Ghanaian

I have heard time and again how people take on politicians for everything that goes wrong in our country and the world over. But unfortunately, you barely hear these people praise or even appreciate politicians when things go right especially in Africa particular Ghana. This attitude I believe is not helping us move forward in Ghana and in Africa as a whole. I remember a joke someone told me about blaming politicians in Ghana. “During the PNDC era, people just kept complaining about everything they could find to complain about. They kept asking ‘what is the government doing about our roads?’ what is the government doing about our choked gutters?. This attitude continued and gave people the excuse not to do anything meaningful with their lives but just lazy about. One day the weather was so hot and unbearable. A young man just asked his friend he was walking with; ‘what is the Government doing about the weather?’

What at all can the government do about the weather? Once we find someone to blame for one thing in this country the person has to take the blame for every single thing that goes wrong even if it has nothing whatsoever to do with such a person. I hope with this brief introduction you are beginning to get what I am about to discuss down in this article.

I listen to some comment about high fuel prices on the radio once and I decided not to listen to radio discussion on governance issues anymore. A comment like because the government is mismanaging the economy, fuel prices are going higher and higher by the day and the citizenry cannot afford the cost of living anymore. Just last week I watched a news item on a television station where they interviewed a person who leaves in a place which got flooded during a heavy down pour. All he could say to conclude his speech was we call on the government to do something about this problem.

My question is knowing that they have a problem in such a place, what have they the residence done about it? I know for a fact that it wasn’t the first time that particular area has flood. This is the second in this year. The conclusion came out of his mouth easily because that is how almost every person concludes his or her statement. “We call on government to do something about this.”

I believe that if we sit down and look out for those actually responsible for things that are to be done and blame them squarely, we will be able to avoid a lot of them from reoccurring. Let as take a closer look at this scenario.

The planning agency looks on unconcerned and people put up structures on water ways. When the community gets flooded we call on government where in government the average Ghanaian means the president and his ministers. If we take on the agencies concerned, they will have no option but to ensure the right thing is done. But NO! We want the president to take up such responsibilities and make sure buildings are put at the right place.

You see in effect, we blame the wrong people and them that have to be blame go scout free. If our journalist will help educate people on the duties of various agencies and departments in the country it will do more good than wasting time on political parties as if they are the only news items to be broadcasted. What we fail to see is that for any public official, civil servant, public servant and any worker as a whole, the major check for accountability is the public who you serve. If one is not aware that this person is responsible for these duties and these duties are to be done this way, how can one demand that it be done at all and to think of it to be done well?

I will like to put the major part of the blame on our journalist, civil service and our school institutions. If these bodies are doing well to educate the public on what to expect from various institutions and departments, they will force to deliver even with the supposed meager resource they claim to be at their disposal.

I am aware one counter argument will be that, people in such institution do not have the competence and are appointed by the government and so the blame goes back to government. Again I share a different opinion. The government appointee is most of our civil services, departments and agencies are not up to 5% of the total staff in such places. Supposing this people are not performing and the remaining 95% is putting in its best, I believe things will be much better than they are now. Besides, government appointees are usually supervisors and not implementers. They have a major role to play in implementation by making sure the implementation is done to a satisfactory level. However, the problem still remains that if we are truthful to ourselves and patriotic as we claim to be, I believe we will perform our responsibilities well.

There again, if we do not exposed incompetent people in position, how can we get raid of them. The problem associated with this aspect is also how this exposure is done. If it is done with a political undertone I believe no government will want to tarnish its political reputation by allowing political suicidal accusations come out in the public to indict its appointees. It behoove on all of us to make sure that the right people a choose to do the right jobs and that we the citizenry are aware what the outcomes, outputs and fill result are to belike so that we can take on the implementing body if the fail us.

Long live Ghana