I WAS highly delighted when late in the evening on Sunday, July 13, 2008, I saw a clip of the late Prof. Kofi Abrefa Busia on Metro TV, granting an interview to a section of the media. The Metro TV programme was part of the 30th anniversary of Professor Busia’s demise.
The late Professor Busia, who was the Prime Minister during the second Republic died on August 20, 1978, six years after he was bundled out of office by the late General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.
I was delighted to see the late prime minister on television granting interview on many issues.This was because I was very young when his government was overthrown, and therefore did not have the privilege to listen to that genius of a man.
Metro TV did a good job by coming out with some of the interviews Dr Busia granted to a section of the media, where he espoused his beliefs on the measures that should be taken to end the apartheid regime in South Africa.
Unfortunately for me, I bumped into the programme after it had been screened for sometime, but what I saw was sufficient to whet my appetite on issues that border on sustainable national development.
From the little I saw , Dr Busia condemned all forms of violence and strongly advocated the use of dialogue as a weapon to bring down the apartheid regime.
He was emphatic that no meaningful achievement could be made if the African National Congress (ANC), which was the mouthpiece of the blacks who owned the country, continued to use violence to press home their demand to oust the white minority government from power.
Prof Busia might have granted the interview between 1970 and 1971. This was because his Progress Party government, which came to power in 1969, was brought down in February 1972.
At the time, Prof. Busia was clamouring for dialogue in South Africa, some of his other colleagues in sister African countries were however loud on the use of violence as the only weapon to push the apartheid regime out of power.
Even though his clamour for dialogue was ignored, it was the same tool that the ANC used many years after Professor Busia had died, which eventually won them the sympathy of the international community to attain the freedom they were clamouring for.
Mr Nelson Mandela — regarded as the living saint — and one of the most outstanding leaders in Africa, could be credited for the role he played that finally won them the freedom they had longed for.
It was that freedom that facilitated the election of Mr Mandela as the first Black President in South Africa after he was freed from jail, and the quality of leadership he provided is yet to be rivalled in the continent by the present generation of political leaders.
During the interview that the late Dr Busia granted over 36 years ago, he also spoke on a number of issues, including efficient and effective management of time.
Commenting on the quality use of time in the country , he noted that it was very important for workers to be always punctual at their work places and be seen to be working very hard within the eight-hour period of working hours each day.
He was very emphatic that the judicious use of time, where workers would be conscious of the quality period they spent in their workplaces , was the only way that workers could make meaningful contribution to sustainable socio-economic development.
Looking back at that time, it could be noted that Professor Busia would be happy where ever he is for the political freedom won by the ANC through dialogue as their main weapon instead of the use of violence.
His colleagues who misunderstood him at that time have now come to terms with the fact that in times of conflict, violence and counter violence only escalate conflict instead of resolving the problems.
However, wherever the good professor would be ,he would be gnashing his teeth and turning in his grave for the disrespect Ghanaians have for time and the shabby manner they have treated this most precious commodity over the years.
To date, the so called 'African punctuality ' where no conscious efforts is made to be punctual at all national and other programmes seems to have gotten out of hand.
Since I started journalism 10 years ago, no single programme in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs have started on schedule.
Public officials have perfected the art of always apologising for attending programmes very late because deep down in their hearts and mind , they are aware that Ghanaians would readily accept their apology for arriving at the functions very late.
By arriving late at public gatherings, public officials always seem to forget that they consciously punish those who arrive at the functions on schedule and rather reward those who arrive very late.
By this, public officials also seem to have sanctioned latenes against the philosophy of the cherished Professor.
It is not surprising therefore that in her quest to achieve accelerated socio-economic development, Ghana has marked time for over 50 years while Malaysia, Indonesia, and South Korea, among other countries which won political freedoms almost the same time as Ghana, are streets ahead in terms of development.
Anytime I hear our leaders comparing Ghana to the countries mentioned above and giviing the assurance to initiate policies and programmes that would enable Ghana speed up her development to match the standard of those countries, I laugh.
I have cause to do that because marshalling all the resources on earth to initiate development programmes in Ghana without recourse to efficient time management would be tantamount to sowing seeds in a whirlwind .
It is very true that almost all the flag bearers of the various political parties have something good to offer the nation as could be seen from the campaigns they have carried out so far.
However, the missing link is their failure to confront the problem of time management head–on, as the late Professor Busia did, and boldly tell Ghanaians about their shortcomings that had undermined sustainable socio-economic development over the years.
It is a fact that this generation has not only failed in its bid to carry Ghana where it ought to be , but also woefully failed to leave a legacy that would be appreciative of the future generation so far as efficient and effective time management is concerned .
Our chiefs have a big role to play in contributing to turn things around when it comes to time management.
They can perfectly do it by throwing over board the so- called concept of African punctuality which had totally become part and parcel of some traditional rulers when it came to organising important traditional programmes or attending national ones.
Academicians, the business community, students, farmers, sports personalities, journalists, religious leaders and their congregations as well as teachers also have a part to play to make conscious efforts to be punctual at their work places and also work hard to enhance accelerated development.
However, the biggest role rests on our politicians who have the mandate to initiate programmes and policies that would force Ghanaians to change their negative attitudes of paying little or no respect to time.
In their campaigns, they should let the electorate become aware of how the concept of "African punctuality" undermined sustainable national development, forcing us to mark time every day in our life instead of moving forward as a nation.
The politicians should also come out with a blueprint that would spell out the efficient management of time from the grassroots to the highest point of authority and see to implement such policies.
From the basic schools where teachers should be in school on time to ensure that their pupils worked according to programme schedules, to the second cycle and tertiary institutions, where students would be totally in love with time management, all their activities would trickle down to public and private work places where they would be working later after graduating.
The efficient use of time would be translated into mass production where adequate resources would be generated to accelerate sustainable national development.
If Ghana is to advance as rapidly as Malaysia, Indonesia and South Korea, then all resources, including time, should be marshalled more appropriately, and nothing should be left to chance.
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