Opinions of Thursday, 1 October 2015

Columnist: Bright Afele

Ghana needs a change in Government

Opinion Opinion

It is crucial to note that the first term of President John Dramani Mahama will not be complete without the government issuing an apology for the severe hardship and inhuman treatment it has passed Ghanaians, especially public servants through so far in their almost three years in government.

An apology will serve as an acknowledgement of the gravity and scale of the inhumanity visited not only on Ghanaians but also against humanity as a whole. It will certainly pave the way for more equal engagements in all fields between government and the people and even our kith and kin in the diaspora who have also not been spared the hardship.

The apology from the NDC government to Ghanaians will not only be the greatest honour in their recognized role in visiting Ghanaians at home and in the diaspora with severe hardship but will certainly start the process of finally closing and healing the rifts and divisions that persist between the government and the people.

While the NDC government is reluctant to give a full apology, the NPP presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo remains resolute in his vision to lead Ghana into a land of fulfilment, abundance and a land of prosperity where every Ghanaian becomes aware of and is fully considerate and is confident of the very fact that as Ghanaians, the grass is always greener at our feet.

As it remains difficult to understand why a Ghanaian graduate with a hard-earned degree would prefer to travel to the US, Europe and elsewhere and work as a salesman to being gainfully employed in Ghana, the simple fact is clear: the Ghanaian economy has been made hostile and unaccommodating of the Ghanaian human resource which would otherwise have been an essential source of development in different fields of endeavor in our dear republic.

As harsh and unfriendly as the NDC government has made the economy, human progress is limited to only a selected group of people who are either politicians themselves or who are very closely related to people in the government cycle. The ordinary Ghanaian is left to his fate and does not really understand how the country is moving.

Corruption is rife government offices, departments, agencies, the public and civil service and most recently, the judicial service. All these grievous circumstances together with the colossal sum of money the government has spent and continues to spend should be even more worrying for us as a people.

The government has remained unapologetic of these situations and is continuing to visit Ghanaians daily with untold hardships. The country now is reminiscent of Chinua Achebe's popular 'things fall apart and the center cannot hold' saying.

As the country is cruising to the 2016 elections, one issue is clear: Ghanaians must consider a change in government. It will teach the government an important lesson and probably change the fortunes of Mother Ghana.

I, the writer, has been an ardent supporter of the NDC government but I now, through experience, have come to a single conclusion that a change in government will be the single greatest honour to Ghanaians.

A freeze on public sector employment, poor standard of pre-tertiary education, poor conditions of service, corruption in high places, judgement debt issues, NHIS collapse, SADA rot among others are the fruits that the NDC government has borne so far.

A wind of change is blowing in Ghana.
I drop my pen with an ardent appeal to Ghanaians to bring this change into reality.

The 2016 elections must be used as a springboard that will propel Ghana onto a higher place of advancement from which all shall benefit.

But hey, these are just the thoughts of an ordinary Ghanaian!