Raw Deal to Real Deal

The economic challenges we face as a country can no longer continue to be the normal morning topics for talk shows without a concerted effort on the part of every Ghanaian towards finding lasting solutions to the same. Leadership, without a doubt, is key in this regard. The persistent and intermittent economic upheavals in Ghana affect all and do not differentiate. The reliance on aid from the West and the dependence on the international monetary fund among other short-term measures over the years has yielded no lasting fruit.

The need to develop a homegrown policy, devoid of partisan politics beacons at us from a distance. The raw deal has been that, we wait until the challenge rare its ugly head, and the complaints and criticism starts. This often leads to knee-jerk reactions that are transient and returns us to similar if not worst situations after a couple of years. The multi-party system worsens the case, when opposition parties take advantage of the recurring challenges, adopting a robotic perspective towards addressing them and seating on the fence with do it and let us see attitude. The government on the other hand often refuses to consider the suggestions of stakeholders deemed as opposition elements even if these suggestions are germane to solving the problems at hand. As a country, we must find unanimity of voice between opposing parties when it comes to issues of national importance. The seemingly divisive partisan politics does no good to anyone and in the end, we all suffer. Constructive criticisms are important but when we criticize, we must offer alternatives that we think could work better.

The principles of democracy are general but many countries that succeed with democracy adapt it and do not adopt it as general as it is. Our social and cultural systems require major modifications to the tenets of democracy that we currently practice. We cannot possibly adopt the democratic system of governance hook line and sinker and expect excellent results. We must make modifications to suit our social and cultural systems for effective governance. The unnecessary litigations in our courts for example leading to bureaucracy and delays in decision-making could be avoided if we specify, specifically, under what specific conditions an individual can take the government or the state to court.

A strategic national development plan as a matter of necessity must extend beyond political tenure. We must come together to draw a national development plan for about twenty or thirty years and political parties that win elections must be bounded to abide by it. This calls for a constitutional amendment for the entrenchment of such a plan in the constitution. This will promote a unity of purpose and prevent experimentation of policies by political parties leading to the wastage of resources. The strategic national development plan must not be an executive or parliamentary affair. It must include stakeholders from all occupations and professional backgrounds to make it robust and effective. This is why the call for a marriage between opposition and government in the interest of the state cannot be overemphasized.

Government must demonstrate its commitment to solving our challenges by reducing expenditure, being reconciliatory and sympathetic in public communication, and avoiding displays of opulence. It must also base appointments on competence and merit rather than cronyism and favoritism. Government policies must be well thought through, taking into account the interest of the majority and not a few. Citizens on the other hand must be supportive, and be measured in their demands for increased remuneration and salary adjustments despite the harsh economic circumstances. The most important starting point is a consultative forum made up of distinguished Ghanaians of varied professional backgrounds to contribute to discussions on the way forward. This rests squarely on the shoulders of the government who must initiate this in a nonpartisan manner.

Excerpts from the former Singaporean leader, Lee Kuan Yew in his book,’ from third world to first world’ demonstrates that Ghana is not far behind. That if we commit and dedicate ourselves to making Ghana work again, it’s a task that could be completed within a decade. It must be done because if it is not done, we are done.

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