Of course, every sphere of human endeavor is initiated and fuelled by ideals, but an idea in itself is not enough. In fact an idea or ideas are just one half of the equation. Idea(s) is either the challenge (proposal) or the solution, in orders words, it is either what is to be achieved or how it is to be achieved. The two put together is what is called vision. This piece is partly prompted by the feature article of Ghanaweb on the 5/02/2007, The Role of Ideas in Ghanaian Politics. It is with no disputed the importance of ideas, and more importantly vision, in the total prosperity of every nation. However, are ideas of any significance for the sake of just ideas?

Does Ghana Need or Lack Ideas?

At this point in the life of our beloved country, are we where we are because of lack of ideas or even visions? The answer to the question, Ladies and Gentle, is a big “No’! In fact, our beloved country is among the top of the nations in the world that can boasts of ideas or visions, and for that matter has brains, and continue to produce some of the top brains of the world. This has been so from even before Gold Coast and after Gold Coast. In fact, for only one thing (lack of the fear of the Lord), I honestly believe that the world has never seen (and may never see again) any great brain (visionary, not one with just scattered ideas) in dark skin such as our first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame-Atuapoma Nkrumah. More so, I would not like to talk about the Kwegyir Aggreys, Busias, Alloteys and the hundreds of the brilliant sons of Ghana, but to crown it off with our recent Busomuru Kofi, an unprecedented manager of the biggest body of the whole world, the UN. Even, the poorest governments with no brains that ever ruled our country had at least Nkrumah’s visions to fall on. Take he P/NDC for instance, and read documents on their visions for the nation, and you would go ‘waaw… I never knew those people had or a least knew of all such ‘ideas’! And I want to say, that had even one of these governments put in action the visions they had, our beloved nation would have been competing with the best in the world.

So What Is It That We Lack or Need?

My brothers and sisters, I must tell you, we do not need people who are just so green to think that Ghana, and for that matter those presently in power lack ideas; and so if they could become the president of the nation, just armed with the ideas that even the class one kid knows, that we need more housing, jobs, improvement on our health facilities and as such, they could turn Ghana around just by knowing these ‘no visions’. If the rest of us think like those, then the next 50 years is not just going to be like the past ones, but even worse. For it takes more than ideas ( our experience as a nation must attest to this), even more than a vision, to build a prosperous nation in Africa, in this global world of unfair competition, undercuts, and devised and pursued economic and political ploys by the pseudo-friendly West ( especially the French and Americans) to pin Africa down in poverty, and thus in economic dependency, where they offer some few $ million and ask us in turn to give almost free energy, raw materials, cheap labor, and tax exemption and the likes, costing us million times the handouts they give; poisoning and bribing our own trusted people to betray us ( like the CIA, I mean the Americans did to us, and the whole of Africa by causing traitors to remove Nkrumah) etc, so that they can always satisfy their insatiable greed with our God-given resources, even as they like, and leaving us behind with wars, poverty, internal hatred, diseases and death. So if one cannot face the tiny challenge of getting elected as a presidential candidate, how would he fare in the midst of the above, even if the presidency is offered to him on a silver platter?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope you understand now, if not before, that it takes more than class one ideas coupled with vociferousity, sheer naivety, and the venting of self-ambitious frustration to build a nation. Rawlings is a testimony to this fact.

Love and Commitment Is What We Need

Fellow country folks, haven realized that we have more than necessary vision, not even just ideas, and yet are failing to make progress, what is it that we lack? Simple, love for nation and commitment is what we lack, but not brains. Beloved people of Ghana, I must say that we have more than necessary big brains and talkatives as well, who are only expecting the government alone, to listen and pursue all their millions of ideas, without them lifting a finger to put to work what they know. There are also those who are waiting only to become the president before they do something (or at least brag they would if elected president). These unpatriotic people would fold their arms, sit and whine and pine about the government supposedly inaction, without even lifting a finger to brighten the small corner where they find themselves, even just to set an example. These people are most of the time highly educated and privileged people (at least by Ghanaian standard). For this, they feel they are too big to dirty their hands where they are, by helping, unless they are in high positions as a minister or the president. And when they are tired of shouting, some resort to migrating to advanced countries where they either comfortably settle to enjoy others’ (those who built that country) sweat or wouldn’t even mind to clean toilets and as such – from a university professor to a janitor. Not that it is bad to take such jobs (because these are the jobs that contribute immensely to the prosperity and maintenance of the developed countries they always use to shame our motherland). However, the question is, if they don’t mind taking these ‘odd jobs’ in those countries, why wouldn’t they sacrifice even at an honorable level for the motherland, why do they always talk of graduates without jobs (not even be grateful that the state has given them education), are we educated to make life or just to enjoy what is there already; and where some of them run to, if those countries had such skilled people, would they have had the employment they get because of their education; why can’t we be grateful for the education the motherland gives us, instead of all the name callings we use to disgrace Ghana, some times just because we enjoy milk at our refuges? If why can’t we use our ideas to build our own nation even when we are not presidents or in government?

Love and dedication to the motherland, and hard-won personal or public achievements must be the criteria therefore for the election of people into public office, not just a head full of disjointed ideas coupled with vociferousity. Therefore if anyone says he has ideas to rule the country, let him in the same vein use his ingenuity to secure a presidential candidacy; and go ahead to conquer the presidency as well. Any true genius is able to face up to life challenges and conquer. Let us stop the casting of snare on the victory or chances of others because we are not able to come out tops because of our own lack. It is only losers who continue to cry foul without regrouping, strategizing and coming back for the conquest. I want to tell people like Arthur Kobina to stop calling for doomsday, because of their desperations stemming from self-ambition, and naivety and incompetence, and rather work harder (he could use a bit of good communication skill as well).

Conclusion

Ghana does not need ‘it definitely has to be mes’ anymore. We need real achiever-patriots with vision, not just ideas. We need those who could face up to challenges, not chickens who always cry foul when it does not go their way. We need those who have been faithful with the little to take up the big office, not ‘has to be president befores’. And finally we need those who fear the Lord, the Almighty, who blesses and prospers, not self and satan-worshippers. What does it profit if a man says he has ideas and has no works? Show me your ideas by your works and I will show you my ideas by my works (read James 2:14, 17-18) God bless the good people of the motherland. Long live united and prosperous Ghana!!!