Fixing the Nation: The Role of Citizens

Fixing the nation! Fixing the nation! Whose duty is it? This has been the order of the day for some time. Most people in Ghana think it is only the role of the government to do this. Not at all! It is both the role of the government and all other citizens like us in the nation. I believe strongly that the government has a key role to play in fixing the nation. However, in this paper, my focus is more on the citizenry who are not in national leadership position. few points are outlined briefly below.

Fixing Sanitation Issues

Flit or poor sanitation, which brings about diseases and ill health, making life unbearable and unhappy, is not caused by the government but by citizens like you and I. The government has done something part by employing the zoom lion to help curb the situation and yet poor sanitation is everywhere in the country. Our surroundings including our water bodies, experience improper disposal of garbage making them so filty and smelly. The government has also provided some waste bins and other means of disposal at some places and yet, even in these places bad sanitation continues. People dump faeces and other many things around into nearby gutters without any guilt or shame as well as urinating anywhere into gutters, not to talk about our water bodies. Most of our water bodies are choked with flit and become contaminated for use some drying up in the end. The government has to spend huge sums to make them clean for use. If we change our attitudes, the government can use these huge sums to fix other areas that need attention in the nation.

Fixing Deforestation

Felling down of tree indiscriminately or deforestation galamsey activities and poor farming systems dominate our country to degrade our useful lands or vegetation. What about child trafficking, child labour and child abuse that undermine children’s freedom and rights spoiling their destiny health and dreams? Who undertake all these activities? Is it not citizens who undertake all these activities to bring about devastating consequences like global warming, hunger, diseases and deaths? Yet we think it is the government alone who needs to fix the nation for us. Nowadays owing to very hot conditions we cannot even enjoy our sleep or rest. Why?

We as citizens need to advise one another against such practices to help the government fix things right in the nation. Is the government not against galamsey activities, deforestation and all the other negative activities? The government has also made rules against all these activities; yet, people break them. However, the government needs to provide enough waste bins and task force to deter people from poor sanitation and illegal practices. Citizens must also desist from stealing and spoiling government donated items to urge government to provide more. Again, government must provide more job opportunities to discourage people from stealing, undertaking galamsey activities, and other ill practices and misconduct in the nation. Citizens must develop the habit of tree planting refrain from galamsey activities, poor farming systems, misconduct and cultivate the habit of good lifeclass and cleanliness to improve our environment for our own good. We have nowhere to go if our environment is spoilt. Therefore, I beg to bring in this common adage “a word to the wise is enough.”

Fixing Social Neglect

Another point worth mentioning is the relevance of all citizens to show responsibility by refraining from neglectful and apathetic attitudes. The government who is supposed to be the mother of all has closed her eyes to orphanages, the sick, the poor and needy in the country, giving them very little or no help at all to the extent that these people are very unhappy in life groaning in pain. It has now become the burden of few concerned individuals some non-governmental agencies and philanthropists. What about the rest of us? Yet, all are shouting for the nation to be fixed properly. The government is more interested in partisan-political issues or activities channelling money into this area in order to win power, forgetting about the people who vote them into power. There are some orphans, orphanages, poor and needy ones in our own local communities that we as individuals or groups can help but we ignore them and continue to shout for the nation to be fixed. Nobody is ready to help or sacrifice. Some citizens even neglect their duties as parents. I believe if we all develop the attitude of supporting or helping the less advantaged or less privileged ones among us or around us, there will be less problems in the nation. However, there are some less privileged or less disadvantaged ones with very bad or negative attitudes which will not encourage other to help them. Concerning these, I advise them to change for the better, privileged ones must also also desist from taking undue advantage of those they help. Let us feed poor children nearby, pay their school fees, shelter them and cloth them so that they can eat and go to school happily to become scholars or learns some trade or apprentice easily. They will rather come back to serve or work for the nation to benefit or prosper, instead of becoming a burden or outcast who will cause social vices to destroy situations which we and the government are struggling to fix. By helping these children, peace will prevail for chaos to flee in the country. This way we are also helping in our own small ways to fix the nation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if the measure outlined and others are put in place, our nation will become a small heaven or paradise for every citizen to enjoy. Citizens must support, help and instigate the government to fix the nation right. All citizens including government officials should see the need to improve the environment in which we live for favourable conditions and long life.

Philomena Boakye

(Teacher, Methodist Basic School, Odumasi-Sunyani)

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