Past the euphoric self-congratulation that we generously ladled ourselves for peaceable and profitable elections; past the commendable switch of energy from an incumbent authorities to a celebration in opposition; past the demonstrated energy of the citizenry to alter governments by the thumb; past the excitation of potential enchancment in our lives, and the betterment of our nation, with added revenue flowing from oil, past all that we now have finished these previous a long time, for which all of us deserve credit score, there may be nonetheless the lingering disquiet inside us that each one shouldn’t be nicely with our nation.
We all know and really feel that our progress is sluggish; that there are large gaps in our developmental course of; that almost all instances, it seems, we don’t know the place we are literally going.
It isn’t pessimism; it’s a quiet and unhappy perplexity about what to truly do in regards to the myriad of challenges going through us, and to know which chief would actually present the options.
Independence and freedom haven’t basically modified the nation the best way we envisaged.
However we can’t be nonetheless; we can’t stop hoping; we can’t cease dreaming; we can’t restrain optimism; we can’t examine discoveries and efforts; we should tumble, and rise as soon as extra on our wobbly limbs, as we maintain occurring! Quickly, we will strengthen our wings and take flight.
So, we might ask: How should we proceed with the seek for a nationwide panacea for our multifarious challenges? My main proposition is that Ghana’s future is inextricably linked to its previous, and we will solely make real and basal progress once we carry out an in-depth soul-searching evaluate of Ghana’s post-independence previous, until date.
Between that historic and dramatic second when Nkrumah proclaimed: “In the end, Ghana, the one you love nation, is free ceaselessly!” and at the moment, 63 years on (2020), Ghana has gone by such painful detours that we now have misplaced sense of the place we got down to go, and could also be unsure whether or not we’re anyplace close to our vacation spot, no matter that’s.
Questions
Let’s ask some few questions: What was Nkrumah’s imaginative and prescient for Ghana? By what ideological car was he going to execute his imaginative and prescient? What did he got down to obtain within the numerous departments of nationwide life?
What did he reach doing, and what was left undone by 1966? The place did he fail and the place did he succeed, and why? After the overthrow of Nkrumah in 1966, what did successive governments do to develop and enhance the nation?
What occurred to their plans? How lots of the plans are nonetheless related at the moment, and usable, and what number of require revision for them for use? What number of tasks have been initiated by previous governments which stay deserted until date?
Do we now have a grasp plan for Ghana, or will we permit every authorities to do what it likes? A number of papers have been offered at New Yr Faculties through the years. Do our governments analyse them as inputs for nationwide improvement? Do the governments have a listing of proposed tasks/initiatives littering the ministries and its different constituencies?
The place particularly is Ghana going, and do everyone knows it? I shall not try to reply any of the questions above, however let’s all replicate on them. Once we start to reply them, we will uncover so many issues to help us to know why we’re the place we’re, and what we should do to enhance our nation.
The concept of going again to 1957 is to supply Ghanaians with a historic theatre inside which change have to be evaluated, and inside which change could be made sequential and purposeful.
What I imply is that, a protracted view of our previous would offer clues of what we should do, and easy methods to do it. The polestar of 1957 shall direct Ghana’s compass to our desired vacation spot.
We will uncover, to our delight, the honest efforts that our nationwide leaders made, within the context of human imperfections, to make Ghana a greater nation. That realisation would allow Ghanaians purchase right into a nationwide programme that consolidates the totality of plans that our previous leaders thought out in good religion for the well-being of our nation.
Once we see, through the years, what was thought out for Ghana’s good, we will really feel extra dedicated than ever earlier than to be companions and fellow labourers in attaining the objectives of these plans.
That is the kind of change we wish to see. As I write now, there is no such thing as a programme in place that excites our nationalism or patriotic sentiments.
Instance
Let me give a sensible instance of the kind of train I’m speaking about. Dr Nkrumah established a number of industries below the GIHOC group of corporations. What number of of them exist at the moment?
Should we revive the others as a part of re-industrialisation of Ghana? Dr Busia started the Accra Sewerage Venture of getting all liquid waste handed underground into the ocean. He was overthrown in 1972.
Gen. Acheampong didn’t proceed with the venture. Nobody else has, until date! Gen. Acheampong conceived of Redemption townships for Madina/Adenta. The plans had been prepared.
He was booted out by Gen. Akuffo. They didn’t contact his venture. President Limann got here up with the Oppong Manso Iron Ore venture within the Western Area.
JJ Rawlings kicked him out of energy, and that killed the venture. President Mahama, of the NDC, started rehabilitation of the Police Hospital, amongst a number of different tasks; the NPP, below Nana Akuffo-Addo, has deserted the hospital venture and a number of other others. And on and on we might cite examples.
With the NDC and NPP denying one another any credit score in any respect for what they’ve finished for the nation, it’s obvious the NDC wouldn’t discover out what Busia wished to do for Ghana; neither would NPP discover out what PNDC/NDC Imaginative and prescient 2020 meant for Ghana.
Imaginative and prescient 2020 of the PNDC/NDC was jettisoned by the NPP. So, which comes first? Ghana or the celebration? The answer is to hunt the nationwide curiosity, and that requires a historic perspective, as proposed on this article.
Once we unthread the previous, the a number of knots in our improvement plans will loosen; the hidden components to unlock the secrets and techniques of progress will manifest; a brand new vitality and certainty of data and confidence will emerge; by these, we will remodel Ghana into an awesome nation.
The author is a lawyer.
E-mail: akwesihu@yahoo.com