Yesterday, Ghanaians marked 65 years of independence from British colonial rule.
Congratulations to all Ghanaians on marking such a significant occasion, particularly for weathering the chequered political journey.
What really is it when we say a country is independent?
From a layman’s perspective, that should one being ruled by its own citizens, bearing its sovereignty, having a well-crafted political system, with the leadership trying their best to meet the needs and aspirations of the people.
Besides, the leaders should reinforce in the people values like patriotism, dignity ofwork, honesty and incorruptibility, respect for authority, political and traditional, and for institutions of state like parliament, the courts and the police that enhance governance and the rule of law.
The rights and freedoms of the people too must beupheld and the people made to know their responsibilities.
Also, the leadership should put in place an education system under which the teachers and other educational workers are respected and given their due to train the young ones to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for their own progress and for the development of the country.
That means there must be opportunities for jobs and support for industry, particularly for the private sector to be able to absorb a greater percentage of the workforce.
There is also the paramount need for the country’s leaders to put in place a vibrant system to take care of the health needs of people.
Then there must be monitoring systems in all the sectors of the economy to ensure checks and balances to ensure sanity across the country.
The list of what people expect from an independent country is taller than what is provided here.
What is important is that any people celebrating their country’s independence should check the list and see if the country is making progress that inures to the benefit of the people.
That is to say the celebration should be a time for reflection and so the country still revels inits 65thindependence celebration, the citizens must, in a non-partisan manner, evaluate the situations in all the sectors ofsocietal life in the country and make their own judgement as to whether every citizen has benefited from the country’s independence.
Some people ask the question whether independence with regard to self-rule is enough for the country.
If what is expected of an independent country is anything to go by, can anyone say and prove why all Ghanaians should show patriotism for the sake of the progress of the country?
One of the reasons for the agitations for independence was that the colonists were plundering the resources of the country to the neglect of the citizens’ welfare.
Has the plundering stopped since independence? It is sad to say that depending on where one stands politically or socio-economically, one may agree or disagree that the plundering has reduced or worsened.
How much was the level of corruption in the country during the colonial time compared to what is happening in the political arena and elsewhere?
The Ghanaian Times is worried that the current group of people in charge of the management of the country’s natural and financial resources are plundering these,as if others do not matter and that there will be no future generations who would also need some of these resources for their survival.
There now seems to be a situation of “four legs good, two legs bad”; some people deserve better, so others can please themselves.
Thus, a few people living in abundance while the rest live in squalor.
Why are some citizens rewarded so much even for a short period of four years’ service for the country and others given stipends for decades supporting the development of the country?
It is about time the citizenry reflected on the occasion of the country’s 65thindependence anniversary and check if the nation has made the desirable progress or question the status quo because many are those who have been smarting under the system over the years.
