Opinions of Tuesday, 28 January 2014

Columnist: Scofray Nana Yaw Yeboah

Ghana's "diasporians" must either put up with or shut up

In 1948, the persecuted Jews embarked on a massive homecoming. They never asked what kind of foundation had been laid down to make their lives comfortable. Today, Israel is one of the most developed nations in the world though half the size of Costa Rica.

The renaissance of China which led to the rebuilding of a modern was done irrespective of her citizens in the diaspora, requesting for a foundation to be laid before they journeyed back to their country, to build their nation. The modern China has the largest army possessing some of the fiercest forms of weapons in the world.

The biblical account of Israelites’ exodus from Egypt to the promise land was without claims of a foundation for them by the Canaanites.

Unlike other racial, the sons and daughters of Ama Ghana in the diaspora scream the loudest as to how situations are tough; reasons why it’s difficult to invest in Ghana; lack of this and that. Many of our forefathers sojourned in the white man’s land and acquired education, yet came home to fight for independence not looking at what and who has laid a right foundation. What is more, the very people who see everything wrong with Ghana because of comfort in the west had their basic, secondary and even tertiary education in Ghana.

Those in the diaspora pretend to feel our pains than those of us living here in Ghana; they speak as though nothing is being done by those of us home. They insult our intelligence with, “Ghana is sitting on timed-bomb, Ghana is ripped for an Arab spring, and the youth of Ghana are cowards to cause a spring and many loose talks”.

While the likes of Prof. Frimpong Boateng, (a renowned Ghanaian heart surgeon), Patrick Awuah of Ashesi University, Paul Akwaboah (investor), James (raincoat roofing) etc. decided to come home to build systems, others have decided to live in their comfort zones in the west and call us names. I mean no disrespect, but the excuse of remittances sent home, compared to the taxes they pay elsewhere and monies they spend abroad is insignificant.

The Jews, Chinese, Japanese etc did not only send money home, they made a dedicated effort to see their nations built than to discourage the builders with painful words. Many from within have developed businesses to attract foreign investment and partnerships.

Can we all imagine what development would have transpired if every diasporan owned one acre of farmland? Until you live in the dark, you would not know what you have, to create light.

If our diasporans cannot afford to lose their ‘goodie goodies’ to come and help build Ama Ghana, they should SHUT UP and let us build our country. “Rome was never built in a day” and every foreigner is in Ghana for the interest of their country; can the same be said of our own in the west? The British built Britain; Americans built America, and Chinese built China etc. For a fact, none of these nations were built from without; they were all built from within, with sacrifices from those who were living better lives elsewhere.

We have a dream of a developed and growing Ghana and we will surely build it. So now, it’s either you are part of the building process or you shut up from unnecessary and unproductive criticism from your pretending comfort zones.

Long live the hope of Africa. Long live Ama Ghana!