EMAIL TO KOJO MPRAH JNR.

Point taken - but don't forget that what is going on is an attempt to rewrite the history of our struggle for independence, no less.

And above all, it is an attempt to provide justification and explain away the ghastly impact of the selfishness and greed resulting from a very sick misinterpretation of a political ideology - based on the base belief by selfish and privileged individuals that the end justifies the means.

It is this slavish adherence to a form of capitalism (the "robber baron" 19th century version that is even no longer practised in the West!) that has seen a few powerful and greedy people prosper mightily: whiles all around us, rubbish slowly engulfs our towns and cities; newly-built culverts and roads disintegrate before our very eyes; shoddy and dangerous goods are permitted to be imported and dumped on unaware consumers; society worships dubiously acquired wealth, by dubious characters; and there is universal disdain for poor but principled and honest individuals; etc. etc. - and all this, because some misguided Ghanaians believe that private greed at the expense of society is OK: if it will make them wealthy individuals.

As a result a large number of the main state officials supposed to be protecting consumers and regulating businesses to ensure that they pay their taxes; and are environmentally and socially responsible corporate citizens, are busy looking to their own wealth creation agenda - instead of serving society.

Opanin, its well nigh impossible to ignore those who seek to glorify such selfishness, in the name of "private-sector led growth." The blind pursuit of GDP growth, without actually examining what really constitutes that growth, is saddling future generations of Ghanaians with terrible environmental challenges.

And in the end, if we do not come out of the shadow of conventional economic thinking, all the wealth we create as a people, will be used to repair the harm we are causing to the natural environment and to the health of individual consumers. Just cast your mind back to the news report about a year or two ago: of the consignment of palm oil from Ghana that was withdrawn from shops in the UK - because it had been adulterated with cancer-causing red dye.

Who, in our homeland Ghana, my brother, is preventing such dangerous stuff, being put on the local "free market" by unregulated private businessmen/women - who only care about their businesses' profits? Yes, let the private sector create wealth; yes, let the markets be the ultimate deciders of the fate of products and services, by all means.

But should we not have a strong enough Ghanaian nation-state: to ensure that human welfare and the welfare of the natural environment are protected at all times - to ensure that we all have a good quality of life: not just a powerful few with greedy ambitions?

Do stay blessed, Opanin. Just as a matter of interest, did you go to Prempeh College, by any chance? And if you are keen on that sort of thing, you can earn some decent foreign money writing to post at: http://www.helium.com/.

Best wishes,

Kofi.