It’s the System of Governance, Stupid!

Foreword

This feature article is targeted to Ghanaian readers who are under the age of 40 years and who are the children of the baby boomer generation. This Ghanaian generation which can be referred to as the mobile phone generation (Generation SS) grew up during the military regimes when the good people of Ghana were taken hostage. This military junta generation was exposed to mediocrity, kalabule and was fed with contemporary history of the African struggle for self-governance based on myths, misconceptions, misinformation, fantasies, political correctness, lack of common sense, and blatant lies. It is my hope that this article will lead to a serious evaluation of the system of governance in Ghana among this generation, especially those in the Diaspora, and that they would begin to consider sustainable solutions to the problems facing Ghana based on common sense, truth and reality.

Introduction

Since the people of Africa including Ghanaians have not had indigenous written language, they tend to talk in tongues, parables, proverbs, incantations, metaphors and have communicated with drums, screaming noises, songs and folk stories. Therefore, keeping written information, documentation, records or history have not been the forte of the indigenous people of Africa including Ghanaians. This is the reason for considering the old folks as wiser than the young folks in the Ghanaian society. Consequently, the good people of Africa tend to engage in political discourse on the basis of emotions without any attempt to refer to written historical information, common sense, reality and the truth. As human beings we have the right to show our support for issues that come for discussion based on our ingrained biases. However, as human beings, with above average intelligence, we are expected to defend our ideas based on common sense, logic, written and factual historical facts, the truth and reality.

Rules and Regulations

All systems are governed by rules and regulations. There are accepted rules of thumb that allow for quick and dirty decision making process. These rules and regulations are either intrinsic or external, and they are important for the efficient operation of the system. In modern societies (human systems) these rules and regulations are embodied in the constitutions of states. The constitution of a state or country is important for the efficient and orderly running of the affairs of the country and for the rapid development of the country and raise the standard of living of the majority of the people of the country. The system of governance of any civilized society, whether modern or primitive, should be based on the culture, beliefs, environment, aspirations, resources and liabilities of the people of the society. Introduction of a foreign system of governance that is not based on the culture, beliefs, environment, aspirations, resources and liabilities of the people, in a society would invariably always lead to chaos, inefficiency, dysfunctional behavior and eventual failure of the system.

Current System of Governance in Ghana

The system of governance in Ghana and most African countries was established by the colonial Europeans. These Europeans came to Africa with three main purposes in mind: trade and commerce, introduction of Christian religion and civilization of the indigenous people whom they considered as primitive and uncivilized. The Europeans, in the mid-1800 established these systems of governance in Africa for the main purpose of achieving the major goals of the European adventurism vis à vis trade and commerce, Christianity and civilization. These systems of governance were designed to be run and operated by European expatriates and not by the indigenous people of Africa. These systems were not designed to eradicate poverty among the indigenes and were not designed to develop the primitive societies into modern civilized societies. Unfortunately for the good people of Ghana, this system of governance was transferred to the few Ghanaian wannabe “expatriates” who claimed to have fought for independence (or should I say more dependence) from the Europeans. Since, this system of governance was designed to be run and operated by European expatriates, these home-based Ghanaian “expatriates” elites have not been able to work the system efficiently. The home-based Ghanaian expatriates have not and will never be able to operate the system efficiently to develop the country because they did not and have not been able to achieve true European “expatriate” status. It has been said that you can take the African from the village but you cannot take the village from the African. This is exactly what the Europeans did to the Africans. They took these wannabe African expatiates from their villages but they left the village in these Africans. The wannabe African expatriates acquired their expatriate status by observing the European expatriates who were sent to Africa. The European expatriate made sure that the African wannabe expatriates did not acquire the true tenets of European expatriate status which invariably prevented those (Africans) from operating the system of governance efficiently.

The system worked well and was operated efficiently by the European expatriates for almost one century and the Europeans were successful in achieving the purpose of their adventurism into Ghana. After the system was transferred to Ghanaians the society began to experience chaos, inefficiency, degradation, increased poverty and sadly increased primitive behavior (lower standard of living for majority of the people). The rules and regulations of the system were not based on the aspirations of the indigenous people of Ghana and they were not meant to provide sustainable development of the society for the people of Ghana. It is amazing how Ghanaian elites “expatriates” continue to use this system for national development and hope to achieve higher standard of living for the good people of Ghana. The Ghanaian elites have always come up with several excuses to justify their incapability and inability to operate this system which to any intelligent thinker was not designed to be run and operated by them. They have used excuses including bad leadership, corruption, tribalism, cronyism, neo-colonialism, unfair trade practices, etc. to justify their dysfunctional behaviors.

Since independence in 1957, Ghana has had about 8 heads of state with diversely political ideologies. By any standard of measurement, none of these leaders (was) has been able to operate this system of governance efficiently to move the country from its backward state to modernity and prosperity for the majority of the people. The same primitive conditions that majority of the good people of Ghana found themselves before the arrival of the Europeans and after the departure of the Europeans exist now. We cannot list any sustainable societal accomplishment by any of these leaders since they were given the opportunity to operate this system after independence. Yet we continue to hope for a home-based Ghanaian leader to come up to operate this system efficiently and move the nation from primitiveness to modernity with higher standard of living for the good people of Ghana. Insanity has been defined as the act of doing the same thing over and over and getting the same wrong and bad results over and over again. This case is the true definition of INSANITY.

Before independence the European expatriates were able to operate this system efficiently and the good people of Ghana had some sense of pride although there was no apparent movement toward the achievement of higher standard of living. During that period, the excuses of bad leadership, corruption, tribalism, and cronyism were not relevant for the efficient operation of the system of governance. And they are not relevant for the efficient operation of this system now. I believe strongly that if the good people of Ghana were to contract European expatriates including some Ghanaians who have acquired true European expatriate status to come and operate the current system, they would be able to operate it efficiently despite the incidents of bad leadership, corruption, tribalism, cronyism among the indigenes. Hopefully, with the efficient operation of the system, the indigenes will find a way to improve the living conditions of the majority of the good people of Ghana and the country will begin to move from a primitive to a modern society with a higher standard of living.

At this stage, I could go through a whole list detailing what is wrong with the Ghanaian society and how the operation of the current system of governance by home-based Ghanaian elites (wannabe “expatriates”) have contributed to lack of development in Ghana. It will be a waste of my and your time to do so because anybody with an ounce of intelligence and integrity knows about the problems that the Ghanaian society faces. There is in fact, a cottage business on this forum and other forums for some people who waste most of their precious time telling us day in and day out what is wrong with the Ghanaian society without providing any real sensible and sustainable solutions.

It is Time to Take Back the Country!

The truth about the home-based Ghanaian ruling elites (wannabe “expatriates”) is this: they have realized that they do not have the ability to operate the current system of governance efficiently to bring about prosperity for the good people of Ghana. Even those who genuinely did not know this before they became part of the ruling elite learnt very quickly that they could not do any better. However, the other truth is that these ruling elites know very well that to abandon their ruling elite status and give up would mean loosing the benefits that they enjoy by being part of this dysfunctional elitist system. Therefore, it is in their best interest to maintain this bankrupt system of governance that allows them to enjoy all the benefits of “expatriate” living style in Ghana even if it meant that the good people of Ghana would never achieve any meaningful development and prosperity. I wish to emphasize that these home-based ruling elites are not by nature all incompetent or bad people. The fact of the matter is that the system of governance was created and designed to be run and operated by European expatriates and until the system is changed or modified, none of the home-based Ghanaian elites will be able to operate it efficiently for the development of the society. The way forward is for the good people of Ghana to take back the country village by village, town by town, city by city, district by district and region by region.

New System of Governance

The good people of Ghana have been taken hostage for far too long by these “419” home-based elites and it is time for the good people of Ghana to go on the offensive and take proactive steps to take back their country. They have to demand a new system of governance that will be based on their aspirations and their hope of achieving a modern civilized society within the shortest possible time. So far as the good people of Ghana continue to tout these home-based elites (past and present) as heroes without indicting their capabilities, they will continue to wallow in poverty; backwardness, primitiveness and the country will never develop. The present constitution that was written to guide the current system of governance needs to be shredded and replaced with one that will guide the good people from this animated state of backwardness, poverty, humiliation, primitiveness and the lowest standard of living to a modern and developed society with prosperity for the majority of the people.

Ghanaians in the Diaspora

The Ghanaians in the Diaspora should take the lead in this fight. It is amazing how much power they possess although many do not realize it. Some Ghanaians in the Diaspora have earned their badges in this jungle warfare of human development in their adopted foreign countries. Most of them came to their adopted developed countries with virtually nothing and they have worked their way through the system to achieve or accomplish higher standard of living. They did not ask for handouts, they did not use their elite status to demand and enjoy free housing, free transportation, free education for their children, and special treatment by the system. Some started their journey as minimum wage workers, saved their money and established their own small businesses typically the Ghanaian corner stores, travel agency/services, janitorial services, day care centers for children, taxi services, etc. Others continued with their education to obtain advanced degrees and entered the middle class as professionals. Some Ghanaians in the Diaspora have organized ethnic associations for their individual cultural purpose; establish Ghanaian-style churches, entertainment groups, and community organizations, non-profit organizations for social and political change. Some Ghanaians in the Diaspora have the knowledge, experience, resources, and the requisite network to establish and operate a system of governance that will bring the needed change for the good people of Ghana. There are empirical data from among the Ghanaians in the Diaspora to show that under the proper system of governance, Ghanaians are capable of indigenously managing and operating efficient systems to produce positive results.

There should be a steady march toward constitutional convention to prepare a new constitution to guide the new system of governance that will move the good people of Ghana from backwardness into a modern society with a higher standard of living. This is an important task that should be discussed by Ghanaians in the Diaspora at your community or ethnic associations, churches, funeral celebrations, cultural celebrations, at your businesses, sporting events, everywhere that you get the chance to meet. Then you should set a goal of selecting delegates to this constitutional convention to draft a constitution to guide the new system of governance. You owe this to the next generation of Ghanaians. And you must do this to leave them with a blueprint for a future that has a potential for national development and moving majority of the people from primitive living conditions to a modern society with sustainable higher standard of living.

Finally, to the wannabe talking heads, please spare me the insane excuses of leadership, corruption, tribalism, cronyism, laziness, etc. There is empirical evidence to show that these excuses are irrelevant for the efficient operation of the current system of governance. The current system of governance was established to make these excuses irrelevant; and the “419” functionally challenged ruling elites use these excuses to cover their incompetence and incapability to operate the system efficiently.

In human societies, a few people among the population usually create, manage and sustain the conditions for national development that will ultimately lead to higher standard of living. These few people may have special intellectual ability, special talent, special physical endowment, special persuasive ability, special visionary ability, special knowledge for invention and development of new technologies, military prowess, special technical talent, unbridled wealth, and special worldly connections. This special group of people can only perform efficiently in an efficient system of governance and not in a vacuum. They can only perform under the rules and regulation of the system of governance in order to achieve, manage and sustain the development of the society. Without the proper system of governance with well-defined rules and regulations, their special qualities cannot create the enabling conditions and will not manage efficiently nor sustain the conditions for national development. In fact, the empirical evidence from fifty years of independence clearly shows that this can lead to chaos, dysfunctional elitism and lack of development.

Summary

• The current system of governance in Ghana and those of other African countries were created by the Europeans in the 19th Century to manage, maintain and sustain the European adventurism in Africa.

• The major goals and objectives of the European adventurism into Africa were for trade and commerce, spreading the European religion (Christianity) to the indigenes of Africa who were heathens, and to bring civilization to the indigenes who were considered as primitive.

• The system of governance was designed specifically to be run and operated by European expatriates who were sent to these colonies on temporary assignments. These European expatriates served the interest of their home governments only, and they had no obligation and allegiance to the African countries that they were assigned to.

• The system of governance was not designed to be run and operated by wannabe African expatriates

• These wannabe African expatriates acquired their apparent expatriate status by observing and copying from the European expatriates. The Europeans made sure that these African expatriates did not acquire the true European expatriate status and thus prevented them from becoming capable to run and operate the system of government.

• By any standard of measurement, the African wannabe expatriate leaders (were) have not been able to operate this system of governance efficiently to move the country from its backward state to modernity and prosperity for the majority of the people.

• Since, this system of governance was designed to be run and operated by European expatriates, these home-based Ghanaian “expatriates” elites have not been able to work the system efficiently. Home-based Ghanaian wannabe expatriates have not and will never be able to operate the system efficiently to develop the country because they did not and have not been able to achieve true European “expatriate” status.

• The good people of Ghana should demand a new system of governance that will be based on their aspirations and their hope of achieving a modern civilized society within the shortest possible time.

• The good people of Ghana should do whatever it takes to design a system of governance that can be operated by the home-based Ghanaian elites (not wannabe “expatriates”).

Keep Hope Alive!

Robert Mensah-Biney