Lamentations of the ordinary Ghanaian; Ghana, a nation or a painting

I sometimes get confused if I'm in a nation or in a lifeless work of art of an artist. It seems everything is at a standstill in the this lifeless painting of a country and everything within favours the artist. I'm tempted to ask this, is Ghana, a nation or a painting?

A NATION protects its own and rule by a constitution in most cases especially under a democratic rule of which Ghana is one. A NATION subjects not its citizens to hours of frustration always. From employment down to health and education. Is a place where access to employment, healthcare and education is a privilege not right, a nation?

Why I'm I comparing our dear nation to a painting? A PAINTING is a lifeless work of art whose life can only be seen by the artist. A PAINTING can only be altered anytime by an artist. It lies silently and awaits the holder and owner of the brush and pencil to alter it anytime it feels like. This is what our country has become. A PAINTING in the hands of artistic politicians who only alter the painting anytime to suit them.

Ghana, a PAINTING or a NATION?

It seems only some few sections of the 1992 constitution of Ghana receives attention and are executed. Sections that favour the minority which includes our hungry politicians and their entourage of high-class men. It's a pity that the life of the ordinary Ghanaian is of no value to them except the thumb of their fingers which tremble each day for survival.

The trembling of the hands in search of food and survival is never seen by the greedy politician but their eyes are fixed on the thumbs which put them in power. Hmmm!!!, I sigh always and ask myself this question whenever I see children and the youth involved in all kinds of social vices, What is the future of this nation, a nation without hope for her children?

A NATION that is much more interested in writing long idle documents rather than implementing them cannot be any better than this. I decided to look through the 1992 constitution to find out if it has provisions for all these and I was a bit shocked at what I found and was quick to remember that we live in a country which specializes in writing a lot of idle documents. I think we deserve a place in the Guinness book of records for this. It will be best if we decided to start writing out books and documents out for the world. We could have a comparative advantage in that.

Chapter five of the 1992 constitution spells out the fundamental human rights of the ordinary Ghanaian.

13. (1) No person shall be deprived of his life intentionally. Is it not the government's wicked intention to deprive us of our lives when the cost of accessing quality health care is very high and there are limited infrastructure and resources? Lives are lost everyday due to high cost of healthcare delivery, limited infrastructure and resources. Hmmm!!!

27. (1) Special care shall be accorded to mothers during a reasonable period before and after childbirth yet most of these pregnant women stay home without going for antenatal and prenatal since they don't have the means to. Some even end up dying as a result of this.

28. (2) Every child has the right to be protected from engaging in work that constitutes a threat to his health, education or development yet we see every day how children are engaged in streetism, child labour, etc. just to survive because our systems are failed to the extent that they have no mercy even for the child.

28. (4) No child shall be deprived by any other person of medical treatment, education or other social or economic benefit by it seems our loving government has taken over the duty of the any other person. I see videos of children who need access to health care to prevent them from dying every day and I wonder if we have a government in place, or we are living under the statement, "each one for himself, God for us all"?.

24. (1) Every person has the right to work under satisfactory, safe and healthy conditions and shall receive pay for equal work without distinction of any kind yet there are not even enough jobs, and those who have are working under terrible conditions and are not even being paid. Strikes from all angles.

This is what interests me the most;

25.(1) All persons shall have the right to equal educational opportunities and facilities.

1. (a) Basic education shall be free, compulsory and available to all. (b&c) Secondary and higher education shall be made equally accessible to all by every appropriate mean, and in particular, by the progressive introduction of free education.

Hmmm!!! Eei Ama Ghana. I guess we are still at the retrogressive stage, so this is not yet possible. Maybe, our parents will be getting refunds soon for paying for the fees of the young ones in our government basic schools. I rest my case on this issue because I don't want to start showing emotions.

Is this the nation that was left unto us?

A NATION that has enslaved its own.

What is the future of this nation?

A NATION without hope for her people.

Once again, I ask, IS GHANA, A NATION OR A PAINTING?

©Mercy Asamani Mercedes