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07.03.2013 Opinion

Ghana: A Weeping Country

By Ghanaian Chronicle
Ghana: A Weeping Country
07.03.2013 LISTEN

It appears this country, Ghana, for which our forefathers fought with their sweat and blood, and which we also have to defend, is gradually becoming a failed state. Let's be honest with ourselves and check the state of the nation.

TRUE STATE OF GHANA
Last week, the President gave his own first state of the nation address. What he told us was predictable and I, like many other Ghanaians, did not expect to hear anything different from what we had been hearing on days of many previous states of the nation addresses.

The true state of Ghana was conveniently swerved, and the focus was on what government intends to do; promises, promises, promises again.

Many sections of the country sleep without electricity daily, and even though he touched on the energy crisis, he dodged the real issue…….GRIDCO and ECG are owed billions of cedis by government, and until these debts are paid the energy-providing institutions cannot supply us adequate power .

We have neglected the TOR and hope that the West Africa Gas Pipeline will be fully operational. The pipeline will continue to lie or sleep under the sea and ships, one of which damaged the pipeline will also continue to use the sea route, so appropriate back-ups must be available for our energy supplies because damages can continue to affect the pipeline.

If a father cannot provide the basics of life for his children, what is he, how do we regard him, what name do we give him, how do we describe him? The basics of life I am talking about are food, shelter, clothing and of course education.

So far, as I am concerned, education at least up to SHS should be made available to every child by parents, through whose activities in bed, the child came to earth. So, is Ghana doing well, adequately by providing at least, basic needs for at least, the majority of its citizens?

                                                                 CRISES

So back to my opinion that it appears Ghana is gradually becoming a failed state. Yes, Ghana is intact—we are not at war in the literal sense, but the problems of this country are monumental, gargantuan and unprecedented.

At this same time that we have serious crises in almost all sectors ….education, health, transportation, finance and economy, electoral commission, agriculture, etc, we also don't have reliable electricity supply and water supply.

Strangely, in the midst of all this, fuel prices have also been increased. Why should Tema Oil Refinery stand idle, whereas the nation imports refined products and workers sit idle or stay unemployed?

WHO ARE THOSE IMPORTING THE REFINED PRODUCTS AND THEREFORE ENSURING THAT TOR IS EFFECTIVELY OUT OF BUSINESS??? Those who are benefitting from the idleness of TOR should remember that the day of reckoning will come, and that it is very close….some former and present-day workers of TOR know them and have started mentioning names.

If TOR was working, the energy situation would not have been so serious, and many unemployed people would have benefitted from employment, aside of ancillary jobs for others. If not for CORRUPTION, why should the authorities allow the refinery to be in its current state?

We have just been told that TOR will start operations in middle of March, that is, in about two weeks from now. Let's hope when it starts work, it will continue!!

Many parents are in dire need of money to pay school fees, feed their children, buy water for bathing, washing and sachet water to drink .There is too much pressure on Ghanaians and at this time, lets expect the blood pressure of several people to shoot up and also let's expect likely increase in marriage break -ups due to financial difficulties.

Yet, the politicians at the helm of affairs say what we are going through are 'minor challenges' in the economy…yes, we are living in the same country, but their situation is very different…….no problem with money, no problem with 'dumso, dumso ', no problem with water, etc.

 PINK SHEETS
The Savelugu pink sheets matter, trust Ghana, is dead and buried, the case will not be pursued by the police , even if they do, nothing will come out of it.The National Service Secretariat has come out to say SalamatuOsumanu, the lady alleged to have tampered with the pink sheets is not a national service person as earlier reported.

The EC Officials who allegedly instructed her to work on the pink sheets have also denied her..Oh poor, innocent young lady, that is Ghana and politicians for you.

On Wednesday   February 27, some suspects were arrested at Chorkor, repeating the Savelugu pink sheet process and the matter was reported to the Mamprobi Police…….trust Ghana, dear reader, that just like Savelugu, Chorkor too wont get anywhere….we dey Ghana , you know.

 
N1 HIGHWAY, OKYEHENE
Recently, we were told about 50 people have died on the N1 HIGHWAY since its inauguration. We have also been told that' government is to build six more bridges on the accident-prone George Walker Bush Highway'.

The Ghanaian engineers should have insisted that more bridges were built before opening the road for use.

The LAPAZ area, where human traffic is often heavy, was not considered for a bridge initially? …I don't get it ….at the planning stage what monitoring was done before the decision to build bridges was made?

Fifty or more precious lives lost and now the sense has come for more bridges to be built……yes, again Ghana for you. Are we really serious in this country whose 56 years we have just celebrated?

The NDC chaps who virtually insulted the Okyehene recently for advising the President to accept whatever verdict the Supreme Court's makes on the NPP suit, deserve to be told that they misbehaved and they should remember that politicians come and go, but chiefs are forever with us……what they did will forever remain on the minds of the good people of Akyem Abuakwa.

All the delegations which visited the President told him what his party people found pleasant, so when the Okyehene spoke differently, he had to be attacked. Mind you, chiefs must be bold and tell our leaders the truth, even though the truth may be b

So on 6 th March, what are we celebrating? The failures in our country are so many that it is shameful to me when we say we had independence 56 years ago. We import almost  everything, rice, toilet ,name them……our manufacturing sector has virtually grounded to a halt,…financial hardships for majority of our people , erratic supply of water and electricity…….apparent general despondency in the nation.

Our rulers and indeed all politicians must sit up and listen to the majority of Ghanaians who are very unhappy with the way things are going in the country, and find answers quickly, because there is so much retrogression in our development.

 

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