We must make this once great nation work again. “If you can’t fly, run; if you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl, whatever the situation just keep moving.” That was the refrain of the African Americans in the days of the fight for recognition. It was the cry of black South Africa in the sordid days of apartheid.
It is however, self-evident that Ghana is not flying, she has failed to run, and she is neither walking nor crawling. It is quiet unclear if she is moving or not. Nothing seem to be working and we appear to be at a standstill ‘just kicking the hind leg’. So sad.
At the dawn and few years after independence Ghana was a model state. It was a shining Star and an example for the rest of the world. Global icons and freedom fighters such as Martin Luther King derived profound inspiration from the example of Ghana.
Our nation’s trajectory shortly after the overthrow of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah has not been all inspiring. We have collectively shirked our most basic responsibilities such as the maintenance of basic hygiene, preservation of our fundamental values and so on. And as a consequence, we are unable to curb basic diseases from killing us. We have an unreliable water and power supply.
The tragedy however is that not more than a few years after independence systems have broken down. We are not doing and have not done anything to mend them. This is by no means to suggest that we have not been busy, we have but only to engage in introspective blame game. Indeed we have been busy splitting, apportioning and transferring blames.
Our political parties and for that matter our political traditions have become experts in this introspective blame game. There’s raging competition among our political parties not towards excellence but mediocrity. Our national discourse banally and in large part revolves around which political party has been more excellent in messing our country up. Who is worse than the other appears to be the qualification to serve instead of who is better than the other.
Imagine if the government appointees would spare us the invitation to praise the regime for doing so little and the opposition would also criticise not out of jealousy or skin pain but sincerely as though they were in power too.
Ghana is a great nation. Only if her children would let her be. We must appreciate that, our attitude is not making our nation work. We must change course to make Ghana work again. Yes We Can! Let’s do it!