Last week, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia showed statesmanship when they announced that they are sacrificing some personal comfort and convenience in helping show the way to a new normal which should characterise our collective attitude as citizens aspiring to national pride and glory.
In a May Day message, the President disclosed that he and his Vice- President, together with members of his Executive, including Ministers, chief executives of state enterprises, metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives as well as other appointees, will forgo any pay rise entitled to them this year.
The sacrifice has become necessary, he stated, as a modest contribution in helping to reduce the burden on the nation’s public purse. Additionally, it is aimed at hastening the nation’s recovery from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commitment
The President and his government’s decision follows ongoing conversation about the need for a pay rise across board, in line with government, Organised Labour and workers’ unwritten codes.
Indeed, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta had, despite the negative impact of the COVID-19, assured workers that government would not shirk its responsibility in ensuring that they are assured improvement in the quality of their lives.
That position had already been made when government disbursed funds, during the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, to support businesses to keep afloat and prevent massive layoffs, as recorded in several nations around the world.
If the negative impact of the pandemic had reduced significantly, we must admit that it was because government manifestly intervened in sustaining businesses and livelihoods across the spectrum.
Modest sacrifices
In the light of the government’s good faith, we believe Ghanaians, workers or citizens, for that matter, ought to reciprocate the President and his government’s gesture in making modest sacrifices as we journey forward in hope of a better Ghana.
As the last budget revealed, government has put in place several initiatives aimed at transforming our economy to deliver more and more jobs in improving lives and livelihoods.
Also rolling out are several construction jobs, particularly in the road sector, which not only light up our national infrastructure, but also create of jobs for our youth.
Appeal
Unfortunately, while all of these noble and vibrant initiatives get rolled out, we continue to face resistance from a segment of our youth population whose only aim is to rob us of our collective wealth and opportunities for improving our lives and livelihoods as one nation with a common destiny.
The gesture from the President and his appointees indicates that we have a collective responsibility to ourselves to make Ghana better for ourselves, our children and children’s children.
While we therefore commend the government, particularly the President and his Vice-President, for showing the way, we plead with all workers to prepare their minds to the take any new increments with good hearts. At the same time, they should continue in striving to put Ghana first on the factory floors, in the classrooms, at the farm gates, in our hospitals, along streets and on the corridors of public life to enable us attain our developmental goals.
It is time invest every ounce of sweat and put shoulders to the wheel in building a Ghana we would all be proud of – the citizen and our next generation first, and the politician last.
About The Author
