The Ghanaian’s Ingratitude

I am born and bred in Ghana and for my octogenarian years, I have lived in this beloved country of ours, except on some occasions when I have had the privilege to travel to other foreign countries for studies and holidays.

As a Ghanaian, I am proud and aware we love peace and overtly demonstrate great hospitability towards foreigners but to fellow Ghanaians, our hospitality sometimes has definitions. We are corrupt, garrulous, gullible, easily swayed by rumours and sometimes very frivolous. We are supposed to be intelligent, not timid but have a lot of patience and slow to anger.

With these characteristics, we have lived peacefully as a nation for the past 67 years after independence with few skirmishes but not in prosperity. Prosperity, the consequences of peace has eluded us because we lack patriotism, we are seriously corrupt, and many are lazy, and the level of dishonesty is so high. Our approach to national issues is very pathetic, especially when it comes to the use of government properties, finances, interests, and many others. We behave as if Ghana is a 'FAT COW' that must always be milked by every Ghanaian.

We complain bitterly about everything especially, the shortcomings of our governments as if they are infallible. How can governments who come to rule us for periods of time (four to eight years) be the cause of all our predicaments, even though I recognise the damage some of them have done. I do share the view that they are part of our problems but not all as many Ghanaians believe.

The USA's President John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural address to the American people stated, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” Many Ghanaians believe that our governments should literally put food into our mouths and when digestion has been completed, provide the necessary cleaning materials.

As we approach 2024 elections, most of us have concentrated our efforts criticising the NPP and the NDC and most notably, the presidential candidates as if they hold all the keys to our survival other than ourselves. Whatever programmes these governments put up can only be implemented by Ghanaians and no other citizens. All we do is to condemn actions supposedly done and undone by the two political parties, forgetting that the supporters are Ghanaians who are also contributors to the problems.

First and foremost, it is the Ghanaian who casts his or her vote to elect the next president. If a wrong president is elected, the electorate could also be partly blamed. Secondly, it is the Ghanaian who the next government will appoint to hold the various high offices of governance. Thirdly, it is the Ghanaian who will supervise and execute various government decisions and policies.

These Government appointees constitute a fraction of the population. So, in the final analysis, who should be blamed for our predicament? Simply put – THE GHANAIAN.

It is our attitude that has brought us thus far and Ghana can only progress if collectively we change our attitude towards the nation building. We talk about politicians as if they are different species, but we Ghanaians make them what they are and contribute to their progress and failures.

Just imagine some politicians (names withheld) who were unknown a couple of years ago and now being hailed and worshiped because they are filthy rich. Some are not known to have established any businesses and yet they share dollars in their political campaigns. Ask yourselves how did they become so rich? The money did not come from space but from Ghanaians.

Take a case of a medical doctor who has been trained professionally agreeing to grant a worker several days of sick leave for sickness which does not exist, and for that unprofessional conduct, a worker could stay out of work for several days but at the end of the month would collect his or her salary.

Imagine the number of illegal connections involved in the supply of water and electricity by unscrupulous Ghanaians who want to avoid paying the necessary tariffs the Government needs to improve the maintenance and supply the necessary services. Besides illegal connections, Ghanaians steal high tension poles, cables and transmitters. They pour acid at the foot of pylons and destroy them over a period.

These activities are not done by politicians but Ghanaians who are complaining about infrastructure and inefficient delivery services. In respect of water and electricity, it's about 35% of the revenue that are being received by the Government Agency, and how does one expect services to improve? When there is power outage, Ghanaians behave as if they have lived all their lives in the United States or other developed countries where power outages hardly occur.

Fuel in government vehicles are siphoned daily by drivers for sale or their personal use. At the end of the month, they shamelessly collect their salaries. The total amount of fuel siphoned each month from government vehicles alone is enough to pay their salaries for years. This practice is not only done by individual drivers of various government institutions but also tankers from NPA.

Look at our tax obligations and ask yourself how many Ghanaians are paying taxes among the population of 31 million and you will be shocked to the bone. Only 2,364,348 are bearing the burden of the entire population and this was stated by the finance minister presenting the 2022 budget to parliament in December. Institutions that exist to collect the taxes won't leave the few taxes they collect alone but dip their fingers into the coffers and further deplete the monies that are due the government.

Ghanaians complain about lack of job opportunities, but foreigners come here and within a short spell of time make millions. The amazing expansion of China Malls, Melcom and many others in recent years has baffled many Ghanaians, but where are the Ghanaian billionaires?

The law enforcement agencies are corrupt and weak in prosecution. The Judicial system is cumbersome and slow to deliver justice. Criminals get away with heinous crimes and become rich in the society. Just imagine the recent accident on Tema-Mpakadan Railway Line.

The NDC has not condemned the incident but has denied any wrongdoing. The Communication Director, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi, has described it as a “railway line to nowhere” because he claims the NDC initiated the plan, but the NPP wrongly executed it. The ex-President also did not condemn whoever was responsible for the incident but made a mockery of it by asking whether the trial test was conducted without prior test inspection of the rail line.

The accident occurred on April 18, 2024 when Hyundai truck GS9018-20 was abandoned at a point on the rail line was hit by the new train. The vehicle was tactically parked on the rail line near a curve to reduce the train driver's reaction time. The motives behind the incident are unknown but from all indications this was a planned sabotage.

The accident speaks volumes of the mentality of some Ghanaians and overall reaction of the NDC. The accident occurred on April 18, 2024 and the driver was tried and convicted on April 19, 2024. One of the fastest trials in Ghana. Why the rush to prosecute without detailed investigations? Well, so many questions remain unanswered but irrespective of NDC's denials of involvement, all fingers are pointing at them, and public opinion will judge them. Do Ghanaians really want development?

Our first President observed the poverty of the Northern Region of our country and introduced free education to improve the living conditions. The results today need not be recounted, but when a similar programme is extended to the South which has been denied all these years, some misguided beneficiaries of the Northern programme dare challenge and condemn the Free SHS.

Ghanaians are acclaimed to be intelligent people but is this a MYTH or REALITY? We have allowed individual aspirations to attain parochial financial and material gains to the detriment of majority of Ghanaians. We do not care anymore about our collective interests and consequently, we have become selfish and greedy individuals.

Many citizens in other countries have sacrificed in diverse ways to develop their nations and the time has come for Ghanaians to do the same. Blaming politicians for our woes when we have been contributing morally and physically, like the train accident, will not help our nation building.

We should strive to do what President Kennedy asked Americans to do for America. As we approach election 2024, let's be more patriotic to elect a candidate who can lead the nation to prosperity, and not candidates who want to satisfy their egos or ambitions or think they have the right to the presidency.

“The future is created by what we do today, not tomorrow.” – Robert Kiyosaki