It is July 1st, Republic Day

It is 1st July, Republic Day, which by due convention has become the Senior Citizens' Day. It is one exclusive day of the year when Senior Citizen Pensioners by invitation walk confidently to the State House in Accra to dine and wine with one another of their age, among the top political personnel of the political leadership of the day. It is aptly the Senior Citizens' day. Independent Ghana came of age proper on 1st July, 1960 when the Queen of England's Governor General finally said goodbye to us and went home. It was a solemn moment for the politics of colonization which had then run over a Century with us. The old should recall all that and tell it all to the youth of our time. Our republican status confirmed our common name of Ghana, which cuts across the fragments of names by which we were known in pre-independent days. We have ever since been trying to make the name a name to cherish. After all, the name Gold Coast and the name Ghana have the same meaning as a gold-rich country. It is of the very self same Ghana the Songster sang 'Ghana the Land of Freedom, Ghana my Happy Home, Ghana the Land of Plenty! The name has been our pride ever since. We have had it free and plenty and happy for the most part of our lives. Our currency (Ghana Money), for example, used to be one of the strongest ever everywhere at the money market. It was reckoned to be stronger even than the dollar, and equivalent only to the British pound. It was Ghana to go, and live in plenty. And living in plenty also meant living with very hospitable people. Life generally was hospitable and less expensive. A little amount of Ghana money did wonders in terms of what money can buy. It was worth the Senior Citizen Pensioner's sweat and his selfless service. A gratuity of some ¢98,000 could in those days buy him sixteen three-bed room estate houses any where in hospitable Ghana of matchless plenty. Senior citizens virtually did not age. The strains and stresses of ageing did not exist, thanks to the considerably low cost of living in a generous political and economic environment where the vital services of health, education, water and electricity were virtually free. Ghana used to be a cherished name indeed. The journey along life's many pathways was not in any hurry. The destination to reach was waiting as a matter of course. There was little or no perfidy in the social system to give anyone undue headaches. What was remarkable in the labour front was the determination of workers to work hard to give satisfaction to all. And the good old days were really good. There was much space to move in, and out about, and occupy. The environment was quieter, and safer and friendlier. Covetuous corruption was an unknown state of thought and action. It should be the peculiar world of the senior citizen of Ghana today, who was himself good, and kind and selfless, and so easily virtuous. Surely, Ghana then in the garb of the Gold Coast was like a dreamland with her people's social and economic institutions, and all. Everybody was esteemed high; none was considered low or claimed to be low. 1st July, the old folks day, in our calendar today should bring home to us memories of the past, which should be worth celebrating. The taste and scent of the popping of bottles of Champagne and the whisky should smell sweet still. Their elitist airs cannot easily be forgotten. The white colonialist should go. The native black Ghanaian should rule himself by the dictates of the political slogan the old knew as "self determination." It was delightful to be such - becoming the European in the black skin. And sweet Ghana, plentiful Ghana, added the seasoning to make it sweeter. Unfortunately, all that much sweetness was to run sour. The enabling political environment turned blunt and noisy and sick of lots and lots of vices. Ghana became broke. Its riches became bankrupt. Its governors became wicked; they became corrupt too. The dreamland of plenty became an ugly land of scarcity. That much epidemic was found everywhere. Political leadership fell short of virtuous life. The blame of it was passed on to the aged citizens of the land who had much of the lashing and bashing the depraved tongue of the time. It was war; it was persecution; it was blood-letting which was learnt in what home and school in Ghana, no one can tell. 'Ghana, a land of Freedom' was not the song to raise and sing.
And July 1st should be instituted as the Senior Citizens' Day to purge what wrong, and pacify whose sense of what decorum for what end? It is one question to capture for a discussion at the senior citizens' party next Tuesday granted that the dosage of the treat of yester year is going to be repeated this year. Whatever, July by the politics of its institution does not go beyond a state sponsored party for obvious political ends. The element of the continued social and economic well-being of the senior citizen - pensioner has not been touched, yet. And those who would be invited to dine and wine next Tuesday, July1st hopefully would miss dearly plentiful Ghana they had once expoused. Their pensioned situation is poor. Cap 30 of the colonial Gold Coast Pension Ordinance should still be passing over into the forgotten past. And what politics of the political leadership of the day cares about its conclusive death-to-come. The old folks dinner gossip should be mourning the fate to come of the then famous Cap 30. And they should still be questioning the New Pension order of the Social Security Pension Scheme. It was meant to account for all workers in the formal and informal sectors as to enjoy some pension on retirement. But the direction is lost, especially where it is known (?) that the administrators of the scheme have a different and a more generous pension scheme for their eternal satisfaction. We have become woefully selfish already.
And who of the dinner party would not whine about the End of Service Pension Scheme, which has no statutory standing in the formal sector of the civil service. But the politician in political employment situation as an MP, as a Minister, and as President enjoys the (in) famous End of Service Benefit. The old order has changed. The senior citizen should know how best to sing the tune to regale their aching souls.
It is not important to mention that in the Civil Service there are certain categories of workers who retire at 70, and are pensioned on their salaries. We cannot tell by what formula their gratuity is arrived at. What is true is that for them ageing should be without the pains as we observed earlier on with the old order of things in the then Ghana, the land of plenty.
The argument our Senior Citizens are likely to advance would be the fancy that the general retirement age could be pushed to 65. Once it was 55. Now it is 60. If there is a 70 mark for a few, it could be 65 for most of our workers in the formal sector.
Political leadership of the day should be up and doing. The politics of July1 as the senior citizens' day should of necessity reach the realms of the social and economic well-being of the senior citizen pensioner. And among the political leadership now are senior citizens - ministers who could be the advocates of improved pension conditions for the senior citizen of the land.
Well, it is dinner time, July 1, the senior citizens day which is worth its institution. At least, it brings the old folks formally together to share for once in the common wealth of the State, Dinner time brings such sweet memories. And the July1 Dinners should make all that possible.
The political harangues and promises can take care of themselves. They are more easily said than done. A recreation hall, for example, promised the senior citizen at the senior citizens' last party in Kumasi by the Metro Chief Executive should be one of such political talks, usually found to be windy, and empty, and bleating.
It would be empty still to appreciate a special office, not a ministry, for "Senior Citizens Affairs." It would among other things take care of their monthly pension and problems about the pension. The story here is not delightful to tell. It would when told destroy the senior citizens appetite for the July 1 dinner. But tell the treasury people to work hard always and promptly on the pensioners' pension. Just that.
But wait a minute. It should be by reason of the poor treatment meted out to the pensioner in respect of his poor gratuity, and poor monthly pension which compels some individuals in Dr. Glover Quartey's Civil Service to wish never to grow old. But swearing the affidavit with supporting documents cannot stop our growing old, and out of the service.
It is a great honour to one's dignity to be seen to be growing younger and stronger even after 60. It should be great to be old. The senior citizens aura of respect is dignified indeed, otherwise how come the July 1 dinners of honour and respect?
Well, it is dinner time, senior citizens. There is plenty to drink and plenty to eat, at least, once a year. The old order has changed to bring us crashing here for some scarce perks by the dinner table. Congratulations to you all.