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Responsible Citizenship: A Sine Qua Non To Salvage Ghana From Current Economic Challenges

By Coalition Of Youth For Positive National Development (CYPOND)
Press Statement Responsible Citizenship: A Sine Qua Non To Salvage Ghana From Current Economic Challenges
JUL 24, 2014 LISTEN

CYPOND has carefully followed development issues in this country, especially those pertaining to governance and good citizenship in these trying times of our nation's history. Cypond is worried over a litany of activities that some Ghanaians have carefully planned, to hide under the excuse of demanding good governance, to whip up dispassion against government.

PETITION TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA FROM THE CONCERNED GHANAIANS FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNANCE (CGRG)


CYPOND noticed with great dismay, a peaceful route march embarked on by a couple of middle class Ghanaians on Tuesday July 1st 2014, to pour out their grievances to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, concerning what they generally described us unbearable economic conditions that militate against their quest to secure for themselves the blessing of liberty, equality of opportunity and prosperity among others.

We reckon the choice of a peaceful protest march by CGRC, to draw government's attention to their plight as a plausible democratic move that deserves commendation by all lovers of democracy. On that same scale, CYPOND warmly congratulates His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama and his government for the high sense of tolerance and show of commitment to creating a serene atmosphere for all citizens regardless of socio-economic, political, ethnic or religious background to be able to voice out their sentiments without fear of intimidation or victimization.

CYPOND believes that the maturity and tolerance exhibited by both parties in the 1st July March is only but to portray to the outside world, Ghana's readiness to keep good faith with all the tenets of democracy, as the nation has carved for itself, a cynosure in laying enviable democratic foundations for the rest of Africa to emulate.

Ladies and gentlemen, CYPOND respects the views of the CGRG with regards to the issues they highlighted as salient in their petition to His Excellency the President. However, we also hold it in our view that, directing the petition to the President was misplaced and tantamount to 'beating the side of the drum whilst the face of the drum remains untouched'.

We are of the candid opinion that hanging the blame of our current challenges on government are rather misplaced and cannot lead us out of the conundrum of harsh economic experiences that have now become an albatross on the necks of Ghanaians from all walks of life.

Our dissention from CGRG stems from the fact that many Ghanaians have failed to keep good faith with our country in terms of being loyal and faithful to Ghana our motherland resulting to the challenges that confront us today.

Fellow Ghanaians, it is undisputed that, the problems of tax evasion, the under payment of taxes, smuggling, wastage in the usage of public utilities, low productivity in public sector institutions, bribery, nepotism, corruption among other heinous ills are rampant in our public institutions and careful observations will undoubtedly point to those who fall within the middle class of the Ghanaian society as being the greatest offenders to the state.

On this premise, CYPOND is of the view that the concerns of unrealistic supply of potable water, erratic power supply in the country, depreciating value of the cedi, tax hikes, poor road networks and many others as chronicled by the CGRG could be amicably addressed by first tackling the conscience of the ordinary Ghanaian rather than resorting to a litany of route marches to the seat of government or engaging in vitriolic attacks on the President and government functionaries on media platforms.

In our observations, the weaknesses in our public sector and the resultant challenges that confront us today are orchestrated by self centered and inward looking individuals who deny the state of the requisite taxes they owe. More worrying is the fact that, the nation's civil service and public service institutions are gradually being inundated by political actors who resort to pettiness and the over politicization of sensitive national programmes and policies for their own whims and caprices.

RED FRIDAY CAMPAIGN
We deem it absolutely nauseating that beyond the infamous occupy flagstaff house demonstration and the assuring response from government; some Ghanaians have resorted to cladding themselves with red garments and positioning themselves on major streets at the expense of being productive at work places, to help ameliorate the challenges that confront us. It is our view that if the agitations made by the so called middle class group of Ghanaians were a genuine concern about the economy, some space and tolerance could have equally been extended to government, to enable government to amicably address the grievances. In our objective opinion, we think the group simply has a nefarious agenda of stirring dispassion for government and also detracting government from focusing on programmes and policies that will inure to the betterment of the entire nation.

DEMONSTRATION THREATS- GHANAIANS AGAINST BAD GOVERNANCE

It is absurd to read that some Ghanaians who fled the boundaries of this country, to built other people's countries and possibly hit a jackpot of fortunes in another man's country are planning a demonstration in the U.S.A, in the name of protesting bad governance in a country that they dejected. It is our worry, that the politics of 'malign your opponent and gain the favour of the electorate' could spur some citizens into exaggerating our economic challenges without thinking of the repercussions that this level of non patriotism could cost us.

We want to remind the demonstrators that, in this time of global economic meltdown, when even matured economies have not been spared the problems of high cost of living, power crises, labour agitations, retrenchment of labour, high commodity prices among others, the solution is not to resort to public demonstrations and strikes, but to put all patriotic hands on deck to salvage the economy from challenges. We wish to passionately appeal to all loyal and patriotic Ghanaians to avoid been used by invisible political hands to propagate their hidden interest of making government unpopular.

ORGANISED LABOUR DEMONSTRATION
Fellow Ghanaians, we could not have completed our view on current development challenges in this country without expressing our disappointment at the uncompromising stance taken by organized labour, with TUC spearheading an intended nationwide demonstration to protest the 'worsening living conditions of workers.'It is our opinion that, workers only have a just course to demonstrate or go striking when there is ample evidence that the employer is willfully refusing to enhance their service conditions even when he/she has the ability to do so.

In this instance, where about three thirds of our nation's resources are being used to service salaries and wages of public sector workers alone, we see it as unfathomable and morally out of place for organized labour, led by TUC to insist in squeezing government to satisfy the less than one million public sector workers, at the expense of the remaining twenty four million who equally pay taxes and have the right to benefit from social amenities.

We are also worried that these agitations have apparently become a part of a hidden grand agenda to make this country ungovernable, consequently creating a dispassion for government whilst paving a smooth bid for power by masked faces. We warn that the consequences of such unethical moves by the leadership of such organized groups have the potentials of undermining our democracy whilst destroying the moral fiber of civil society in the country. As youth, we vow to resist and expose politicians and union leaders who actually destroy the destiny of this country for their own whims and caprices.

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
In consonance with the adage that charity begins at home, CYPOND believes that the best way for Ghana to remedy itself from the current economic conundrum is for a rigorous campaign on attitudinal and behavioral change. We are therefore passionately calling on all Ghanaians to show commitment to the state, by eschewing all tendencies that seek to undermine the development of the state.

We call for a massive campaign to usher in a regime that will see us all living to our tax obligations to the state, being vigilant to identify and bring to book miscreants who engage in nefarious activities such as smuggling, tax evasion, illegal use of public utilities, abuse of public office and above all, we should begin a new Ghana where citizens are prepared to pay realistic prices for utilities and also eschew pettiness and the over politicization of State policies and programmes.

It is only when we are able to take off the political lenses with which we look at every issue that, we can be on the right path to salvaging our nation from the current predicament. In these times when financial crises, energy challenges, terrorism and growing youth unemployment has become a challenge to many economies including those in the developed world, the situation in Ghana should not be over trumpeted to portray Ghana as a hostile destination to potential investors.

We are also of the humble opinion that, Ghanaians would have to eschew pessimisms and cultivate the habit of also proclaiming the goodies in the country. We need consensus building and good faith to firmly establish our nation as a middle income country.

On this note, we encourage His Excellency the President to stay resolute on his job. However, we also urge him to stay eye opened and not hesitate to crack the whip on any senior civil or public servant who is found culpable of thwarting the course of national development. Thank you.

..Signed.
Puo-ire Prosper
Spokesperson
0204852735

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