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A renowned Heart Surgeon, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has warned that the very existence of Ghanaians and the country’s future are seriously at stake due to the wanton destruction of farmlands, water bodies and associated biodiversity.
He, therefore, appealed to the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to heed the call of citizens, civil society, professional, academia, research institutions and trade unions and act to bring an end to the vicious trend.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng was speaking at a durbar to round off this year’s Asogli Te Za (Yam festival) in Ho Asogli last Saturday
The celebration was on the theme: “Let’s ensure freedom and justice for all”.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng sought to know who cared about Ghana, as the citizens were not able to meet their basic necessities of life, including food, water, housing, clothing, health and security.
That problem was compounded by the monumental environmental degradation and the filth and total disregard for sanitation, including food handling and safety, the former Minister of Environment Science and Technology said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, who was the guest of honour, said the teeming graduate and youth unemployment, coupled with an apparent lack of hope for them should be a concern for the country.
Furthermore, he said, there was a widespread loss of faith in the country’s institutions, political system, law enforcement and religious bodies.
“Despite the intelligence of our people and the abundance of resources in our possession, we have devalued ourselves to the extent that we think only foreigners can help us out of our misery,” the physician and cardiothoracic surgeon added.
He said Ghana depended on foreign partners for almost 100 per cent of its development budget, and 80 per cent of inputs in agriculture, education and health were from foreign sources, situations that did not project bright prospects.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng pointed out the quality of life of any society depended on the quality of its leaders, and just as a person could not function without a brain, society could not function without leaders.
He said creative and visionary leadership to help the people out of the gloomy situation was lacking.
“The political class has squandered the trust and confidence of the people of Ghana over the years through misgovernment and corruption to the extent that they are not trusted.
“The citizens, especially young people, are confused and cannot visualise their stake in their country’s development and future,” he said.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said for far too long Ghanaians entrusted their lives into the hands of political leaders who did not seem to have answers to the challenges confronting the nation.
The political leaders, he said, toyed with the trust and confidence of the people, the greatest asset of the country.
“Worse still, the pilots of Ghana have weaponised some institutions to intimidate and silence transformative voices, while allowing patronised corruption to flourish,” he observed.
Apart from that, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said an antagonistic spirit had possessed political opponents who continuously knocked the heads of unsuspecting Ghanaians, allowing the political elite to enrich themselves, their families and friends, while the general population continued to wallow in poverty and despair.
Clearly, he said, the freedom and dignity painfully won at independence had been eroded and Ghana now knelt before development partners for handouts, without which the national budget could not be balanced.
The guest of honour maintained that governments were established to secure the lives of their citizens; preserve their liberties and create conditions that would allow the citizenry to pursue their activities in peace and prosperity.
“Any government, or for that matter, any political tradition that becomes destructive of these principles should be changed by the people as it forfeits the right to govern,” he added.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng urged all political groupings, especially the ruling party, to ensure that the forthcoming general election took place in a free and fair manner, without any attempts by any group to subvert the integrity of the process.
The Agbogbomefia of Asogli, Togbe Afede XIV, said in spite of the vast natural resources it was endowed with, Ghana was still like an orphan being deprived of her daily milk by those assigned to protect her.
He said the economy had collapsed to the extent that if Ghana was a business entity, it would have filed for bankruptcy.
“We have borrowed so much and we have nothing to show for it because we only spend recklessly,” Togbe Afede said.
He said cases of lynching, and other forms of crime were on the rise in the country due to growing lawlessness and indiscipline, a situation, he said, had the tendency to scare off investors.
The Agbogbomefia said good leaders must commit to uniting the people and refrain from dividing them along partisan tribal and political party lines.
Togbe Afede said the country’s political leaders had only replaced the colonial master in their (political leaders) scramble for resources.
The Awafiaga of Asogli, Togbe Adzie Lakle Howusu XII, entreated the people of the Volta and Oti regions to fiercely resist any form of illegal mining in their areas to keep the Volta River clean.
He also appealed to the chiefs of Asogli to resolve every chieftaincy and land dispute in their communities to ensure peace and progress.
Togbe Adela Aklasu, who led the delegation from Notsie in Togo, to the durbar, urged all Ewe chiefs to maintain a firm stance to unite their people always for development.
