Ghana From 2000 To Date Is Nothing Much To Be Proud Of Given Its Vast Natural And Human Resources Endowment

I woke up this morning feeling sarcastic and naughty, but not nasty. Then I reached for my Chinese yam phone and started to type a few things as they were coming from my big coconut shaped head as quickly as possible so that they don't mix up or vanish.

Never mind that I didn't pick up a pen and paper or my trademark diary to scribble and structure things well. But I am certainly aware as I reminisced the past that, I was able to capture a few of the salient points relevant to this piece.

Of course I know it's a potentially discomforting and irritating piece of writing depending on who is reading and his or her political orientation because of the obvious fact that there not too many neutrals in this country again.

Please come with me as I take you through my journey from Tamale to Accra some 15 years ago although a little digressed from the usual cacophonous lexicogrammar and security sense. Far from that, but it is still relevant.

For those of you who do not have the hearts and minds of your own. I will urge you to stop here and don't dare go beyond this paragraph because of your obvious lack of self control, judgment and common reason devoid of political sentimentality and colorization of even your own urine and fecal matter.

Don't get worked up over the things I am saying now. I am doing so because I know how you tend to blame everything on politics and that is exactly the reason why I plead with you to end here.

Shall I say that if you are an autopilot that you need to end it here?

I came to Accra enroute to Winneba in 2003 and later to Koforidua, Asutuary Military Training School and then back to Accra again in 2004. From that time up to now, I can confidently say without any fear of equivocation that nothing much has changed in this Republic.

At least, in my eyes and far as I can see, considering how endowed this country is in terms of natural resources and the best stock of human capital comparable to that which obtains elsewhere on this planet.

But the question that remains unanswered is that, why haven't we witnessed the kind of growth, development, and grand transformation that happens in other countries with even less than we have.

From 2004 up to now, the only changes that have occurred in this country for me is the consistency in changing political parties, politicians and leaders who govern the people - take decisions for and behalf of them including how they sleep, when they should sleep, and when they should wake up.

Apart from the above, nothing much can be said about how well these leaders we continue to recycle every election year have managed this country.

In a country where just a day after election, campaigning begins for the next election, nothing ever really gets professional managerial attention devoid of political coloring and decisions. Everything is done with political intended benefits instead of collective national interest.

How can we develop in such a situation where we based everything on what will benefit our parties instead of the nation itself?

From the time I got to Accra and now, Rwanda for example which almost annihilated or condemned a section of its people, mulled and grinded them into piece, has since that time and now managed to reconcile, pick up the pieces, healed itself, and now a leading light in terms of economic, social, political, cultural, and national development in Africa and the world at large.

Now, tell me where we have gone wrong as people; and is that the Rwandans are better than us in any way, shape or form? Are they better than us in terms of human and natural resources?

I think the answer is a big no. We have a problem in this country and our problem is that which has to do with our bad attitudes, corruption, bad leadership, bad governance, tribalism, nepotism, cronyism and so on which if we don't change quickly, instead of always changing leaders and reshuffling same every four years - we are not going to go anywhere.

After every election year in this country, say for example in 2000, two years shy of my eventual journey to the south, we stated talking about election 2004. When I finally settled in Accra and election 2004 came to pass, we immediately began talking about election 2008.

Elections 2008 came with all the troubles that accompanied it that nearly broke this nation into piece, but thank God we surmounted those challenges and navigated our way of it peacefully only to begin to talk about 2012.

Then 2012 came with even much troubles and dangerous land mines that nearly scattered the fortunes, future and peace of this country with all the before and after electoral issues which we finally circumnavigated peacefully through the grace of God once again with an eight month long or so election petition.

We managed to put the election petition behind us after the lead petitioner and his co-petitioners accepted the verdict of the panel that sat on the petition.

Fast forward, before anyone could say Jack, the whistle was blown again for us to begin the journey to 2016 with all the demonstrations, strikes, radio and television discussions and debates that often ended with slaps and kicks. We sailed it through the grace of God once again.

2016 came to pass peacefully despite the many doomsday prophecies that heralded it accompanied by a vibrant lucrative peace industry that usually pays more during those times than anytime despite the fact that there are several unresolved conflicts across the country all year round.

But never mind, we once again used 2016 elections to prove to the world that after all, we are now a matured democracy capable of managing our electoral affairs even with or without external observer support.

Although the dust over election 2016 hasn't settled yet, we have begun warming our horses, dogs, goats, and even Cockrells under palm trees or palm trees in the mouths of Cockrells supported or disguised in the shape and form of elephants or umbrellas ready to do battle again in 2020.

Symptomatic of us, we are talking about 2020 now and preparing towards it as if it is just a week away from today.

What at all is wrong with us as a people that we can never go without politics in our lives at least for just a day?

Because of our needless all year round political life, we have managed to make almost everything in this country have its fair share of political coloring. From security to football, farming, fishing and everything agriculture. Just mention any and everything in this Republic, and there is a political undertone in it. Everything is just politics.

We have sadly relegated our forward match as a people in terms of development and changed it with political clichés, plain insults, petty fights and killings and so on to our own detriment.

Talking about Rwanda, and its rapid growth and development, one cannot end by making mention of our neighbors Burkina Faso who continue to feed us (at least with a sizable desert agric produce all year) despite the fact they have been engulfed in some troubles for some time now.

And oh yes! Ivory Coast is still leading us in the production of Cocoa and other things in the world despite their over a decade old political crisis and conflict and one cannot just help but ask why is that possible?

Yes indeed, it is absolutely clearly at this juncture that it is not how many times we change leaders, political parties and politicians that hold the magic wand to the development. Attitudes and good management practices are key if indeed we are to succeed.

I wish I could end without a single reference or benchmarking our country with Togo because of the sad dynasty that has entrenched itself there, but it does appear that despite everything, they seem to be progressing than we are doing.

As we wait for 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036 and 2040 when I shall be readying myself to retire from the police service. I want to say to Ghanaians and our politicians that until we change our attitudes and reconfigure our way of thinking and doing things, we will never ever get anything done in this country when all we know is to keep changing/reshuffling the same political parties and politicians.

Lets have a mental, emotional, character, behavior and socially conscious revolution within our lives first, and then we can expect to see all other things being added to us.

The entirety of the Ghanaian public are mainly blamable for this quagmire that we have found ourselves in since we started this fourth republican journey, but chiefly in this blaming business is the politically tainted, politically biased and politically jaundiced media that has shirked its responsibility and decided to hub nub with the political class for them to dictate the pace of their reportage on the daily real happenstances in this country for their selfish, personal and parochial reasons.

The media in this country has lost its primarily role as fourth estate of the realm, and joined hands with the executive and the legislature to shortchange the people. This must quickly change if we are to make any strides going forward. The media must return to its principal role to feature predominantly in the education, entertainment and information of the people. So that together, we can build a prosperous nation.

I Salute you all for reading up to this point. I must say that I woke up this morning feeling angry that I was born on this part of the world although without regrets and knowing very well that it is no fault of mine that I am here. I decided to pen this down to release my anger just so I can free my mind and get to pass it to posterity.

Mohammed Abdul Hanan EL-Saeed
0244087295
[email protected]
Accra