Open Letter To Government Of Ghana

Dear Government,
I am not very good with pleasantries and so I would excuse myself from making an attempt lest I get it all wrong and set off on a bad note. Nonetheless I pray, you read this letter in great health. I find it sad, extremely sad, that you and your sympathizers are bemoaning the #OccupyFlagStaffHouse. It would serve all of us a lot of good if you channelled those energies and resources (time) into finding creative solutions to the challenges in our nation. All the ranting would not stop another #Occupy...

You were handed leadership to resolve challenges and lift our nation up. When the path you are carving is crooked, we the onlookers are the ones who can point it out to you. If you cannot take such critiques, then I am sorry to say you cannot lead the pack. Word is going round about you saying, 'the ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.' Well that is very true; and we all aware that quite a sizeable number of Ghanaians engage in unethical practices. But you promised to put a halt such behaviour. Was it not one of the reasons you were handed power? You have not fulfilled your promise, yet you are blaming your catastrophes on it. That is the most miserable chorus I have ever heard anyone sing

In spite of this, some of your sympathizers believe we should simply sit and wait until you drown us. The proverbial 'full-belly child telling the hungry-belly child, 'keep good heart.'' They forget that our forefathers taught us that 'he who brings termite-infested wood to the house, should not be surprised when many fowls visit him.' Unless you are being arrogant, you should have known that 'the thread follows the needle.'

You can choose to hide behind politicking, and sentimentalise, serialise and spew rants on the opposition that they are behind the #Occupy movement. Those who #Occupied did so out of concern for the whole country. They understand that 'hunger is felt by a slave and hunger is felt by a king.' But more importantly, they know that 'the fish is the last to acknowledge the existence of water,' and so they had to inform you. Have you forgotten that our forefathers taught us that 'he who warns you is your friend,' yet you view their actions as a sign of enmity.

Some say, 'it is just politicking.' Maybe I am naive, but I have always visualized politics as an honourable activism pursued by fearless people who simply cherished truth, beauty and goodness in order to create harmony in humanity. That is why growing up, I had always longed for a governance system that allowed individuals to worship God in truth and in spirit. Not a system that churned our 'smart' citizens. Every time we sang the national anthem, I smiled at God for giving us a prayer instead. What more could we have asked for? We live in the centre of the earth, and our land has been wetted with enough resources - natural and human; to arouse envy from around the world. Yet, we languish in poverty. One laced with diseases and stewed with afflictions.

We no longer gather round to tell anansesem; neither do we smile from our hearts anymore. We have been so smitten by greed that we cannot tell a kinsman from a stranger; neither can we tell decency from debauchery. I do not know what compels us to continue down this path even after we have experienced the suffering such posturing heaps upon the whole nation. We have tasted so much corruption; we have evolved into a people who have to do almost everything unethically. We even have to bribe ourselves before we bribe others, lest the good in us decides to blow the whistle on us for forgetting to grease its palm. We have become comfortable with the dark, and so we sit in it, barely aware there is not light. We spend most of our time listening to the sound of our breathing, and the ballad of the insults we spew.

It is not like we do not know what we are doing. We do. And I say this because I am one of us and I know we are intelligent enough to observe the behaviour of our society. We are well aware of where our actions are leading us. We know we are not going anywhere, yet we are so partisan and selfish that we would rather see all of us wallow in misery. I do not know when and why this iniquity became stronger than our aspiration. Some say, 'that is just us.'

In all this, the starts twinkled high above our heads and we listened and waited for that brave who would be brave enough to lead us into the light again. On the #1stofJuly, God answered our prayer. He rained down the brave. And the brave #Occupied. You moan about their actions because they did what you should be doing - standing up for the people of Ghana. You belittle their efforts because you hate yourself for your littleness. Well, you are the government, wake up and grow up.

The times are tough, but it is precisely in these difficult times, that we must rally round the red, gold, green with the black star. We need a renewed belief in ourselves, and an appreciation that we cannot run from the sword and hide in the scabbard. We can steer our country in a better direction if we act together. I am up for doing what I can to ensure that, our beloved nation becomes great and strong. I am praying that you will come along so that we can go farther. Nevertheless, if you do not, I have pledged myself to the service of Ghana and would go all alone upholding and defending her name and heritage. My help is in the name of the Lord who created all things.

Yours in service,
A Concerned Ghanaian.