We all have some cynical politicians who never speak the truth to those who actually need to hear the truth because they believe the truth hurts and that is wrong. Mankind needs to speak the truth and hear the truth all the times even if it is devastating.
Many times politicians from the Northern Regions in Ghana blame the government that their regions are the poorest in the country in terms of national development projects if one compares their areas to the other regions across the country. The truth in this is, our Ghanaian government does not develop any of the Regions well in Ghana excerpt the Greater Accra Region. This has been the nation’s economical development dilemma from the previous administration to the current administration. They need to stop neglecting the other Regions. No political party or administration has been able to pass a legislation to reduce the unfair business practices by developing only the greater Accra Region whenever they come to office. Political leaders in our nation have always believed that the development in the capital is their only major interest. They have believe that people will judge them when they come to office by that criterion alone--- the development of not the rural areas or the obscure places, where the masses lived before they left for the urban areas for a better life. This negative ideological mind set from the politicians signifies that these leaders lack innovative ideas to develop the rural areas for people to live within their own communities where people can work and help their grandparents and stay in their communities. We all know this is not what is happening in Ghana. People left their areas for urban places which have now created urban problems for most of the Regions in Ghana. Our brothers and sisters from the Northern Region have not yet acknowledged how they have brought national attention to the role of big city politics during the general election and neglecting their own northern region. As a result of this, I urge my brothers, sisters and Nananum, who are descendants from the Northern Region that they should not blame or rely on anybody but themselves. These sycophant politicians will promise and promise to them but they will fail them because this is called in politics “business as usual” it is part of that business as usual that man fail on the economic promises. As the former American president John F Kennedy once famously said “as citizens do not think what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” The people from the Northern Region in Ghana who travel from the North to East, South and West of the country have refused to go back to the Northern Regions and develop their own area if they become self sufficient. They preferred to establish themselves in the area where they came to work rather than going back to their native Northern Region with their resources to develop their area. These ideological policies from some of our brothers and sisters refusing to go back home will continue to have vital economic impact on the entire Region. We all know the government is responsible for infrastructure development, but the citizens can also do something to help their community. During the early 1970s the people from the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions began to migrate to Europe and America through their efforts they have been able to bring some developments in their communities. Recently I went to Asiri in the Brong Ahafo Region. When I reached Sunyani and Berekum I was impressed by how the people from the area who traveled outside their communities have returned and developed their areas. I wish all Ghanaians including the people from the North, South, East; West and the Central Regions, will have the same vision and do the right thing to help their own communities.
From: Nana Kofi Amankwah (New York)