TIME TO RID GHANA OF THE REMNANTS, OF ITS FEUDAL PAST?

It is said that the biggest enemy of any meritocracy, is inherited privilege: of wealth, and of leadership. In Ghana today, there is a general consensus amongst all classes of the citizenry, that the Ghanaian system, has failed ordinary people, terribly.

Fifty-one years after escaping from colonial bondage, the Ghanaian nation-state, is unable to provide its people, with a good quality of life.

And ordinary Ghanaians are beset by a myriad of problems - which nations, such as Singapore and Malaysia (that we began life as independent ex-colonies, of Britain, with), have succeeded in resolving for their citizens: whom today, enjoy some of the highest standards of living, on the planet Earth.

Yet, ordinary Ghanaians are denied the basic necessities, which are taken for granted, by the citizens of most of the nations, in the civilised parts, of the globalised world, of today.

And although we enjoyed most of such basic amenities, during the era of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, today, everywhere one turns, across our homeland Ghana, there is an absence of the basic requirements, necessary for enjoying a good quality of life.

Most ordinary people today, yearn for a Ghana, in which there exists, for all citizens: decent and affordable, good quality, publicly-owned housing, for all who need it; a nation in which there is the opportunity to live in well-planned cities, endowed with adequate basic infrastructure, such as the availability of regular and reliable supply of potable water and electricity; and an efficient waste disposal system (which would pass any internationally-recognised environmental impact assessment test - right along the disposal chain: from initial point of collection, to final disposal site!).

And to cap our woes, although this is the 21st century ICT age, we are still, sadly, largely a superstition-ridden society - something that has such a negative impact, on the mentality, of many a Ghanaian: including even some of the most highly-educated ones, surprisingly!

A consequence of this propensity for such backward illogicality, is that behind the deceptive patina of modernity, lies a nation, jam-packed with citizens, with an outlook on life, that makes them fail to understand, for example, that the rules and regulations, which are made to ensure, that ours, remains a civilised society, need to be rigorously enforced, and obeyed - if the quality of life of ordinary Ghanaians is to be assured.

This total disregard for obeying society's rules and regulations, has led, for example, to the sad and unacceptable annual spectacle, of hapless flood victims, forced out of their homes, as a result of the repeated flooding, in our mostly poorly-planned towns and cities, during the rainy season.

This annual tragi-comedy, is a direct result, of the fact that undisciplined and selfish individuals (aided by corrupt local government planning officials), who refuse to obey planning regulations (which prohibit the building of houses on watercourses), are allowed to get away with their illegal actions - by irresponsible politicians, not prepared to do the right thing, and order the pulling down, of such buildings: for fear of losing votes.

Underlying all this backwardness, is our insistence, on holding on, more or less, to the pre-colonial feudal system: calcified by inherited privilege, which allows an ossified and largely obtuse elite, to dominate the Ghanaian society - casting its malevolent shadow, over our political institutions, and our way of life, in what is supposed to be a modern, 21 st century, African nation-state: all in the name of the furtherance, of the sentimental nonsense on bamboo stilts, notion, of "preserving our culture."

However, the truth of the matter, is that nowhere in the world, has any society progressed, without first ridding itself, of feudalism. Clearly, we need a Ghanaian equivalent, of Europe's 18th century Age of Enlightenment. For, would it not be better, dear reader, for us to discard what continues to remain a dangerous and latent threat, to the continued stability, and cohesion, of our homeland Ghana: the Chieftaincy institution?

If we insist on "preserving our culture" willy-nilly, ought we then, simply, not act, to turn this country, into a nation of 20 million "royals": who elect one of their number, to be their elected constitutional monarch, the "Ghana Omanpanin", every four years - and rid ourselves permanently, of the continued influence, of the obnoxious pre-colonial feudal version, that way?

And if we simply substitute the words, "King" or "Queen", for "President" in our Constitution, and define our nation as a "Kingdom", instead of a "Republic" - will we not still maintain our perverse craving, to be ruled by "Ahenfo" (but end the retrogressive pre-colonial feudal system version, which has such a dreadful hold, on the sub-conscious, of far too many of our people), for all time?

May God bless and protect our homeland Ghana, always. Long live freedom! Long live Ghana!