Opinions of Sunday, 8 August 2010

Columnist: Donkor, Samuel

What a hell is going on in Ghana?

WHAT A HELL IS GOING ON IN
GHANA?
-disorder
everywhere
by Samuel
Donkor

Since the ousted of he first Republic, Ghana has never experienced any serious
accelerated socio-economic development up to this day.
Progress in development and social infrastructure has been at a snail-pace and
continue to be a major problem coupled with moral values faded out.

This has been the result of long years of military adventurism under the guise
of so-called Revolutions, that were fake and interrupted development
progress.
Under these regimes, there was massive neglect of many sectors of governance.
Meaningful ongoing projects and programs under their predecessors'
administrations were discontinued, thereby setting development progress aback.
Also under these military intervention regimes, opportunist civilian advisers
and administrators, without principles and unpatriotic, had field- days to eat
into the beards of the soldiers, as a local palance goes. They focused on
acquiring personal economic power, put their intergrity at stake and
collaborated with the soldiers in government, who themselves, as novices to
governance, also enjoyed the largess around the seat of government,to the
neglect of many important and basic issues, such as the moral fibre of the
people, social development and civic responsibilities.

Since then, there has been a gradual upsurge of moral decadence in the country
coupled with many negative practices and attitudes going on in both governance
and society, that has set and continue to set this country far back in
development progress. Despite many complaints, reports and advices from
concerned citizens and advisers, authorities remain myopic for reasons best
known to them.

Go round the country,there are many projects and programs, that have been
shoddly executed or halfway abandoned. Most of these projects and programs
were/are ovver estimated in cost, according to some past auditors reports. A
negative practice in government sector known as over invoicing and under
invoicing, which is costing the State billions of Cedis yearly Monies estimated
for one project,when in sincerity, could execute two or more projects. The
Government sector is very wasteful in oneway or the other and it is a gold mine
in Ghana and for that matter Africa, for public servants to enrich their
pockets. This practice is one factor causing set-backs in development progress
in Africa...

There is also neglect everywhere and it seems, institutions, public officials,
implementing and monitoring agncies of laws and regulations are tothless,
sleeping or corrupt ,such that, everybody seems to be doing what he/she likes in
the system.Both citizenry and public officials have become passive,

lawless and unpatriotic; they focus more on how to fill their pockets and are
never security conscious and civic responssible; hence their vuneralbility
to scams, swindlers, 419 frauds,and all kinds of cheatings etc. making the
society becoming survival for the fitters.
Meaningful government projects and programsare not implemented and left on the
shelfs to dust; and when implemented, are not monitored, and when
monitored,wrong feed-back given.
Both politicians and public officials talk too much, but do very little Their
corruption canker, passiveness and unpatriotic behaviors, attitudes and
characters towards work in the govt. sector are killers to good governance and
retard progress.
Condoning and coniving with foreigners by some responsible citizens of this
country, to dupe this nation of billions of cedis, at the expense of the poor
people is also a matter of concern.

The lawlessness, indiscipline, careless behaviors and negative attitudes of the
people, that we are experiencing today, is the result of many years of fallen
educational standards and neglect of the Moral values and civic education this
nation once enjoyed.

It is time public officials become publicl servants, instead of public lords
and also become pro active to serve the people eefectively according to the laws
and regulations to bring sanity to the system.
The country, Ghana is suffering from indscipline, lawlessness and disorderliness
for far too long. Its now time for action by all.

Implementation andmonitoring are very important factors that is lacking or
ineffective in our governance system, which is costing this nation a great deal.
Ghana is always first to initiate or start some projects and programs in black
Africa, but always the last to benefit or enjoy it or never.
The 9day wonder syndrome has become part of a culture where projects and
programs are rushed for take offs and thats it.

Enforcement of laws and regulations is another area of concern. In general,
discriminative enforcement of laws is a menace to good governance and gives
room to rampart abuse of priveledges and disrespect for authority
Today laws and regulations in this country are not working, and if they are
working, not effective and if effective, they are discriminative.
The city of Accra, like the others, is in uncontrollable filth; residents are
carefree in lifestyle and attitude; refuse waste is dumped anywhere
indiscriminately;commercial drivers drive carelessly and park anywhere with
impunity disregarding road signs all under the eyes of both the public and the
police; scavengers dump their scrap collections anywhere, on walkways and
pavements blocking pedistrian movements; people urinate anywhere in the cities,
especially on walls, even if there is a written warning Do not urinate here(fine
50Ghc). There is indiscipline all over, especially with the youth who know no
manners or or ettiquet and without proper course of direction and becoming
stubborn.

The town and country planning outfits also seem not to exist, and if they exist,
toothless and buildings and structures are put upanywhere with impunity covered
with fake permits or without.

All these developmental and social problems are a moral issue.Unless Ghanaians
change their greedy attitude, eschew egotism, become incorruptible,

patriotic,nationalistic,self-disciplined and stop their negative lifestyles to
live a positive life, this country will continue to experience very little
development progress.
I write you the truth; DO NOT BE DECEIVED, GOD IS NOT
MOCKED; FOR WHATSOEVER A MAN SOWETH, THAT SHALL HE ALSO REAP.


Samuel Donkor Mob. 0242 809352
E-mail : samdonkies@yahoo.com

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