When Materialism Reigns, Patriotism Flees

When a nation spends fortunes to defend one citizen who is in danger elsewhere, that nation knows what it is doing; and when a citizen has to die in defence of his or her country, he or she is aware of the benefit of his or her action. Sometimes I wonder whether we call ourselves Ghanaians just because we have been forcefully congregated on this land we have named Ghana by both nature and colonial rulers or we really love this country. Ghana loves us so much, but we do not love Ghana.

This land we call our motherland has given us resources many nations do not have and will never have. Mother Ghana has made sure that we never want, and that we should never be in need. Indeed it made sure that our great grandchildren would also not be in need. Need I enumerate the fortunes bequeathed to us when even a Kindergarten child knows them?  Yet we have shown so much ingratitude to this land such that we are not worth being called the children of Ghana.

I want to be very passionate and none partisan about this issue but should I make comments which are factual but look partisan, please just forgive me this time because I simply cannot ignore the facts. In 2009, the first quarter of the year recorded a lot of fire outbreaks and very serious road accidents which claimed hundreds of lives in this country. Let anybody check the statistics from the MMTD in respect of road accidents and the fatalities between 2009 and 2014. We can also check the fire outbreaks from the National Fire Service. This does not mean that there were no fire outbreaks and road accidents in previous years; it is a matter of magnitude and frequency.

With regard to the fire outbreaks, one can just attribute that to the season and the irresponsible and indiscipline nature of Ghanaians, as well as the nation's inability to enforce our laws in terms of human habitation and activities. What happened this month in Tema and Tamale—the fires at the Central Medical Stores and the Tamale Teaching Hospital respectively—give the impression that this nation is being destroyed by its own sons and daughters deliberately. It is increasingly becoming clear that the fire at CMS was deliberately set to destroy and hide some wrongdoing. The cost to the nation did not matter to the perpetrators, in as long as that act could shield them and get them to enjoy whatever benefits might have accrued to them.

When I was a school boy, one of the things my generation—and I believe generations before me—cherished was working freely for our communities and by extension the country Ghana. Those were the days we went to voluntary work camps whole heartedly. I remember having to go to Ayanfuri in the Upper Denkyira District in 1975 with a group of secondary school students to spend three weeks building a school in that community. One of those students, who happened to be my senior, was as of last year the Director of Budget at the Ministry of Finance.

We loved Mother Ghana; we were patriotic to this nation. General Kutu Acheampong's 'Operation Feed Yourself' and the numerous irrigation canals built throughout the country, particularly the Dahwenya Irrigation Canal, were done predominantly through voluntary labour. What belonged to Ghana belonged to all of us at the time. It is also important to add that Ghana, as far as its abilities could permit, took care of its children in those days.

Today, those Ghana has educated and given jobs and positions to help harness our collective resources, grow them, add value to them and then equitably distribute them for the benefit of all, have decided to appropriate those resources to themselves only; and when some of their nefarious and criminal activities are about to be exposed, they set fire unto them while the nation cries. And we do not seem to be angry enough. The headlines are cast, discussions—both informed and uninformed—are made on Radio and TV, government officials move to the scene, shed some tears—whether crocodile or alligator—directives, instructions, or orders are issued, and the matter dies. The nation bleeds and the criminals benefit from their crimes.

For how long can this nation tolerate this kind of unpatriotic acts with criminal intents as its 'co-efficient'? I believe that the laws governing public sector recruitment is so liberal for the employee and ties the hands of the employer such that many unpatriotic and criminal public sector employees take this country to ransom and get away with it. Who is held responsible and punished for incidents like the CMS and the Tamale Teaching Hospital fires?

Once people are employed into the public sector, it is only retirement and death that do them part, when their colleagues in the private sector whose negligence in even cases of minor nature can earn them dismissals. Within the public sector, wrongdoers are transferred to other places to go and continue with their crimes on the blind side of their superiors. While the whole nation focuses its attention on the politicians, some public servants on a daily basis milk this nation and bleed it to the point of unconsciousness. Yes, this nation is unconscious; it is half awake, half dead, and we are not angry enough.

The Auditor-General annually exposes financial malfeasance within the public sector, parliamentarians spend time and money to discuss these thieveries, the people involved are known, and nothing happens; they are not punished, they enjoy the stolen funds and the cycle continues as usual.

In the view of E.A. Boateng, 'In very simple terms, corruption in the context of the Service is the demand or acceptance by a public officer of a monetary or other reward in return for a service rendered or expected to be rendered in his official capacity. It may be overt or covert, but either way, it is unfortunate and clearly unacceptable.'(Government and the People, Outlook for Democracy in Ghana 1996)

What is happening in the public sector is deadlier to the nation than what Boateng is describing. Some employees are stealing and not engaging in petty corruption. As stated above, once someone is employed in the public sector, it is only death that will be a threat to his or her position. As a nation, we need to take another look at recruitment into the public service and the tenure of such employees. I will suggest that every public officer should be recruited for a five-year period. After the five years, a thorough appraisal of his/her work should be done by an independent body to determine whether the officer should be given another five years in office.

Officers whose actions and inactions fall short of their expected responsibilities should not have their appointments renewed. Public Service must not be a permanent abode for thieves and rogues just as the society has made political office a temporary abode for politicians. This will reduce the tendency of criminals in public office who will want to bring down the whole nation to satisfy their greed and insatiable tastes and quests at the expense of Mother Ghana. We are fed up.

AUNTY ASEIDUA NKETSIA
Wonders shall never end on this planet called Ghana! The General Secretary of the ruling NDC, the most pungently vociferous scribe of the political parties in Ghana, decides to turn into a woman for a Beauty Pageant show in far away Germany.  Eeibee, Aunty Aseidua Nketsia, you could have told us to organise a 'Beauty Pageant Supporters Union' to accompany you.  I am sure your panty was also a female one since you claim you picked the winter coat from your wife's wardrobe. Well maybe when you were packing your clothes for the trip, adum-dum, adum-dum had visited your home. Welcome home Aunty Aseidua Nketsia with laurels of shame for Ghana.

My usual two tots of mahogany bitters keep me alive.

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