My Viewpoint: MUST WE BE SILENT?.....Enemies from within: The Gh...

My Viewpoint: MUST WE BE SILENT?.....Enemies from within: The Gh...: There comes a time when silence means betrayal..................... Martin Luther King Jnr The culture of silence in Ghana is so dishea...

MUST WE BE SILENT?.....Enemies from within: The Ghana story

There comes a time when silence means betrayal.....................  Martin Luther King Jnr

The culture of silence in Ghana is so disheartening, to say the least. We watch on as the selfish deeds of certain unscrupulous individuals destroy the values we hold as a nation. We are the type who will watch evildoers go ahead with their evil deeds and stand helpless all in the name of " i don't want trouble". This attitude has led to politicians taking the citizenry for granted and perpetuating crimes of all magnitude with impunity. This was not the character of the post-independence Ghanaian poised for action, action driven by patriotism.
We all have a moral obligation to ensure national cohesion and as such crack down on individuals whose actions pose threats to national unity. As we prepare for our 55th independence anniversary, it is worth considering a change of mind. Our silence is Killing Ghana.

Sometimes i am not able to fathom whether it is a conspiracy by the political elite to keep the people divided so the they can continue their self-seeking perpetual grip over state largesse or what.
From the beginning of the independence struggle till today, there is seen, in-between the lines, an immoral quest for power and control. Political and social activists, while publicly parading themselves as lovers of the common public good, have yet subtly displayed their inordinate desire to keep the masses in ignorance so they can  perpetually entrench themselves in positions of power and authority. For what?....their selfish gains.
Sometimes i weep for my country, Ghana.
Independence was supposed to mean freedom. Independence was supposed to be the dawn of a new day, a day eagerly awaited to end our long night of hopelessness and pessimism. It satisfied our long yearning for the end of white imperialism, oppression and exploitation. And so the fever swept across the country and the African continent like wild fire in a dry forest. People joined the struggle,....students, civil servants, traditional leaders and all manner of people. Love for country was their motivation. On empty stomachs, they soldiered on till the mission was accomplished. Finally the day came.........., it was celebrated, revered and to be remembered........6th March 1957
I wasn't born by then. My mother was even young. I only saw pictures of my late father with the then President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in a district parade attended by the latter. So i can not pretend to have memories of those days. But i believe my imaginations are right, because a people so long oppressed and held captive in their own land cannot help but celebrate freedom. I know for sure that the expectations were high, hopes were raised and the patriotism of the people at its peak. This was a nation poised to secure their rightful place in the universe. A nation fast becoming an example to the rest of the continent. Ghana was on the move..
Now, let us consider this post-independence Ghana juxtaposed against the Ghana of today. One will be tempted to ask,.....Did the Ghanaian dream die? or Perhaps were we deceived we were going to be free only to suffer an even higher degree of exploitation by our own people? The political elite, who were tasked with the moral duty of safeguarding the public interest have rather failed us. Today, by their utterances they have proven that we, the people do not matter any longer. They have shown that they are more interested in winning elections by foul means than they are about the health and education of the ordinary Ghanaian. They have over they years worked hard to divide the nation that was once burning with enthusiasm under one common destiny. They have robbed and killed the very people, on whose behalf they were supposed to be exercising the power they hold. They have drawn lines among ethnic groupings and work hard each day to accentuate these divisions.
They are the reason for our backwardness. They are the reason for the suffering of the masses. Now they are up again. Politics of insults. It has gotten to the extent that they have nothing to tell us. The only thing they can do is insult on TV and radio, cast aspersions at each other and we give them our audience? how pitiful!
Where from this culture of silence?
Must we be silent as these selfish individuals plunge our country into chaos?
No, we must not!
Where are the voices?
Where are the patriots who will join me in calling the bluff off these politicians?
Let us wake from our slumber and tell these enemies from within that Ghana does not belong to them.

TRIBE OR COUNTRY?...........who has our ALLEGIANCE?

My country, Ghana will be fifty years on the 6th of March 2012. We call it independence day. Over the past fifty years, this special occasion has been met with a lot of frenzy, greeted with excitement and celebrated with gargantuan enthusiasm.
The 6th March fever sweeps across the entire nation and the jubilant mode is seen on the faces of young and old, rich and poor, educated and illiterate.Much preparation goes into this occasion, the biggest being the National Independence Day Parade organised by the government at the Independence Square. Similar functions are organised in each district and regional capital across the entire length of the country.
This is one of the few days on which all Ghanaians identify themselves as GHANAIANS and not tribe A,B or C. The excitement and jubilation makes it difficult to identify individual factions within the larger Ghanaian society, a positive event which all well-meaning Ghanaians should applaud and wish it stays.
Unfortunately, after the celebrations, when the excitement and euphoria dwindles, when dusk finally settles on the day and the confetti is swept away, we return to our homes where something rather fearful resurfaces,... tribal sentiments.
There is no denying the fact that we all belong to one tribe or another. It is also worth appreciating that nature demands of us to hold our identity and belonging in high esteem and protect the dignity of our tribe. This natural inclination can be exercised without the least offence to others. I am proud of my tribe, and so should you be.
The problem however comes when in the exercise of my respect and reverence for my tribe, i want to show all other tribes that they are useless and good for nothing. This only provokes anger and hatred, and fuels disaffection towards one another, a sure recipe for disaster. It is also wrong for me to fight tooth and nail just to prove to a tribe that has trumpeted its superiority  that  i am also worth my salt. If the only way to feel good about my tribe is to run down other tribes, insult them and attack them with the least opportunity i have, if i am used to expressing my hatred for another tribe because its people feel "they are big", then i can only be described as suffering from inferiority complex.
 If i am so blinded by tribal allegiance to the extent that everything my tribesman does is right and everything the other tribe does is wrong, then i am probably the wrong person here. Time and time again, tribalism has fuelled wars in our country. I refuse the temptation to mention names here, and make references for the simple reason that i am not interested in showing what others have done wrong, but rather the wrongs we all have been doing.
Our tribalism has created room for unscrupulous individuals hiding under the guise of political activism to ride   on our backs to political authority and power, and in their quest to hold on to such power, incited tribe against tribe when they comfortably live extravagant lives on our state coffers,.......the taxes you and i pay. Because we have allowed this canker to breed deep into our national discourse, political parties have resorted to tribalism as a way of winning affection and amassing popular support for their unjust cause of self gratification and amassing of public wealth. The two major political parties have succeeded in tagging themselves as parties belonging to certain tribes. The tribes "affiliated" to such parties are so blinded to the extent that they will jump to the defence of nation wreckers and people who should have been serious public enemies with the rather unreasonable justification that he/she is one of their own. It has gotten to the extent that  traditional leaders of certain tribes will ask for pardon for criminals because he/she is one of their own.This is so pathetic
Politicians will continue to ride on our unnecessary tribal sentiments to steal from us, divide us even the more and plunge us into chaos. Let us be Ghanaians and not tribalists.
Who is to blame? Who can we point fingers at, as the cause of our woes? Nobody!. Because it is everybody. We are all to blame. You, myself and all others.
As we prepare to celebrate our 55th Independence Day, let us strive to have the love of country engraved on the very tablets of our hearts. Let us show the world that we are one Ghana.
Once again i ask,..............Tribe or country,....................who has your allegiance?