Ghanaians Reduced To Slaves

Ama Adumea Ohene is a campaigner of Human Rights

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Friday April 1, 2011
A Human Rights campaigner, Ama Adumea Ohene says Ghanaians are being reduced to slaves in their own land as a result of the inability of those in authority to put things right.

“The people, instead of benefiting from the natural and other resources of Ghana, have become mere slaves and serfs on the land of their birth. Daily life for the majority has become a drag and intolerable. There is no end in sight, no hope for our people.”

At a news conference in Accra yesterday to express her disapproval of what she describes as “the state of government approved poverty, unemployment and overdependence on donor community,” Ms. Ohene, who claims to represent a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) called Highways and Byways Street People’s Organization, warned that the upheavals in the Arab world could be replicated in Ghana if the current socio-political and economic conditions do not change for the better.

Ms. Ohene, a college professor said “the state of national infrastructure (education, health, employment, utility service etc.) clearly indicates a crisis. The economic and social vista of Ghana might be summed up as chaotic, visibly and blatantly catering to the interests of donor countries and their local agents.”

She said Ghana’s current development path cannot deliver on the quest for freedom and justice that was the prime objective of our independence struggle. It is inconsistent with human dignity and must be addressed with urgency in order to forestall any social and political unrest.”

Ms. Ohene said the existing formal political groupings are capitalizing on the situation by promising Ghanaians but end up perpetuating the status quo, saying “this is a recipe for social upheaval.”

“The people are crying for true liberation that will ensure socio-economic justice. The elite must know that the current situation is highly volatile and like other countries, Ghana’s youth, women workers and the general populace would rise up and create a situation for major and sweeping reforms in this nation.”

She said there are no fundamental differences between the existing political parties, which see politics only as a game and not the means to achieve the aspirations of the people saying “they and their internal sponsors are entrenching the control of national politics to serve their vested interests in Ghana.”

Ms. Ohene said “surprisingly Ghanaians, in spite of their sufferings, do not seem to have any real avenues to channel their grievances. The anger and frustrations are real; it is only a matter of time before they find expression and redress.”

Turning to the legislature, Ms. Ohene said “this institution of elected members continues to exhibit opportunism, selfishness, gross incompetence and rampant neglect of the country’s interest.”

Commenting on the judiciary, she said “everybody with some sense of honesty suspects that the judiciary is corrupt.”

He said the presidencies, over the years, never delivered the kind of leadership they promised during their election campaigns, adding, “The current regime, just like previous ones, failed to effectively address major problems that do not require foreign exchange.”