Ask Yourself �Why?�

Things are falling apart and at a screeching speed. Asking ourselves why things are falling apart and everything almost in disarray is not an outlandish thing to do at this time when we are almost at the precipice. Public institutions and the citizenry are going through all manner of challenges as a result of the government-induced factors. Unfortunately, it is the citizens, the taxpayers, who are at the receiving end of the challenges. If only government could own up and plead with the people to bear with them for spawning the economic calamities, perhaps the angst would be mitigated. The propaganda and profligate expenditure which led us to where we are today continue to be the cornerstone of governance. When the signs began manifesting, those who dared to raise their heads above the parapet and called the attention of government to the unfolding scenarios were labelled an assortment of negative adjectives by government salaried attack hounds. Government has eventually admitted, albeit subtly, that we are in unusual times and proceeded to unfold various measures in a bid to restore normalcy. The situation has driven many to conclude that the country is at a standstill; an impression we are unable to dispute under the prevailing glaring circumstances. When he announced his willingness to contest the leadership of the NPP when nominations are opened, Nana Akufo-Addo prompted questions about what had led the country to the brink as we are witnessing it today. Sweet-sounding, as it was to the many depressed Ghanaians, it certainly was an invitation for the usual vitriolic remarks from those who live on dishing out such obscenities on the airwaves. Of course, since that is the source of their livelihood, they would not let go an insulting reaction to any attempt at throwing more light on the state of Ghana. We wonder how such persons can convince their compatriots that all is well and that rationing of electricity and the dearth of inflows from the donor community, among others, are not unusual. It took the intervention of Nana Akufo-Addo to get many to understand that donor community inflows had long been curtailed. Asking ourselves why this is taking place would put us in a better stead to appreciate the challenges facing Ghana today. For diplomatic reasons, donors who have turned off the pipe, as it were, at this time, would not tell us why. Our conjectures would not be too far from the bull�s eye: the economy has been mismanaged at a time when oil revenues should have driven our fiscal state to new levels. Unfortunately, that is not to be, as reckless expenditure and outlandish borrowing continue to tilt the table badly. Why are the social interventions such as the School Feeding Programme, Capitation Grant and others, suffering the setbacks that are undermining their efficiencies? The reasons being spewed by government appointees as part of a propaganda-overdrive can hardly be convincing and can at best be digested with a bucket of salt.