Where We Need To Be Careful
We have assumed entrenched positions on matters affecting our dear motherland, Ghana most of the time and it is surprising that logically, such positions do not stem from facts of the matter on the ground but rather those belonging to which political party one belongs. We have become accustomed to the yesteryears when our children in primary schools and the youth were indoctrinated by the CPP under Kwame Nkrumah with his young pioneers being taught to disobey authority but to fear only him. He made us believe that the only best thing good for Ghana was the Chinese Communism. It was the period you dared not question the propriety of anything done by any government officials, whether good or bad, we the citizens were nothing before the then president except those in the CPP.
As if that was not enough, we are going to go through another systematic encroachment on our rights that you dared not open your mouth, only God knows what would happen to you. The scars are there for all to see in the sense that Ghanaians have been affected psychologically and our way of thinking as compared to other nations is affected. I am referring to the draconian regime of JJ Rawlings who thought that the only way he could reverse the entrepreneurial ability of the Ghanaian was confiscation of businesses by handing them over to lazy people in our society. As he preached hard work on the podiums and platforms, behind the scenes, all those who had laboured to own businesses became his enemies and they needed to be taught a lesson. In a country of cowards and jokers, a leader gets away with whatever he does to civil society after all they are vulnerable so it becomes easier to use fear and intimidation to let us say yes to whatever he said. As it is, we now live in a country where common sense is jettisoned to the depths of the sea.
It is very worrying to listen to the debate that goes on in our country bothering on national issues. Ghanaians have so much emotional attachment to political party affiliations and as such it is extremely difficult for any sensible dialogue to take place. On one side you have these fortunate over-pampered educated people, who have sold their conscience to communist ideology and to them, you do not talk common sense. Like Fela Anikulapo Kuti said, they are like zombies, once the order is from the head, no matter how disastrous it is on the Ghanaian society, it must be made to be followed.
I have never in my life as a citizen of our country seen any of them stand up to challenge acts and actions capable of plunging Ghana into disaster. They are so emotional when it comes to matters affecting their party that even if it needs human life,the party will be supreme and the necessary action will need to be taken.
On the other hand are all the cowards, who have reputation to protect and would not like to be maligned in anyway by these people. In short, many of us are sitting on the sidelines, even though there are situations we know are detrimental to the well-being of our country but for the fear of reprisals, we prefer to be silent. The question is: “How long can we allow them to kill our prophets as we sit down and wail” as Bob Marley rightly said?
How long are we going to wait until we get one Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa who was able to stand up to the excesses of Kutu Acheampong? I say how long can Ghanaians realise that if things are not right, it is not : God who will come from heaven to fix them but we ourselves. How long can we realise that we need to live inheritance for our children and their childrens children? How long can we continue to live in FEAR to the extent that blind people will continue to turn us all to be blind men and women.
It is my candid resolve as member of Ghanamindset team that, we do something about our way of tackling national issues. We should not allow partisanship dictate issues but our determination to build Ghana no matter what party one belongs to.