I was moved to write this article by a contribution I made to an article on Ghanaweb that drew commendations from some of the other contributors. I write this as a tribute to a contributor called ‘Ama Browne’ who entreated me to write a piece on Ghanaweb. Ama (if this is your real name) this is in keeping with the promise I made.

As a nation, we have collectively decided not to be taught by the lessons of our history. This might be because our history does not present an elegant picture of the side to which we are aligned; or our history might vindicate the side we detest; or that we are not prepared to learn from past mistakes to make tomorrow better than yesterday. We therefore keep on replaying yesterday’s events with all its pains and joys but resolving not to learn from yesterday’s mistakes.

The study of our history leading up to independence and after suggests that Ghana had a big potential that we have all conspired (through our actions and inactions; and through our sycophantic ways and denials) to squander. The ideals of the men and women who led us into independence were sufficient to have sustained and grown the country to ensure prosperity by now. The frustration is the greater that, immediately after independence, we could not tolerate each other’s views and stance to develop the cooperation needed for a new country to advance. Sadly, in this day and age when technology has so far advanced that it is almost magical in some aspects, the divisions, finger-pointing and name-calling that started then have endured to this day. Whilst engaged in this self-destructive habit, we remain at the bottom of the world’s economic league.

Imagine what we could have achieved with Nkrumah’s drive and vision, Danquah’s defence of human rights and respect for the rule of law and Busia’s intellectual approach to problem-solving if they had all tried to accommodate each other. If we must learn anything at all, we should learn that, divided, we shall continue to grope in the darkness that is Africa and hence Ghana. Isn’t it about time that we put these partisan bickerings aside and move lock-step in development? Isn’t it about time that a new accommodating type of leadership emerges that is prepared to forgive the wrongs of history and usher our nation in a new path of reconciliation, progress and inclusion?

In my travels, and I have done a little bit of it, I have met many a Ghanaian, occupying responsible positions and helping to make a difference, some in far away lands. There is nothing wrong with Ghana today that cannot be made right with what is right with Ghana today. You only have to ‘google’ “University of Ghana, Legon”; or “University of Science and Technology, Kumasi”; or “University of Cape Coast”; to see the names of individuals trained at these institutions serving in responsible capacities abroad. What are we doing as a nation to harness this resource that is scattered all over the globe? The problem as I see it is the kind of politics we practise in Ghana – the vindictive kind that is prepared to put inexperienced individuals in responsible positions rather than reach over to able people in other camps to make a contribution.

The people who are currently in political leadership are failing us on a grand scale. They have not helped to heal the divisions that are currently evident and they have shown no inclination to harness all the Ghanaian human capital that abounds. I sometimes wonder whether their eyes are open to see what is going on around the world and whether they are ready to introduce policies that would help us identify a niche in the world which we can call our own.

There is no grand vision in our present leaders. There is no strategy to drag up this beautiful and endowed nation of ours from the depth that it finds itself. We may pay lip service to programs to make us a middle income nation but nothing much is happening to ensure that. An economy that is precariously dependent on external aid, in the same way that we were precariously dependent on one crop – cocoa at independence, will not attain this goal. Yes the economists and sociologists may bring out the economic and social indicators in years to come to announce our arrival at this stage of development, but we all know that in our homes and villages and towns and cities, life for the majority would still be one big struggle.

At independence, Ghana was thought to be in the most advantageous position compared to any other sub-Saharan African colony. As a result of the toil of ordinary cocoa farmers (mostly in the then Ashanti encompassing present day Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions) and the high price of cocoa then on the world market, Ghana had a surplus of over £200m. Due to a relatively advanced educational system then, the country could boast of very educated individuals. The country was endowed with mineral resources like gold, diamonds and manganese. It had an infrastructure of roads, railways and a harbour that was way beyond any other African colony at the time. However, by 1965, the surplus had been turned into a deficit with mounting debts owed to local banks, international agencies and overseas suppliers. It appeared we did not have all the ingredients to launch a successful take-off. The vision was there alright but it appeared we lacked all the other necessary prerequisites – honesty, dedication, cooperation, tolerance of our individual views and differences and all the freedoms – of thought, association, worship, expression etc. that form the launch pad for success. This is the lesson of history that we all ought to learn but sadly have failed to do.

As a result of our inability to learn from mistakes in our history the country now is highly-indebted whilst we continue to suffer economic stagnation (despite growth in recent times). We now have a divided country that appears not to rally around any common dream or aspiration. We have experienced both civilian and military dictatorships and have witnessed executions of past leaders. Despite these lessons of history, we still lack visionary leadership that is capable of showing some empathy towards the plight of millions of Ghanaians. We still have a state machinery that is oppressive, expensive, corrupt, inefficient, opaque and unwieldy whilst our rural folks still wallow in abject poverty. We have turned political vindictiveness and meaningless sloganising into art forms with appointments based on political affiliations and patronage rather than merit. The saddest of all is that our educational system is failing millions of children and the general populace is not politically aware and do not know their rights. All these are because we have not learned the painful lessons from our history.

Whilst these conditions prevail, one may ask: where is the political leadership? I am afraid there are no well-meaning ones. You just have to read the writings of our first batch of leaders – the Nkrumahs, the Danquahs and the Busias to realise the gap we have to make up in comparison to the current political classes. I do not want to be drastic, otherwise I would have said that the current political leadership has nothing much to offer Ghana. Compared to our past leaders, one cannot find a report of a contemporary Ghanaian politician, without written notes, having a conversation with the country from the heart; offering a vision of what Ghana should be like in the next ten years or twenty years or even fifty years. You will struggle to find records of any politician explaining to the electorate why they came into politics, what their formative years were and how these have shaped their politics. You will certainly struggle to find a politician talking about the life experiences that have mapped their outlook; what they came into politics to achieve for their fellow country men and women; and how their achievements should be measured in future.

I am not talking about the usual speeches that are often preceded by pomp and pageantry with event managers ensuring that nothing goes wrong. I am not talking about speeches with spin doctors, serial callers and sycophants trying to sanitise the after. I am talking about speeches that flow out of the genuine, spontaneous and overwhelming desire to make a favourable difference. I am talking about speeches that resonate in the far reaches of our country. Speeches that give hope to: the poor widow trying to raise children on her own; the impoverished civil servant trying to see their children through school; the poor farmer dependent on unpredictable weather to get a small income; and a school child who has to do his/her homework with only the flickering flame from a kerosene lantern providing some inadequate lighting.

There are many problems in our country – in homes, communities, villages, towns and cities. Some of our countrymen and women, especially in the rural areas, live in conditions that are an affront to human dignity and pride. Mothers die needlessly at childbirth, people die needlessly through motor accidents; over 60% of our children are not receiving quality education or training, we rely on donor nations to support our annual budgets. I can go on and on yet what do we see? Our politicians derive pride from spending their time on demonising each other instead of letting policies, planning and delivery do the talking.

Our politicians are happy to crave the title of ‘honourable’ but ignore the import of the title. They are satisfied to preside over a country that is breaking apart at the seams but cannot marshal any love for country to reach out the conciliatory hand to a colleague on the other side for the sake of national unity and progress. We face many problems yet we cannot name a single MP who has made a pressing national problem his cause. We do not have parliamentarians who are prepared to make themselves a “nuisance” to the Executive by constantly pursuing justice for the voiceless, education for the children of the poor; and improvement in the life of the rural folks. In this 21st Century, we still have farmers dying in our villages from snake bites because they have no ready supplies of first aid and/or they cannot get transport in time to the nearest clinic. It is doubtful if the clinics even stock anti-snake bite serum.

The degree of intolerance that reared its ugly head after independence is sadly still with us. Whilst we engage in this the nation falters. There is enough hatred in our kind of politics that is interfering with our ability to solve the problems of the nation. Today in Ghana, one cannot condemn an NPP action without tempering it with an NDC example. One cannot praise an NDC action without sprinkling in a liberal dose of NPP praise. It was the same with the UP and CPP some years ago. Is this ‘Palestinian-Israeli’ like situation serving our population and future generations well? The benefits of irrational partisanship are short-lived but the damage it causes could be long-lasting and this shows that we have never appreciated the cost of our past mistakes.

It is up to the ‘untainted’ youth to devise a new kind of politics. Being willing tools in someone’s selfish political machinations will not help you. You can engage in all the political militancy you want but at the end of the day if you have no skills or qualifications, the ‘wasted years’ would catch up with you in old age. The aim of the CJAs and the AFAGs of this world should not be to protest about the cost of petroleum products or utilities that is determined by economic realities. Their aim should be to protest about the inability of the political classes to solve our problems by cooperating.

To end, I am appealing to all Ghanaians to do some deep soul-searching. We should examine our roles in the current climate of intolerance through what we have done and what we have failed to do. We should pause for a moment to think, not about the achievements of the side we support, but about our own side’s shortcomings and mistakes. We should also at the same time think about any positives we can find about our opponents. We probably would find that, being humans, we may have committed as many mistakes as our opponents have made some positive contributions to national life.

I will appeal that next time we meet in our offices or radio stations or parliament, let us offer each other a warm embrace. Let us acknowledge that the current divisive situation is untenable and let us resolve to work together for we all form part of the beautiful tapestry that is Ghana. Let us ask ourselves what we have in common. If we are in politics to make a favourable difference in our country, hopefully we shall find that we share a common humanity and above all else, we are Ghanaians and we want the best for our country. This common bond transcends all our differences. You see: what unites us is greater than our little politics that divide us. We should let our politics be beneficial to all in our country. We should let our politics be a brewery and distillery for innovative ideas and policies to benefit all. In short we should be asking ourselves: can’t we all get along in the service of Ghana? Good luck to all as we strive for this new politics!

Dr Frank Yaw Ohemeng, Manchester (UK)