My fellow country men and women,
My humble greetings to you all. On the occasion of our 62nd anniversary as a nation, permit me to say Ayekoo. Well done.
I come to you today as not your President but as one of you. It would be wrong for me to say all is well with us as a nation. This occasion is a solemn one for me and should be for us all. This is a moment we need to sit and reflect; to take stock and duly make amendments to or rewrite our nation’s blueprint. This exercise would be meaningless unless we take stock of our own lives.
Fellow country men and women, this is our country. This is our home. I urge you all to put aside the party colors. Let us link arms, go hand in hand and rebuild this country.
Remember, this is our country. We can expect government to do this and that but in reality there are so many little things we can do to make our country better. Government cannot do everything. You and I as individuals play a greater role in the development of our nation. I urge you all to be responsible for our nation just ast as we take care of our clothing, shoes, cars, houses. After all this is our home. We as a people can begin to be responsible for our actions. We can be committed to whatever we do. Let us start by keeping our surroundings; our environment neat. Let us draw attention to others who litter with ease. Let us do this devoid of insults and fights.
Those in political offices and other high ups should eschew pride and arrogance. They have to remember they are here to serve the people. Henceforth, no political appointee will b e assigned police personnel again. To cut down waste in the system, the number of ministers and deputies would be shaved to a bare minimum. All meetings will be held in boardrooms and no longer at hotels who charge exorbitantly. All travels outside the country per air travels will be on economy class. I will set the pace. We are voted into office to serve and not to be served.
The priority of the nation would be affordable healthcare for all and a vibrant and realistic educational blueprint. With that, henceforth, no government official will travel outside the country to seek medical assistance. It is good to travel to seek knowledge; knowledge that should be brought home and harnessed for the good of the country. With that, there will be no more government scholarships unless the students are coming back home. There is the need for us to bring up our educational levels to comparable levels.
This country has done very well on private sector participation. During a period in this nation’s history, a lot of businesses were owned by the indiginees. That day is coming. Henceforth, I charge the ministries responsible to give tax breaks and put in place smooth structures for our local businesses to grow. I do not expect to see any impediments put in their way.
This is a solemn day. This a day of reflection. Today marks the beginning of a new Ghana.
Thank you all. Let us make this work.
#SilentNoises ~knm 