Hmm, well, yes, Opanin - and hopefully, all those who vote in December 2008, will think about the future of our country; their own individual futures; as well as that of future generations of Ghanaians yet to be born, whiles casting their vote.
However, sadly, no matter what wealth we or tomorrow's generation of Ghanaians create in our time, we will end up (as a people), having to spend all the wealth we create, to repair the egregious harm being done to the natural environment, today.
And chief amongst those causing irreparable damage to our natural heritage, are: "galamsay" gold miners and the multinational surface gold mining companies in our country - who are all being allowed by our very poorly-resourced Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the greedy and dishonest ones amongst our political class (who are in their very deep pockets!) to poison vast swathes of the Ghanaian countryside, in the name of foreign direct investment: with complete impunity.
Yet, long after they have depleted all our gold deposits, and departed elsewhere to look to continue satisfying the unfathomable greed for money that drives their super-polluting business models, we will be dealing with the dangerous chemicals that they have allowed to leech into our soils; our underground water tables; and surface water bodies up and down our nation.
If a German geologist (according to DW-TV!) has apparently succeeded in developing an evironmentally-friendly and safe method of surface gold mining, why should we continue to tolerate the daily dissimulation of these ruthless and incredibly callous business entities (and their "trade union" and "sweet-mouthed" mouthpiece: the Ghana Chamber of Mines), and listen to their tall tales telling all of us that they cause no harm to the natural environment and create jobs, as well as sponsor micro-projects in the communities whose lands have been given to them as mining concessions?
The time has definitely come for ordinary people to stand up to the surface mining industry in Ghana - who are by far the best-resourced and most powerful lobby group in our country today: by voting for leaders who care about the natural environment and about the common weal.
They would never be allowed to get away with the harm they are causing to our natural heritage, in their own home countries, for even five minutes - let alone be given such generous tax-breaks too: on top of all that destruction they leave in their wake in their operations here.
And why have our rulers still not demanded the speedy extradition to Ghana, from their native Canada (or sue them in Canada, if no such agreement exists between Ghana and Canada!) of the Canadian directors of Bonte Mines - which suddenly closed down and left a terrible and degraded environment of an almost apocalyptic nature: that has resulted in an existence akin to life in a hell on earth, for the poor and honest farming community of Bonte?
Today, those poor rural people are forced to eke out a wretched living, panning for gold: on land that their ancestors once farmed on profitably and lived in harmony with. Hmmm, Ghana ayeasem oo!
May God bless and protect our homeland Ghana, always. Long live freedom! Long live Ghana!
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