WHEN REALITY IS NO MORE IMPORTANT

 

"At long last, the battle has ended and thus Ghana, your beloved country, is free forever.” These were the remarkable words of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as our beloved nation forged and thrusted into a new era of freedom.

As Ghanaians celebrated sixty-five years of independence in March 2022, many news outlets expressed doubts about the extent to which expectations of independence had been met. Most conveyed the perception that the high expectations that accompanied the independence celebrations had not materialized. The people of Ghana expect rapid industrialization, employment for all, higher incomes, a more democratic system of governance, greater access to education and healthcare, and general improvements in welfare.

The recent economic challenges of Ghana saw it return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for aid. In a statement released by the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on July 1, 2022, the move to go to the IMF is to help the global lender assist the government in implementing some economic recovery programs.

The directive from the Presidency was received by sharp critics from CSOs, the National Democratic Congress (the biggest opposition party in the country), and the citizenry. According to the critics, the country’s economic woes are based on the failure of the government to deal with its internal mismanagement of state funds and corruption.

Ghana’s approaches to the IMF, which have averaged every four years over the past 65 years, tell a story of the recurrent failure of the government to properly build the economy to withstand internal and external shocks. Ghana’s lack of fiscal discipline, and its recent history of dependence on foreign financing – with as much as 48% of the total public debt being held by external investors – leaves the country vulnerable to swings in investor sentiment.

But, among all these economic pressures among many developing citizens in the country, the President seems to have lost touch or been misinformed about the tension and anger in the populace.

“I will build the National Cathedral at all cost – President Akufo-Addo asserts”

This was a news article carried out by pulse.com.gh. According to the story, The President says the National Cathedral Project was something dear to his government, stressing that it will be built at all costs for the glory and honor of God.

In one instance, one would contemplate the relevance of the edifice in the sense that, a country that is down ridden financially, is willing to commit a whopping $350 million (By Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, June on GTV) of state money into materializing a promise made by a President to God. On the other, one would argue the privileges limited to a President to take such a decision, despite the public opposition to the case.

Surfing the sacred Bible of the Lord, reveals that one must first do what is most important before engaging in other things. In this case, the livelihood of the citizens must take priority. Access to potable water, efficient basic healthcare, and good infrastructure, availability of job opportunities, quality primary education etc, are the urgent needs of an average Ghanaian at the moment.

The decision of the government to go ahead with the cathedral project has been attracting some harsh criticisms from members of the public. As a student, I see no need for a country that cannot effectively provide accommodation for judges but had to pull down what has been provided by others a few years ago, including key office structures and institutions, to make way for a 5,000-seater capacity cathedral is worrying. It speaks to our priorities and why our country is what it is at the moment on the development ladder.

Who really needs a cathedral? Today in Ghana, crime in our society is dominant. Indiscipline in our society is at worrying levels and it’s not showing any sign of slowing down. There is glaring hopelessness on the faces of many, but most of the people who cause this hopelessness are milking the country dry, through many corrupt vehicles. The victims of their ineffectiveness are in their homes, markets, ghettos, etc and these people should not be expected to mass out the “imaginary” cathedral because they don’t need it. People are going through the thins, the painful spikes, and paying huge taxes need to stay alive.

More upsetting is the quiet posture of the clergy, particularly the concerned ones. Knowing the developmental needs of our country and the power in our setting, I believe some members of the clergy should be the first to offer alternative solutions and probably, advice the cabinet on this.

Come to think of it, a party that struggled so long to come to power to suddenly prioritize a sentimental project above the urgent needs of the masses, makes it fail the progressive test of common logic and exposes the influences of faceless forces.