The ?Shibboleth? of Ghana, (ROPAB).

?Art thou a citizen of Ghana? If yes, say now ?shibboleth?

I do not intend to discuss the issue of ROPAB ad nauseum. After all, the bill is passed. It is in deed the right of every qualified Ghanaian Citizen home or abroad to take part in the democratic process and exercise his or her rights to vote. This is unquestionable. But we should also understand that our duties as Citizens do not come about only by the ballot box. In a way I am impressed with the level of civil discussions that the issue has raised. I only pray that the same level of passion is focused on issues concerning the electrical grid, education, employment, healthcare, sanitation and our tap borne water network challenges in Ghana.

My previous article, ? Citizenship and ROPAB?, caused some consternation among a few. Those who feel our daily remittance are sacred and must never be touched and those concerned about the question of Citizenship. Let me briefly comment on these two points to calm the purveyors of panic. Of course the daily remittance plays a vital role in Ghana?s economy. But this is what we must be concerned about; by our undue focus on this element of the economy we turn the country into a state where the only ambition of the average citizen is to leave the country. And the justification: to earn foreign currency so I can send money home. If you read the Skill Drain report published in February 2005 by Dr. Kwadwo Mensah, Ghanaian trained doctors and nurses have left Ghana in droves. Also the skilled labour force between the age group of 18 and 40 are leaving. If we loose focus on the pillars of growth and development, (a) retaining the productive age bracket of 18 and 40 year olds, (b) providing sound education policies so they are well educated and can deliver (c) ensuring that they are productively employed, Ghana will end up with a massive economic liability.

India today is turning itself into a powerhouse. Quoting what Zakaria wrote on his account of ?India Everywhere?, he said, ?India?s rise as a global power in terms of economy is happening not because of the government, but largely despite it...? Perhaps like India we do not have the gleaming infrastructure. What India has is a vast and growing numbers of entrepreneurs and this is what we need in Ghana today. We have our priorities misplaced. One correspondent, estimates that Ghanaians in London alone spend over 2 million pound sterling ($3.5 million) on funerals each year and another 3.5 million pounds sterling ($6.0 million) on Ghana churches sprouted all over London. I believe Ghanaians in the US spend well over ten times this amount on the same.

If only we would understand that, the souls that are perishing are that of those who do not have clean water to drink, who do not even have the opportunity to experience life to an age where they can read and appreciate Christianity or any faith, those who die before their time because of poor healthcare rather than supporting mega luxury churches with their hefty mortgages, souls would be saved.

When it comes to ROPAB and voting rights, the law must be upheld. The intention of ROPAB is not just to count numbers, well, I hope not but to protect the rights of qualified and lawful citizens of all Ghanaians. One such mechanism would be to link voters registration to the Home office and Home land Security. With your valid passport, a fingerprint and a State issued photo ID it may not be difficult to determine who qualifies for a Ghanaian citizenship and who does not.

The gentler option is to ask those who claim they are Ghanaians in the Diaspora to say ?Shibboleth?. I believe all the tribes can say ?Shibboleth?. ?If thou art a Ghanaian citizen, say now ?Shibboleth?? This would weed out the renegades.

Dr.George Oteng-Attakora,
Florida. USA

Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.