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The deputy Minister for Local
Government, Mr Elvis Afiriyie Ankrah, is reported to have said on Radio
Gold, a day after the IEA Presidential debate that Nana Akufo-Addo
sounded more like a preacher or a motivational speaker.
He
probably meant this as a put down, but really if that is what President
Mahama’s Campaign Manager can say about their main opponent, then it is
complimentary. It means Nana Addo succeeded in engaging Afriyie Ankrah’s
attention, as a good preacher would do, and even motivated him. I
thought being able to motivate is one of the requisite qualities of an
able leader! But seriously if you survey the mess that is Africa, and
hence Ghana, why would you not preach?
We have a country that is
ruled by a collection of individuals who think that to be successful as a
government; you only just have to follow the minimum that the
Constitution prescribes. Thus their only act in government is to collect
revenue, make the statutory allocations to the Get Fund, District
Assemblies Common Fund and the Road Fund, among others, and then sit
back and enjoy the perks of their offices whilst these funds provide
some disparate infrastructure.
Come election time this is
supposed to provide the evidence of delivery. It does not matter to them
that energy supply is not reliable; it does not matter to them that
they have not invested the national income in areas that would multiply
it to add to national wealth; and it does not matter to them that our
outdated, opaque, corrupt and inefficient delivery systems have not seen
any reforms. In such circumstances, we surely do need more preachers to
tell us some home truths.
If a country as resource-rich as Ghana
is, after 55 years of independence, still exports raw materials with no
value addition; if we sit down and allow ourselves to be swamped by
Chinese nationals, who are polluting our rivers and damaging the
environment, with no action on the part of government; someone needs to
preach to us for a change.
If after 55 years of independence, we
cannot finance the construction of even 1 kilometre road without
recourse to loans, we need to be told some uncomfortable truths. After
55 years of independence, if government bragging rights are all about
success in obtaining the highest loan from the IMF or $3bn loan from the
Chinese, then something is seriously wrong that merits the call for
change in direction.
Annually we consign close to 200,000 15-year
olds to a lifetime of hopelessness and ignorance. Instead of putting
our thinking caps on to determine how to re-arrange our priorities or
identify the means to generate additional national income to educate
these children, we give the flimsy excuse that the country cannot
afford.
We are rather relaxed in seeing to it that the ruling
classes enjoy lives of comfort, ride in the most comfortable and latest
of cars whiles our rural folks, who work hard to generate the national
income, live wretched lives characterised by ignorance, poverty and
disease. In such circumstances, do we not need preachers to drum home to
us that we are charting the wrong course?
Despite our plight, we
will not appoint able and experienced Ghanaians (within and without the
country) to help lift the nation up. Rather, due to extreme political
partisanship, you will find clueless party appointees in charge of
ministries and serving on important state boards, in whose hands the
fate of 25 million people has been placed. Why would preachers not
appear from everywhere?
The people need to be given messages of
hope, lest they end their lives. It has not been uncommon in recent
times for very young persons, who should have been looking forward to
long and fruitful lives, taking their own lives.
The level of
incompetence in government will make anyone justified to preach. Who
ever thought that a government of Ghana will dole out GHS51 Million to
an individual who had had no dealings with the state? Is it not
embarrassing for a government to be in court claiming it had been
defrauded by an individual, using a largely unsophisticated means, where
all that was required to prevent such payment was a little more
diligence?
In the light of all these, if Nana Akufo Addo
establishes a church, and if the sermon is about transforming our
nation, educating our children, and opening up the workings of
government to make them transparent, I will be amongst the congregation.
I
will not be following him blindly though, for the preacher must
practice what he preaches and I will be ready to criticise if he does
not deliver. But at least his preaching for change is preferable to
someone defending the status quo. Ghana must move in a different
direction and in that quest we need more preachers and motivational
speakers to get us to change the current course! |
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| Source: Dr Yaw Ohemeng, Manchester, UK |
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