The enemy is within us

Ghanaians go to the country today, as they say. Ordinarily, they have a very simple decision to make – to wit - WHO IS BETTER AT WATCHING OVER AND DISTRIBUTING THE RESOURCES OF MOTHER GHANA.

A palpable manifestation of the self-indulgence of the African Politician happened last Thursday. The African intellectual spends the best part of his lifetime pursuing all manner of degrees, from Law to Ph.D. qualifications whilst abroad and goes back to their respective home countries to fleece their countries with impunity & in the face of the overwhelming nature of the canker, they cannot lift a finger to protest even when they are not that inclined.

The hymn they often sing is: “If you cant beat them join them”. Doesn’t the African Intellectual worry that after all their efforts abroad, ill-gotten wealth has a greater attraction than all the knowledge they worked tirelessly for?

Last Thursday, former MPs in Ghana lost a case at the Supreme Court, presided over by His Lordship, Justice Gbadegbe, seeking Pensions on top of their already over-generous Gratuities. There is no suggestion of corruption or impropriety but of an indication of the thinking and/or propensity of the Ghanaian politician.

Gbadegbe’s decision puts him in a very strong position in the legacy stakes, in spite of all the suspicions Ghanaians had of our supreme Court Judges in the Presidential Petition of 2012. The obvious suspicion of Ghanaians would have been that he took a bribe if indeed he had ruled for the retired MPs, not a flattering psyche or prejudice.

The retired MPs were heard expressing the desire for constitutional amendments to deal with the situation!!! Phew! Our Mps hardly initiate Laws in parliament; it has not even been possible to encourage them to remove the restrictions against full political participation of dual Ghanaian Nationals nor oppose/stop poor executive policies. They are pretty powerless when faced with a determined Executive.

There are so many required constitutional amendments that could improve governance and ameliorate Corruption in Ghana, yet the old men, notwithstanding their fat gratuity cheques, are in court for more money. It is worthy of note that many of them are not even of pensionable age nor would they have made any adequate pension contributions at the time they left office.

Today we are on the brink of another significant election decision, having spent invaluable time and effort plus billions of Ghana cedis. We have nothing to do at this time but to pray that the results will be just what the Doctor of National development prescribed but as it is said, God only helps those who help themselves; if we concentrate on the integrity of the candidates, their convictions and passion, intelligence, resourcefulness which obviously includes their enterpreneurial skills and what they may thus far have been able to achieve or support central Government to achieive, capacity for thought and expression etc we will choose the best men.

When the Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah returned from Great Britain, his job was cut out, it was so easy for him to identify who the enemy of the state was. He was simply white and had power. Today the enemy is not merely powerful but internally, he is also nearly always black. Nelson Mandela said: “I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.”

Let's remember that your foes are not necessarily non-tribesmen and non-family. The Whiteman who sometimes gives you an opportunity of a breakthrough often doesn't care a jot about what village you come from. The Whiteman's (including the Singaporean's) mind is for reasoning and not for sentimentalization.

Let us pray today, first for each other and then for our leaders, including our MPs, for good health, for long life, for unblemished wealth beyond one’s imagination, for VICTORY at the polls today, and above all, for the courage of our conviction to carry through what is necessary to take Ghana beyond the threshold of Third Worldism.

Our worst enemy today is ourselves. We are either self-indulgent or unable to check the excesses of others and we don’t encourage anyone to do it. Its a very weak character trait, my brothers and sisters..