If not, prove me wrong.
"I hate made in Ghana goods, they are inferior and tasteless; and as bad as they are, their prices are comparatively exorbitant", she exclaimed. What an absolute nonsense? How dare a Ghanaian, someone proud to call herself as such, spew forth rubbish of that magnitude? What this lady was bold to state in public has always been the unexpressed feelings of many a Ghanaian about the "Made in Ghana" commodities. This being their reason, they refuse in most instances to patronize the home made goods. What an unhelpful Blackman's mentality. Have we forgotten the saying, "Rome was not built in a day", but by gradual continuous process? How do we expect our dying industries to churn out low priced quality goods when we refuse to purchase the goods presently claimed to be inferior? As "Experience is the best teacher" and on the job training brings about experience, so does constant production with concurrent sales lead to quality lower priced goods in the end.
Ghanaians have cultivated a strong taste for foreign goods to the detriment of the survival of their own home made goods. They may, and do prefer, damaged items made overseas to the new ones made in Ghana. They prefer all that are "second hand" or to be more precise, used goods e.g. toilet-pieces (seats & bowls), shoes, socks, attire, fridges, television sets, cars, assorted spare parts, and anything you can think of with even ladies briefs (underwear) inclusive. What a shame! One wonders if by this untoward attitude Ghanaians can claim to be all that wise as presumed. This unacknowledged catastrophic attitude is killing Ghanaian industries and as such creating joblessness in its wake.
All Ghanaians are as guilty as Jesus Christ is innocent. It is about time we repelled that inhered temptation of according preference to made-in-overseas goods. With this absurd mentality, certain crooks are compelled to label made-in-Ghana goods to sell them for made in overseas goods to the same Ghanaians who would otherwise not purchase them for simply being produced or manufactured in Ghana. Are Ghanaians being wiser here or stupid? Please follow the logic and be your own judge. Do you after musing over the logic of my argument see yourself guilty or innocent? Be honest with yourself. It is by being truthful that we can effect the needed changes to help move us forward as rational beings. Deceive ourselves, and we shall forever remain relegated to the bottom of development as we really are at the moment. This goes to confirm the wise saying, "If you are at the top rung of the ladder, you cannot climb up any further but rather climb down". If we deceptively see in our mind's eye as being wise and developed, we cannot aspire to attain any further heights. But if we do accept our penury and insignificance, we shall then be invigorated by the mere pain of shame to aspire to be like the civilized and prosperous White contemporaries. By that simple inspiration kick-started by the pain of shame, we shall achieve many better things for our very existence on earth and will be accorded the sincere respect that has escaped us for all these years. We have been wallowing in the wilderness of ignorance for far too long. Let us change our absurd anti-prosperity attitudes.
I wonder how and why we get more stupid by the day. If it is not the government, it is the citizens. Now, the Ghana government has agreed that "Genetically modified crops" be grown in Ghana not on experimental basis but commercial. One wonders if the Ghanaian scientists and those at the helm of affairs are sane at all. If the technologically advanced nations with the best medical research teams are cautious about the commercialization of these crops, why should Ghana as inept at dealing with any concealed but associated problems, embrace it with Hallelujah? That is the trait of incompetent lazy people who prefer lying down on their back while honey drips from above into their mouth. While the mouth is wide open catching the honey, won't you at the same time catch flies? Think about that.
Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, the future King of the UK, has repeatedly said that he will never serve genetically modified food to his guests nor eat it. Have you asked to know why? Once it was said by the Monsanto's European director that he will himself never eat genetically modified food, neither will his family. Why will the company stridently campaigning for the world to go genetically modified cropping to solving its food crises has its director with a contrary personal view? Think about it. The crops are of quality and high yield. The crops are drought resistant etc. My simple question is, "Why has Ghana decided to fly genetic when the inventors of the crop are themselves crawling genetic?" Ghanaians are sorry to say, a bunch of laughing stocks. Our governments are blinded with embezzlement. We have lost our sense of morality and purpose of life. Ghanaians as usual always go the extra mile thinking to excel in someone's idea. They will always walk a mile when asked to do a quarter. Is that intelligence or utter stupidity? Answer it for yourself but be truthful with the facts.
If we are motivated by the high yield of the crop, then I will say forget it. How can we store its abundant yield if we are at present incapable of storing and marketing our present low crop yield? We are too "follow follow" - copying blindly. This is a trait of the fool. We need to set our priorities right. We begin from class one to go on to class six but not the vice versa. Most Ghanaians are much worse than a confused meander wandering aimlessly in the wilderness of the Amazon forest. Those supporting the commercial magnitude of the genetically modified crops in Ghana, could you please offer me your reasons for acting so? Until our citrus fruits, cereals, vegetables, cassava, plantain, cocoyam, yam etc, get the desired marketing, processing, and storage or conservation, the corrupt politicians and government should forget about the cultivation of genetically modified crops. Have they got their palms greased a bit with a few of the weaker $ and £ notes? I have no doubt about that.
As "good has never a recognition", many are those that cannot visualize the sense in my moaning. My heart bleeds for my people. Failing to have put this enlightenment across would have made me double as guilty as any other Ghanaian selfishly wishing evil for the nation in whatever form or nature.
* All Ghanaians in order to extricate themselves from this shameless attitude should please begin to patronize made in Ghana goods.
* All Ghanaian scientists should please come out to prove their worth by translating their theoretical "chew, pour, pass and forget" boastful qualifications into practice to benefit all and sundry.
* Ghanaians should give more recognition to our wayside mechanical engineers (fitters) who command my respect more than on the paper engineers with big but useless educational degrees.
* All Ghanaians should join my fight to secure food sufficiency for Ghana. Kwasi Pratt, Kweku Baako, where are you guys? I need your help.
* All those now in touch with me over the phone and via e-mails in an effort to achieve food security and food independence for Ghana, please do keep up the good fait
IN GOD WE TRUST. WE SHALL SUCCEED. "DETERMINATION BACKED BY POSITIVE ACTION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS"
Rockson Adofo, London