Keep to the ideals of our forebears; stop the ugly intolerance and polarization

The Supreme Court has said and rightly so, that the Constitution embodies our heritage, ideals, hopes and aspirations as a people and country.

The framers, in keeping faith with the ideals of our forebears provided a separate and whole chapter enjoining that these chapter 6 directive principles of state policy "shall guide all citizens, Parliament, the President, the Judiciary, the Council of State, the Cabinet, political parties and other bodies and persons" in the nation-building project.

These ideals are anchored on a democratic Ghana for "the realization of basic human rights, a healthy economy, the right to work, the right to good health care and the right to education." Advertisement

These directives also command "foster[ing] a spirit of loyalty to Ghana that overrides sectional, ethnic and other loyalties." Chapter 6 also enjoins a fight to eradicate corruption and abuse of power and promotion of "the culture of political tolerance."

Let us stop diminishing the roles of J.B. Danquah and his big six peers in the founding of Ghana. But let us not attempt to diminish the pivotal role of Nkrumah in the Ghana project. History may not be a neutral discipline, but is very close to science - credit to my University of Ghana mates, Felix Gyamfi and Dr. Amanda Coffie.

Osagyefo's daughter Samia Nkrumah notes, "when Nkrumah said the struggle for national liberation began before him and will continue after him, he was referring to our economic and cultural liberation. Ghana is not economically independent.

Our economy is not in our hands. The main productive activities including mining, oil and gas, the telecom and banking sectors are all not in our hands. Even the food we eat is mostly imported, and under the threat of becoming genetically-modified."

What then should be our preoccupation on the occasion of our 60th independence anniversary? We can't rid our homes and streets of filth in the midst of joblessness.

Showers of rain kill citizens each year and we seem to be helpless about stopping this rather simple to fix self-inflicted problem.

Let's discern the priorities of our forebears and work hard and fast at realizing these ideals as captured especially in chapter 6 of the 1992 Constitution.