You are here: HomeOpinionsArticles2005 05 19Article 81796

Opinions of Thursday, 19 May 2005

Columnist: Adofo, Rockson

Ghana Is In Pain

I am overwhelmed, and emotionally disappointed at the very thought of the precious blood of our forefathers shed in their audacious suicidal struggle, to wrestle freedom and power from the imperialists, colonial white overlords, in perception of ensuring and guaranteeing better lives, human dignity and decency for their offspring, being a total waste. In my visualization, they are restlessly turning in their graves, weeping their eyes out, licking their wounds in regret and biting their fingers in doubt, saying "had we known", but obviously, are always at last.

One may question to know why this? The answer is not far fetched. The present day Ghana is in total disarray, a complete divergence from the conceived aspiration for a better Ghana by our forefathers. They carried out their vision in collective selflessness, denying themselves any acts of individualism, hence the end achievement of the dreams of their heart, the liberation of Ghana, the then Gold Coast, from the shackles of mental, physical, and psychological slavery, as well as from white race dominion and superiority, in our own land.

Has the present day Ghana justified the gargantuan sacrifices of human lives and arbitrary imprisonment suffered by our forefathers at the hands of the colonialists all for the benefit of posterity? The answer is a dismal No! The immeasurable efforts and sacrifices made in the face of the then obvious hostilities to procure us freedom have now come to naught, unmatched by our insurmountable egocentric inclinations devoid of any slightest act of collectivism.

Ghana as a ship with visionless captains at the rudder, unable to decide the directional bearings and steer it clear from palpable dangers is doomed, heading uncontrollably towards her Bermuda Triangle, a bay of no return, shrouded in hallucinatory mysteries.

Apart from Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who really had ambitious plans for Ghana right from its very inception at liberation, though saddled with, and thwarted by their peculiar problems, and the tentative attempts by Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia to continue in the vision and same vein as our forefathers, but which drive was sadly cut short by the military dabbling into politics, all the subsequent leaders are without any clear-cut gigantic projects to wrestle Ghana from her downward spiral turn. They are practically clueless, without the gut to carry through to manifestation whichever good intentions they might entertain. They always settle for what now are the order of the day, selfishness, nepotism, tribalism, non chalance and embezzlement of public funds by either themselves and or their cronies. Whatever good intentions they might have are shallow as they themselves have no far reaching sight to foretell the end result of any such intentions." Good intentions alone cannot bring about world peace" as the popular saying goes. It is therefore prerequisite that such noble intentions are backed by relevant practicalities, the very area Ghana leaders owing to holding tenaciously unto villainous parochial-mindedness, fall far too short.

My beloved Ghana is weeping and wailing because of the inactions and or actions of her sons and daughters to their own demise. Almost everyone is guilty of some act of some sort. While a few callous politicians and military adventurisms are taking the country for insane ride, viewing in their warped minds being in government or politics is an arena for amassing wealth, commanding respect and ordering people about, the majority of us sit down either with arms folded around the chest or twirling the fingers, lost in thoughts of some kind, with gaped mouths as though nothing mischievous is in the cooking.

To bring back smile unto the face of mother Ghana, there is the obligation to undergo total transformation of character by every individual Ghanaian for the better. The inherent malevolence in us, culminating in viewing life as a tight competitive race to be won among and between us as separate entities, the joy in which is to see all others fallen along the path of the track, thus the downfall of all others in life, must cease thereof. For Ghanaians in their mad drive for self-recognition, attention and importance, have forgotten that "in unity we stand, but in division we fall" or better put, "in unity lays strength".

Every strong nation on the face of the earth was built by not only the sweat, but also the blood of their citizens. Ghana has not sufficiently undergone such periodic metamorphosis hence, the light regard for the laws of the land by especially those who happen to lead the country, letting its citizens permanently suffering abuses and hard conditions of living whilst a handful enjoy the little there is to enjoy. This does not call for a lanky disgruntled military opportunist, to take up arms in usurpation of power in what they term in their parochial parlance as revolution, but in pursuit of their selfish agendas as usual. A cue of the popular revolution capable of righting things in rotten societies as ours should be taken from the French revolution of 1789. The suffering poor come into conclusion to say themselves, "enough is enough, we've put up with nonsense for far too long and it is about time drastic action was taken to put things right". The present shamble democratization abounding in vote rigging is never an answer to ensuring due process, justice and transparency of governance in Ghana.

Ghana feels cheated when its leaders after committing despicable acts against humanity indemnify themselves writing into the constitution clauses of "no accountability but indemnity", throwing dirt or robbing chilli, into our eyes in broad daylight. This is quite preposterous.

Until when will Ghana unceasingly dab tears off her eyes owing to the ridiculous acts and the villainy of Ghanaians?

New breed of selfless, truly God-fearing leaders are needed to steer Ghana clear from the ongoing and impending doom of probable population extinction through diseases, hunger and utter poverty. Leaders with vision, conviction and purpose of drive, of course, are called for.



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