The #FixTheCountry Social Media Campaign

NEWS COMMENTARY DISCUSSES THE FAMOUS FIXING GHANA’S PROBLEMS HASHTAG.

Within the past week, Ghana has been rocked by a never-before-experienced social media campaign, that is the #FixTheCountry Movement. The Movement has already galvanised support online and nationwide debate nearly culminating in a highly-anticipated street demonstration slated for last Sunday, May 9. The Movement cites recent hikes in taxes and fuel prices, as well as a semblance of ‘dumsor’ return, among other austere situations, as indicators of a myriad of problems confronting every sector of the economy which Government must urgently address. At the forefront of the campaign are the youth who are decrying lack of employment opportunities compounded by increasing cost of living, as rising prices of utilities or their irregular supply indicate.

Looking at how rapidly the campaign has caught on or of the legitimacy of its cause, a high-powered Government group, led by the Minister of National Security, last week held a meeting with Conveners of the Movement. Furthermore, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, also responded to concerns of the Movement at a Press Conference held at the Ministry of Information on Sunday. But before, Government acknowledged the “healthy conversation initiated by the Group” with an agreement for further dialogue whiles the Police also secured a restraining High Court order against the planned demonstration, the counter-campaign of FixYourAttitude hashtag also kicked in, in a clash of two seemingly conflicting social media-driven, nation-building ideologies.

This other group made significant and thoughtful representations, though without a vigorous backlash from the “FixTheCountry” lobby about government’s lack of sensitivity to the plight of those crying out about the hardships they are experiencing. Perhaps quite as simply as what its hashtag means, “FixYourAttitude” campaigners contend that “Positive attitude is everything” and must come before any meaningful national development can occur. To them, who we are and what we do on a daily basis as Ghanaians – for example, not dropping litter anywhere and everywhere, putting in our required time and efforts at work, not demanding “some weight” be placed on official files before they are worked on, not cutting 10% kickback deals to the detriment of national projects and the public purse, observing road traffic and other civic regulations to reduce the carnage on our roads, strictly observing all the COVID-19 protocols to end the pandemic, and helping, if we can, or praying for, rather than backbiting, our errant or perishing neighbour because of the religious faith we claim, etc.  all determine how we progress as a nation.

It is so much that, the #FixTheCountry and #FixYourAtitude propositions compared to each other, come across quite like the “chicken and egg situation”; which comes first? Do we first fix attitudes to create the enabling environment for rapid and sustainable economic development? Or, Government effectively solves national problems with available resources, including substantial tax revenues and credit facilities, to inspire hope in citizens to readily put their shoulder to the wheel of national growth and development? The assessment of the nation’s present circumstances in this context suggests segments of society, significant either by their numbers or socioeconomic relevance, are currently happier to take their destinies into their own hands. This is regardless of them being a growing army of unemployed youth, influential social media activists, money ritualists or lawless galamseyers. The message they each appear to be sending the authorities is: “Help us, or we help ourselves, in whatever way we can.” This observation ought to give cause for grave concern because of the potential explosiveness of the situation.

One of the major concerns of the “Fix The Country” campaign is ending the outrage of galamsey. The pollution and heavy sedimentation of our major rivers which serve as uptake sources for water production and distribution to communities all over the country have also resulted in ballooning water treatment costs or the shutdown of some plants of the Ghana Water Company. Director of Communications of the Company, Stanley Martey, has warned that Ghana may have to start importing water by the year 2025 – that is just four years away – if the pollution of the country’s water bodies through galamsey activities does not stop. That grim prospect is just unthinkable. But right now, all the concerns championed by the #FixTheCountry Movement should not end with the swiftness with which Government is engaging them but by taking concrete and far-reaching measures to resolve them. With the agitation of the youth so expressed, a looming crisis faces us as a nation if the recent history of the Arab Spring should be our guide.

It is therefore imperative that we all especially relevant authorities roll up our sleeves and launch a solid, frontal attack, underpinned by honest action, to fix problems we’ve been tasked to root out, be they slothful personal attitudes or crises of national proportions.

By: Raymond Tuvi, (Media and Development Consultant).