Whilst We Are Shouting ... ..

To: okyeame@googlegroups.com; glu-ghana-leadership-forum@googlegroups.com

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Greetings,

Over the past several days, in-situ Ogyakromians and people of diasporan descent have been debating, shouting, crying and wondering about several problems that are so serious that the whole nation has had to stop and pretend to listen.. I mean, people are pretending to listen because no one is hearing the other person even speak because the shouts are largely at cross purposes and its only after you have heard the discourse over a period of time that you can discern the pattern ( read sense) of thinking and thought. and then you realise that in the main, the arguments are just too partisan, ill-informed, non-informed and certainly not contributory to nation-buidling expectations Haba!!!

why should this be so? why should this be so?

I am even mad that the engagement has involved active participation by very senior members of our national caretakers. I am wondering when they collected the keey from the porter's lodge, they chose to sit by the radio to listen and do their call-ins. I am very dissapointed!! why should I? ... Let me try and start... first of all, who is setting the agenda as to what is important for discussion? why should we allow insignificant matters to chop our head as if we are built to waste our time. I am most displeased with our dear brethren even on this net - who spend all day cutting and pasting newspaper and radio station infor from their websites and ghanaweb and post them on this or that forum - and failing to discuss their unhappiness or otherwise of what they are posting.. so we all end up joing the commentary chain of the same thing that is time wasting, diversionary and of no significance to the growth and future of our dear nation.

I want to emphasise that I also do love the country and I am always ready to debate on issues pleasant or not to Government (whichever one is in power). My paddies, let me tell you, over the past four or five weeks all we have heard is Pres Kufuor and his office and all teh variants to that story (1), Agya Atta's I am the only president we have now (2), road accidents and whether its the drivers, the roads or the vehicles (3), and the sudden interest in senior public officials in making people believe that they are now being given a chance to do something positive with the jobs they are paid to do (4). Gosh, what a country.!!!! and lately its been social news like soldier bar, ashawos from Peking and the nursing mother stock!! Oh ho!!! I could rattle on and on!!!

meanwhile...you know what is happening?? check out the recent bold adverts in the newspapers - X bank is pleased to announce its base rate as 29.5%, Y bank 30%, Z Bank 28.7%. Our folks are not even spending time diverting attention to that and looking at the impact of that? well those who have the cash have started going back to treasury bills which until a few weeks had ceased to be a sweet alternative for the application of money. the Banks are wilting on cash because, if you get and don't buy, the value will NOT be the same tomorrow.. meanwhile our nice exchange rate has now become a vogabond that the grass in front of the Kotoka Airport has suddenly vanished and Civil Aviation is no longer watering what is not there.. why? the Money-Gorro Boys have started swarming the place and people go there - defying the no-stopping signs - to change money like nobody's business...

wanna hear more?

My paddies, I have every reason to be mad...Leadership is all abouut catching the symptons and bring the matters to fruition , oops, I mean, solvable conclusions. Of course you don't have to shout on the tree tops but what makes me a little uncomfotable is that our big men have not as yet learnt how to keep quiet.. Leave the boys to answer the issues.. but hey, who am I.. we are in a country that everybody knows that if you dont see the President himself or VicePee or a Minister about your problem, it wont be solved.. so everythning, people must troop to a castle or a ministry.. Hmmmm... I bet you some of the matters, are even referred to a district assembly but the response is sent back to Accra and the complainaint goes to Accra to hear that his solution is with the District Chief Executive of his village.. hahahahaaa.. Ghana is sweet I tell you!!!

But on a more serious note, we need serious responses to the key issues confronting Ghana in this time of global economic crisis.. mistakes, inactions, wrong actions taken now would germinate into problems in a minimum 4-6 months time.. I went out to buy kenkey this morning.. the damn ball had shot up to "for taasin" 40Gp per ball.. what? and the Ga youth are talking about "won hey wor man" Laoord Ha Mercy!!!!! members of this forum have people who will listen to them... but I dont see that happening...in fact we are not making Ghana politics sweet koraaa.. we are acting buga buga and leaving our shoes behind... by the time we start walking back to pick our balls, the gravels will be too hot to walk on.

Look people on the street are not working. Just walk through the neighbourhoods of Accra and Tema any day and see for yourself.. I think it is the same in many places around Ghana. I am not sure its because people are lazy but its because there is no motivation to work. just check out our churches on weekday morning and see the thousands of people there. It will shock you!!... for the pastors, its work of course, for the congregations its grace they are seeking. meanwhile, no real civic education programming and motivational programmes are on, except for HIV counselling.. hahahahahahaa. fashion parades, mobile phone based competitions where you text xxxx to all networks and the more you text the more your chances of winning. Many people are unemployable because their motivation if not for slow money but business and travelling abroad!!! Partly because those who have come out of school are largely half-baked..

and the ordinary joe and jane in the street. don't even try - to the extent that if you become too known and try to point out a social wrong to a defaulting pedestrian or individual, you may be insulted in a manner that would shock you and if you are unlucky and they shout Ewio!!! Hmmmm..

So whilst we are shouting, there is a lot of work to be done ON and IN our great land Ghana. Big Men, get your act together!!! the nation's history won't be paused whilst we hesitate with indecision and inaction.

let me end today by telling you a story from Tema yesterday.. This guy comes running to where I was conversing with some folks yesterday evening and , panting, says some boys are chasing him.... what for? we asked.. he looks behind him and says, the boys say he is not a Hausa boy and he has come to chase one of their girls... if he comes near the place a gain... he will smell something!!! I could not help laughing. and silently bowed my head in shame. is Ghana becoming zenophobic? Western region? Ashanti Region? Greater Accra? ei.. let's be careful....so we can't relax small even ini our backyards?

we have work to do. Hmmm.. Like KSM will say... I am out of heeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeee!!!

Thank you

Bla Elik