Some dates are special, even sacred, in a country’s history. In our circumstance, March 6, 1957 is one of such dates.
Last Thursday, we had another opportunity to commemorate that date in our history when the flag of subservience, the Union Jack, was lowered and the fresh one bedecked with our national colours replaced it.
It has been a sixty eight year-long journey of nationhood full of hiccups accentuated by military interventions made possible by prevailing poorly managed economies.
We cannot commemorate the date under review without doffing our hats for the founding fathers, including Pa Grant and the roles they played from the days of the Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society (ARPS) in Saltpond to the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) not forgetting farmers, ex-servicemen and others culminating in our eventual independence.
Were our nation a human being she would have come of age, on retirement possibly and blessed with grandchildren full of wisdom. We are still struggling to find our feet as a nation, many challenges staring us in our democratic march.
The country which at independence had a population of barely six and half million is today peopled by some thirty million, with many challenges spanning economic to social.
On such occasions, we should reflect upon the journey so far and seek answers to our sorry state of leadership inefficiencies and integrity lapses.
At our age as a nation, there is no reason we should not be truly independent economically.
The flag raising activity which ushered in the new nation has not witnessed an independent management of the economy, which makes us wonder if we are truly independent.
We still rely on foreign financial inflows to fuel our annual budgets, allowing such benefactors to dictate the terms for the management of our economies.
With no guarantee of constant flow of foreign aid, we have been leading risky lives over the years not knowing when the taps will cease giving us water.
The recent Trump stoppage of the USAID aid to countries which had over the years depended upon the largesse is an important reminder that we should be more serious about being truly independent.
Seventy years shy of two should have spared us the groping in the dark attitude towards our economic and political challenges. That committees have been formed to unearth solutions, even when figures indicating progress are available, exude confusing signals.
The past government did its best in terms of advancing the cause of the country’s economy, having inherited one which was in tatters as observed by the then President, who said the country as a body had been stripped off flesh leaving behind bones.
When therefore the same man seeks to run down the country bequeathed him upon his second coming by claiming it is in crisis, we are tempted to think that our leaders easily forget themselves and shy away from giving credit where this is due.
Of course things are not rosy, but the reason cannot be attributed to poor management of the immediate past government.
Verifiable figures indicate otherwise, and we should be bold to point out these.
Let us be truthful about the true state of the nation, reflect upon our challenges sixty-eight years since independence and rededicate ourselves as leaders and citizens to the cause of this country, which is the only one we have.