DAILY GRAPHIC, Monday April 30, 2012, Pg. 41. Is Patriotism losing value among Ghanaian workers?

Feature by: Mary Ankrah

With the advent of the colonisation and subsequently the introduction of democracy, people now put themselves and their interest before the interest of the nation.  It has resulted in a fierce battle between monetary gains and loyalty for one’s state.

Gradually, patriotism in recent times is losing its value.  Citizens have now become less patriotic due to various factors which may be political, social and economic and these are affecting our country because patriotism is key to development, growth and unity of every nation.

Over the years, countries have developed because citizens were ready to sacrifice and even lay down their lives to defend and protect their country. During the pre-independence struggle of Ghana, many of our ancestors were willing to do anything for their beloved country and considered their involvement and presence as key to developing the nation. They were more interested in what would benefit the entire nation and bring honour and happiness to all other citizens.

Politically, people were ready to take up leadership roles in order to be granted the opportunity to serve their nation and also share their vision for the betterment of their country. Others shed their blood for the younger generation to live in freedom.

During the time of independence, the spirit of patriotism and nationalism was very high, and the national interest was always first. It was Ghana first, and all were ready to put their hands to the plough.

For instance, the February 28 shooting of ex-servicemen Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey-Lamptey, depicted heroes who were patriotic and loved their country and were ready to die for others to live and be free.

Years back, students who graduated from the universities were not rushing to big industrial companies so that they can earn big salaries and fat allowances; instead they willingly accepted posting to remote areas.
This was because they perceived that as a service to the nation and to mankind. Some even relocated to faraway villages and towns to teach and do other voluntary jobs all in the name of helping to develop a better nation. These people sacrificed the luxury of the cities and rather opted to be patriotic and serve the motherland in their own little way.

Again, sports was one of the ways that citizens demonstrated their love for their country. They desired to join the national team in order to play and bring honour to their nation and did that without thinking about how much allowance they were going to be paid.

 The nation can boast such past sports heroes and heroines  as Roy Ankrah, C.K. Gyamfi, Azumah Nelson, Abedi Pele, Tony Yeboah, Christiana Boateng, Alice Anum, Hannah Afriyie, Mike Ahey, Eddie Blay and others.

Other fields were the military and civil service where a high number of people got recruited every year. They joined the army and fought all out to defend their country and worked selflessly.

However, patriotism in recent times is losing its value. People have become more concerned with themselves and what they can gain from their country instead of what they will offer their country. Their actions are driven towards self-centredness and aim at even exploiting the resources of the nation for their own personal gain.
Citizens are becoming less patriotic and less concerned about what goes on in their country. Some don’t even want to know what happens to their country let alone contribute to building a better nation.

Politicians are typical culprits of people who have become less patriotic. They are more concerned with extravagant lifestyles and the new status they would acquire when they become public figures.
One area which is also very evident in recent times is the area of sports where professional sportsmen and women treat  national assignments more importance than their professional career. They exhibit their unpatriotic attitudes as some of them have to be pleaded with before they take up those national assignments and when they do, they selfishly demand on-the-spots salaries and allowances before honouring those calls.

Another factor that has made patriotism of little value is globalisation. As a result of this phenomenon, countries which were hitherto miles apart can now connect and this allows for a greater mobility and opportunity for people to leave their country and seek greener pastures where they become detached from their motherland and show little or no patriotism to their homeland.

Indeed, the claim that patriotism is of little value in modern times cannot be far from the truth. Nevertheless, there is the need for the awakening of that feeling of patriotism among citizens and particularly workers.

This is because nations have survived and developed because citizens were patriotic enough to do all in their power to ensure their nation thrives and it is the basic ingredient a nation needs to attain such feat.

President John Evans Atta Mills said during the celebration of the 55th independence anniversary that the celebration “would be meaningless if it is not linked to our collective resolve to join forces in ensuring that nothing is done to whittle away the sweat, blood and toil of those who have made it possible for us to be where we are today”.

It is therefore important for us to keep the pace that our fallen heroes and founding fathers toiled to give us this dear nation and “we dare not destroy what they have toiled to build,” he said.

The best we can do is contribute our quota to building that better Ghana, so that the coming generations will remember us for adding to the legacy of the founding fathers, and not remember us for destroying their heritage.

I will urge all Ghanaians from the least to the greatest to seek the interest of the country first  in all things and make it our responsibility to protect government property, manage government institutions well, help to develop our own community by helping to establish schools even without government support. It is through such endeavours  that we will  be called good citizens of Ghana and God will bless us too.

I call on the youth to refrain from robbery and violence that would destroy the country and instead work hard to protect the country’s good image.
maryankrah25@hotmail.com