This is not remarkable given Ghana's past performance in international sprint relay competition.Commonwealth Athletics Not only did Ghana's quartet of BK Mends, JA Addy, ECO Addy, and SF Allotey win gold at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, but they also set a new record of 39.8 seconds.
Intriguingly, when a team wins the competition, as Ghana did in Jamaica in 1966, the quartet celebrates jubilantly together, emphasizing the value of teamwork over individual effort.
Why, then, have politicians not learned this basic principle of teamwork and continue to brag about what they accomplished in government that others did not?Governance In fact, the founders of modern Political Philosophy in the 17th century, such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Paul Sartre, taught that in order for humans to leave the "state of nature" where the law of the jungle dictates survival of the fittest and life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short," civilized society must graduate from the animal kingdom to statehood.Individuals surrender a portion of their liberty to the state, which must provide for the collective welfare, security, and services such as roads, water, and electricity that individuals cannot afford to provide for themselves.
Today, Ghana's per capita gross domestic product is $2,200 while Malaysia's is $11,400.A comparison of the two nations reveals that while Malaysia has enjoyed political stability, Ghana has had a turbulent past marked by lengthy periods of instability.
Obviously, without political stability, significant economic development is impossible!ConclusionThe ongoing tit-for-tat politics of repulsive insults and dangerous rhetoric calling for the murder of fellow Ghanaians not only diminishes our international reputation, but also fosters an atmosphere of fear that hinders economic growth.Usain Bolt, who has always led Jamaica to gold in the 4 x 110-yard relay, has never declared that, because he runs the fastest, his gold medal is more valuable than those of other team members.
Neither did the quickest runner on the 1966 gold-winning Ghanaian team in Jamaica.Much of Ghana's problems have been attributed to the country's history of military governance.
Once we reach the edge of the chasm, Ghana will never be the same again!
Ghana, once Africa's Black Star, is now the IMF's patient for the seventeenth time and a pallid shadow of itself!