#FixTheCountry is a social media campaign organized by the youth of the country to make their voices heard on critical national issues. It appears the youth are feeling a sense of despondency and frustration in the management of the affairs of the country. Just as there is a positive correlation between frustration and aggression, they have decided to go this way to express their feeling.
Instead of engaging the national leadership to build mutual understanding, they wanted to pour out onto the street to express themselves. The youth decided to spleen their anger and frustration at this government with the belief that, perhaps, this is the only government, led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, that can fix all the problems confronting the country.
Promises fulfilled
During the 2016 political campaign, the President made some promises. When he was elected, he fulfilled most of the promises. We can talk of Free Senior High School, restoration of trainee teachers and nurses’ allowances, introduction of NABCO as a means of addressing the rising unemployment situation in the country, reduction in electricity tariff, employment of teachers and nurses who were unemployed after graduation, cleaning of the banking sector, massive expansion of the school feeding programme, LEAP and many other social intervention programmes.
With these, the government is surely fixing the country in all aspects of our social lives. This is the only government that, in the first year of coming to office, started implementing its campaign promises.
This is due to the leadership skill, vision and foresightedness of the President. This is the leadership par excellence that has the capacity to efficiently and judiciously manage our meagre resources to the benefit of every home in Ghana.
Covid effect
The country was on the top gear to the high plateau of development only for the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic to put the gear into a reverse drive.
Therefore, while #FixTheCountry campaign rages on, it is important to put the campaign in a proper context. We should not be oblivious of the fact that recent development in the management of COVID-19 pandemic has a huge and heavy toll on the finances of the country. The plans and programmes of the government are to deliver prosperity for all. COVID-19 expenditure was unplanned and unprogrammed, thus derailing every efforts of government at delivering its agenda.
This emergency situation needs emergency plan which everybody must embrace and support fully, especially with the economic lockdown with its concomitant adverse impact which was not intended by the government.
This pandemic eroded the gains made so far by the government and is causing a lot of ravages for most of the economies of the world. The international economic order is gradually being dislocated by this strange disease. Where nature is the cause of any crisis, leaders need not to take any blame. Instead, the leaders will need our support to carry through pragmatic solutions to respond to the problems.
Leadership
As indicated by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, the current crisis demands an
exceptional leadership skill to handle. That leadership is being provided by President Akufo-Addo. The proactive responses by the government to the issues raised by #FixTheCountry campaigners is a display of responsible government that is committed to address the urgent demands of its people.
The various engagements with the youth which culminated into the press conference to set matters straight is commendable. There could not have been any better approach than this.
Leadership is a service to the people and it has indeed been demonstrated. It is important to note one critical concern of the #FixTheCountry campaign. Central to this concern is the view held by the campaigners that there is “a failure on the part of successive governments to improve the lives of the citizenry.” This concern by the campaigners is not limited to this government. All governments that ruled Ghana are accused of not improving the lot of the people.
This government is still on its way to deliver improved living condition for the people. It will surely be a different government from others in terms of performance. It is the good performance of the government led by President Akufo-Addo that prompted these concerns to have the country fixed. It is a challenge to the government and all the people of the country. Fixing the country is a major overriding concern for all Ghanaians.
Collaboration
Looking at the hung Parliament, where both the ruling New Patriotic Party and the opposition National Democratic Congress have 137 seats each, the clarion call by #FixTheCountry campaign is that the two parties should work together in the common interest of the people.
Extreme partisanship in matters of common interest must be deactivated. Collaboration and understanding in all matters are crucial this time than ever. Over politicization of national issues cannot be the way to go.
The national interest must supersede all other interest. This is the time to vigorously continue the Ghana rebuilding agenda through our collective efforts. The bold attempt by the government to ameliorate the situation as outlined by the Minister of Finance must have the blessing of all the parties in Parliament.
Any extreme and excessive partisan position will not let us address these concerns. All should work together to find lasting solutions to these concerns because the issues raised transcend all governments. The packages announced for job creation as well as engineering the private sector through partnership are steps in the right direction to respond to the concerns. All hands must be on deck to deliver the public good.
The writer is the MCE for Akatsi South
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