‘Wake up! Future Ghanaian Leaders under 30’
When one reads and listens to arguments on National issues by the current breed of Ghanaian politicians, one only asks; ‘where are they dragging the country to? Are they Patriotic and do they have vision as far as the future of Ghana politics, future life of its citizens below the age of 30 (youth) and the developmental issues of the country are concerned?’
They are in politics just to enrich and carve popularity for themselves. They do not exhibit the qualities of good statesmen. They talk as if there are no elderly citizens in the country; forgetting that they have to set good precedence for the youth to emulate.
They love their Parties more than the Country. Hence, they do not disagree to agree and move the country forward. The governing body is an enemy to the opposition and the opposition is an enemy to the governing body. What kind of politics is this? They feel proud to be always in their party colours . They only love the National Flag when the owners of the Flag, Black Stars, are playing.
Instead of injecting the sense of patriotism and respect, modernizing our young democracy to conform to the current technological age, they tend to revisit the old colonial era of vindictiveness and witch hunting. It was the era where your opponent was your perennial enemy culminating to fighting and injustices meted to their opponents. With the advent of information technology, it is incumbent upon our new and young politicians -who are fortunate to be renowned academicians- to make use of the technology to visualize developments and set the path for a brighter future for the country and its citizens but not to make the youth know that the shortest way to become rich is to enter politics.
Instead of disagreeing to agree and move national issues forward, respecting themselves and their positions of trust, respecting the elderly and the entire citizenry, erecting the ladder of trust and hope for the under 30s to climb, building institutions that will create jobs and make our democracy strong to be emulated, being nationalistic and raising the bar of our exportable hospitability that makes Ghanaians proud wherever they may be ,they tend to do the opposite with impunity just to enrich themselves and their parties at the detriment of the Nation.
Let’s ask them of their motives of being in politics and where are they dragging the country to? They do not respect their own views neither do they respect the views of others. It is when they need votes that they humble themselves as if they respect and want to serve the citizenry.
No pressure will force Busumuru Kofi Annan to talk to lose his hard- earn respect and reputation not only for himself but his position, the institution he served and his country Ghana. The current Ghanaian politicians do not want to earn respect but to force for it. It doesn’t happen like that.
Do these politicians know that it is through hard work and dedication to honest work that earn an individual, good reputation and respect that are complimented with clean wealth? As Mark Anthony said, ‘the good is oft interred in their bones so let it be with Caesar.’
Now the young Ghanaians below the age of 30, what kind of country is our current political leaders building for you? If they do not respect themselves and their positions of trust, elderly, the young and the citizenry and insult themselves publicly with impunity, disgrace the governing body and the opposition and spread their dirty linen publicly to the International community only to force for power and wealth, then, what are you doing? They are visionless and not prepared to serve the country. If you sit down unconcerned and do not come together irrespective of your party affiliations and sit these politicians down, put pressure on them to do what it takes to build a good democracy that will at long last make the citizenry proud to be Ghanaians, your future will be bleak. It will be hard for you to straighten a crooked path to a brighter future. Work towards a good course and the rest shall be added unto it. Deprive them from looting the wealth that belongs to the future generation.
Let’s form institutions within and outside the parties that will tread on the right path while we put constant pressure on them to eschew arrogance, insult, selfishness, vindictiveness, stealing, divisionism, disrespecting discerning views and other characteristics that are alien to Ghanaian culture. We shouldn’t be dogmatic to their values. Now it is time for election so they are all pretending to put the Country First. Know that after the election, priority will be ‘Themselves FIRST, COUNTRY LAST.’
Think twice since your collective votes can change all these vices and put the country on the right path.
‘FUTURE GHANAIAN LEADERS UNDER 30’
J.Y.Frimpong-Manso
Agogo, a/a.
erfrimpong@yahoo.com