BY: SESHIE, STANLEY

We are all born Ghanaians. But in the light of our constitution and
practice of governance as in allocation and management of our father;
Ghana's resources, for the development and improved conditions of all,
it seems not all of us are Ghanaians. It is increasingly becoming
clear that there are some people who are also more Ghanaian by work,
and have the exclusive right to have the economic goodies of Ghana
reflect in their services and life than others. As such, unlike
others, they can enjoy and have been enjoying everything free in the
economic house of Ghana. Not only that, when they end their services,
they take additional unimaginable huge sums of money called ex-gratia.

Whereas those of us just born or working outside that "Ghanaian work",
we watch with awe in ignorance and fear to even uter a word. Even if
we do, who will listen when the only Ghanaian workers are united on
these economc freebies than to our collective development as a nation?
That is why somehow, I am astounded by the handling and treatment of
the people (outside that Ghanaian worker) by themselves as reflected
in our reactions towards the doctors' demands.

The demands of the doctors were certainly not done in the absence of
reference. It was done, probably with reference to those, whose work
might be as demanding as theirs, yet whose conditions of service and
salaries are not just reasonably but astronomically better and beyond
reach. When they submit via proposals for defining of their condition
of service that will ultimately be approved by the only Ghanaian
worker via negotiations, hence subject to probable downward review,
the politicians successfully unleashed the emotional public on them,
as if the proposal was the final immutable say.

As expected the public behaved as if it is only the doctors' decisions
that had direct effect on them. Meanwhile, in nation building, the
political decisions affect us more than any, as it carries more
weighty consequences. This heightened anxiety of the people is
understandable given that the services of doctors have direct bearing
on saving lives, at least from dying from preventable and treatable
causes and diseases. For that singular but central core of duty, the
public is justified in their anger against them. But here is a
situation wherein, metaphorically, the doctor is now the "patient",
waiting for treatment from the politician? As a public, don't they
deserve our compassion that they professionally envelop us with when
we go to their offices?

Must we descend on them with all sorts of rationalizations, insults
among others as suggestive solutions to their demands, outrageous
demands? Some people are even suggesting that the government let them
resign en masse if they refuse to back down reasonably? Is this a
nation crying that the only way to make the economy more robust and
viable to undergird its developmental agenda is to radically and
enduringly shift from importation to exportation? In other words focus
and invest in manufacturing and training of skilled labour necessary
to take more active roles in industrilization and service provisions?
Is our bigger pictorial means of developing so subliminal that we
cannot realize, and be held by it till its actualizations? We have
imported almost everything as a nation, and now we want to add
doctors, simply because some people voluntarily come to help us.
Cubans had trained enough doctors to export. Ghana has undertrained
and its now conditionally disabling the trained ones to have room to
import more. What a suggestion?

The public reactions to the doctors' demands which is but a proposal
awaiting approval, therefore subject to downward review from the
negotiating government, reveals the psyche of the Ghanaian, reflecting
their almost seemingly support for the politicians as the only
Ghanaian worker. We, other workers were set against ourselves when it
comes to demanding for improved conditions of services among others in
the economic house of Ghana. Else how do you explain the reverberating
chorus throughout the nation that the nation's economic capacity
cannot sustain such insensitive outrageous demands annually? Meanwhile
this same Ghanaians are seemingly confortable with the same economy
sustaining the sensitive exorbitant freebies, allowances among others
of Article 71 office holders, in addition to ex-gratia.

I am beginning to think that the politicians and the makeup of Article
71 office holders are the only Ghanaian workers, and need to have the
best of conditions of service, inspite of the fact that we are all
working assiduously to develop this nation. Any wonder that almost
everyone from other works especially the youth are nursing and
gravitating towards joining the only Ghanaian workers, assured with a
defeaning silence of public support of their inalienable right to
improved conditions of service characterised by freebies and
ex-gratia. Never mind that, with the exception of the only Ghanaian
workers, the total continuous summation of their work output is yet to
reflect appreciably in the lives of us all. Next year, 2016, the only
Ghanaian workers will qualify for taking another ex-gratia again, in
addition to all the freebies, allowances and huge salaries they
enjoyed in their four years tenure of services. They are the only
people Ghana's economy can support without anyone saying that is
outrageous and unreasonable.

Email:seshiehanku@gmail.com

Whatsapp:0508951323