absolute madness and craziness. Our nation has no respect for patriotism or recognition for selflessness. What is prevalent is greed and corruption governed by one hideous philosophy ‘each one for himself and God for us all’. This chaotic system is not only destructive but carries with it the venom of hatred, resentment and nepotism which have no relevance for one’s expertise other than one’s political affiliation and tribal background. The current situation is not only hopeless but senseless and until the day that better leaders will emerge to salvage our nation from her crises, we shall continue to wallow in deprivation in the midst of plenty. The irony of our situation is that we still have people who parade on our air waves to perpetuate lies with arrogance. Ghanaians are neither stupid nor fools because we can decipher fantasies and lies from the truth. Ghana is in her present precarious state for good or bad because of our attitude, and if we don’t change to give credence to wisdom, selflessness, patriotism, we will continue to live in our dusty environment engulfed by mosquitoes. We have some leaders who cannot even think beyond their noses and their interest is not about the country they governed but their party and themselves which explains the negativity and apathy in Ghana today.
After 54 years of independence, our leaders talk ‘big’ while our people still ‘pee ‘(urinate) on the road side as others defecate in streams because of their “excellent’ leadership. Most of our leaders have been exposed to a lot of well planned and well managed cities outside the boundaries of Ghana, and yet they refuse to embark on anything meaningful for our nation. The terrain of our nation is just filthy for lack of planning and we behave as if we have no eyes. Nothing seem to work in Ghana; the government institutions are not functioning well, land acquisition is an issue, armed robbery is endemic, sanitation is a mess, law enforcement is corrupted and so on. Simply put, Ghana is a mess for we cannot plan and manage anything. Greed and selfishness are the only words that make sense in the minds of some of our leaders yet they have the impudence to debase the few patriots in our nation today who have put their professions on line to save mother Ghana. Where is Ghana heading to and who is directing the ship? My beef is not about the filthy politics in Ghana involving leading groups like NDC ,CPP or NPP but how we forge ahead as a nation to create a responsible system where we can all function depending on our capabilities without recourse to one’s political affiliation or tribe which is a shame.
The story about the demise of Dr Frimpong Boateng is not only bizarre but unacceptable and unpardonable error. It is the unkindest cut that defines all logic and shows ingratitude at its highest level. Based on information emanating from the media, I have every reason to believe that the renowned Professor was sacked with the consent of the President for political reason. This was as a result of the briefings he had on Prof’s trip with Nana Addo Danquah to Korla Bu hospital. The uniqueness of our politics is simple, we cannot co exist with people who have different political beliefs notwithstanding their resources capabilities. In the end, we are unable as a nation to function to our capabilities because we cannot get the cream of our resource base to participate in our national reconstruction. Anybody who has visited South Africa will recount how they idolized Dr Sam Jonah( picture displayed at certain areas). If a country like Nigeria or any other nation has the likes of the renowned professor, they will worship him. This man has done so much for our nation to the extent that it is untenable for anybody to treat him with disrespect. What have we as individuals done to enhance our developmental agenda towards national reconstruction apart from siphoning monies through illicit deals? As an Honorary director,was the nation paying him any remuneration ? No, so why the haste to embarrass him? All what we hear on the airwave are people who use fine words and good language to debase others and entrench themselves in unnecessary partisan politics. I adore Prof for his extraordinary qualities and his desire to help others. He is very strict and believes in excellence according to a friend of mine who is Head of a Department at Okomfo Anokye Hospital. Five(5 ) years ago when I wrote an article “ After Dr Nkrumah, who is next?”, I chose Dr Frimpong Boateng for a lot of reasons which remains valid even today. He has a vision to transform our nation into an industrial economy, he is selfless, self-reliant, a disciplinarian and believes in results. Because of the wierd contradictions in our political spectrum today, he is the only person that I know today who can better take this country to the dream land and I hope that Nana Addo Danquah will honor him with a sensitive ministry to help develop our nation. We need results by being fair to our conscience.
When are we going to end this hideous policy of ‘winner takes all” and focus on how to restructure our social and economic lives based on one’s capabilities? Dr Nsiah Asare was relieved of his position at Okomfo Anokye hospital at the age of 54 years and the incumbent is 64 years and that is fine. The E & O Group that brought oil to Ghana through their own sacrifices, ingenuity and perseverance are in the lion’s den for political reasons. Today, because of our oil prospects, we are contracting loans in billions of dollars to develop our nation forgetting that the talents who made this possible are living as destitutes. Is Ghana a country worth dying for? I don’t think so. This hideous policy has resulted in a systematic and inexplicable exclusion of numerous highly competent Ghanaians technical expects whose god given talents have been demonstrated consistently in a variety of professions, from making critical personal input to ensure the success of key national development projects. Why do we talk about brain drain when we refuse to acknowledge and honor our own; when we disrespect and debase our own specialized national assets? We have a problem, our mannerism is sickening.
One of the best Neurosurgeons on this planet is Dr Boakye, a Ghanaian resident in the United States of America. For patriotic reasons, he organizes a yearly trip with a team of Doctors (about 20) to conduct series of operations pro bono for patients in the whole of West Africa. What a sacrifice and a kind gesture! Now the question that I need our leaders to answer is, are we going to treat this valuable person like the way we treated Professor Frimpong Boateng? We are full of hatred and only God knows the venom in us and our way forward!
America works because they love their country and believes in it. It is an institution of laws where heroes are honored. They adore gifted citizens and they help them to grow using state resources. Policies are made for the general good without any biases and they are patriotic because of the history about the sacrifices made by generations of leaders as well as their citizen. The love for their country comes to them freely; they breathe it, eat it and practice it. It is not about indoctrination because it is their way of life. What legacy are we bequeathing to the new generation? Do we leave behind the negative elements of corruption and greed, nepotism and tribal politics or something better? It takes leadership to align the path of any nation, the Gandhi’s; the Nkrumah’s, the Lincoln’s did it and so must the new generation of leaders.
It is time to redefine logic and common sense in our way of life to give meaning to our existence. If former president, Mr J.J. Rawlings had not helped to develop the cardio department, many Ghanaians and other friends from other neighboring countries would have died because not all of us have the resources to travel to South Africa for medical treatment. Health related issues have no bearing on NPP, CPP, PNC or NDC, it has no respect for color or tribe and so must our national resource base. We cannot continue to put square pegs in round wholes and expect to grow. In a nation that abounds a lot of seasoned, well resourced and well tested people, we are still being managed by mediocre people selected on tribal bases who seems to know everything about life. What a country! What a nation! What a people! We have to caution ourselves, our manners and our discourse because when it rains, it does not falls in one man’s house and stop politicking about everything including the air we breathe . I pray that the Lord Almighty God will give us the wisdom and the humility to govern our sick country.
ERIC K. EDUSEI ,, VA ,USA.