Republic Day commemoration: Time to reflect on country’s progress

Yesterday, July 1, marked 59 years of Ghana’s attainment of republican status that gave the country the right to be fully in charge of its destiny, after struggling to gain independence from the British colonial masters, on March 6, 1957.

The event was observed on a rather quiet note, following the amendment of the Public Holiday Act, to make the day a commemorative day rather than a public holiday.

However, what is most important is for us to remain focused, productive, and reflect on the republican status and renew our commitment to building a united and prosperous nation for the present and future generations.

Our forebears and founders have toiled to get us this far, and we must hold steadfast their achievements, irrespective of our diverse ethnic or religious backgrounds.

Certainly, what has kept us together is our ability to forge ahead in the spirit of one nation, one people with a common destiny.

We do not have any alternative than to continue to live together as proud, united, and peaceful citizens.

Some nations have fallen apart because of their inability to bury their differences and move together as one people.

It is no exaggeration that Ghanaians, all this while have co-existed peacefully, making the country an icon of democracy, peace and stability in an environment of pockets of instability in other parts of the African continent.

Furthermore, the country’s successive governments have fashioned out policies and programmes that have to some degree helped in fulfilling the wishes and aspirations of the people and improving their welfare and development.

We can pat ourselves on the back, for our sense of patriotism and support for government plans towards socio-economic and political gains.

However, there is the need to intensify efforts to attain sustainable development, to be able to eliminate poverty, diseases, hunger, illiteracy, ignorance that appears to be the people’s worst enemies.

Key indicators show the economy is doing well, despite challenges, but this calls for hard work and support for the government, so that we can achieve more economic prosperity.

In all sincerity, when it comes to national development, we should be constantly reminded by Article 36(1) of the 1992 Constitution that “the state shall take all necessary action to ensure that the national economy is managed in such a manner as to maximise the rate of economic development and to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every person in Ghana and to provide adequate means of livelihood and suitable employment and public assistance to the needy”.

However, the Ghanaian Times is worried about growing inequalities and pockets of poverty, especially in the northern part of the country.

We believe that the country is endowed with enormous resources that should be enough for equal distribution to all parts of the country, and to ensure fair sharing of the national cake.

This requires prudent use of our limited resources, to extend social services like education, health facilities, and water, as well as electricity to all areas, especially the underserved communities.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s vision of Ghana Beyond Aid must challenge us to tackle corruption head-on, so that scarce resources do not end in the hands of a few powerful and influential people at the expense of the majority of Ghanaians.

The President has a herculean task to lead the people to fulfil national initiatives such as the Medium Term Development Plan, the Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies 2017-2024, that envisions building a prosperous country to create opportunities for all Ghanaians, safeguard the natural environment, and ensure a resilient environment and maintain a stable, united and safe country.

To achieve this, government need to mobilise and unite the people, irrespective of their political, religious, and ethnic backgrounds.

While we congratulate Ghanaians for commemorating the Republic Day, we wish to urge the people to ponder on the success and shortfalls of the country, and to chart a more vigorous path for progress.