Former President Jerry John Rawlings has expressed disappointment that although many citizens are highly educated, they seem unable to apply the knowledge to improve the environment.
In the past, the former President stated, people with limited education conducted themselves more responsibly and protected the environment through clean sanitation habits.
Rawlings, who was speaking at the launch of the ‘Clean Adabraka’ sanitation campaign on Saturday suggested that poor sanitation in the country was stifling its development.
“If we do not improve our sanitation habits we will never develop. There will be new street lights roads and drains but we will dump refuse in the new drains and slow down our development,” former President Rawlings intimated.
Linking the situation to the conduct of Jesus Christ, the former President said though Christ had limited education he conducted himself in a very polite, responsible, compassionate and caring manner.
“Our social sense of responsibility has deteriorated and Jesus Christ would surpass us with our so-called degrees and academic qualifications,” he said.
Jerry John Rawlings also stated that sanitation and health issues are beyond partisanship and called on everyone in society to join forces to ensure a clean environment.
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He noted that the existing sanitation condition was a reflection of a corrupt environment, with the indiscriminate dumping of refuse and other poor sanitation habits an indication of the impunity and irresponsibility that corruption breeds.
Flt Lt Rawlings said during his youthful days in Adabraka, any hint of litter discovered near your home led to your being charged for littering even if you were not personally responsible for it. He said during those days the beaches right from Chorkor through Labadi to the Volta Region were all so clean and beautiful and were fun to play and swim in. It was unheard of to defecate at such beaches. “You’d be arrested immediately,” he stated.
Former President Rawlings called on Ghanaians to go back to treating themselves with dignity and adopt a sense of self-respect.
He called on chiefs, municipal and district chief executives, assemblypersons to ensure the city of Accra is clean.
The former President commended the Adabraka Atukpai Mantse, Nii Tetteh Adjabeng II, for instituting a sanitation campaign.
He also thanked the Graphic Communications Group, Jekora Ventures and Toyota Ghana for supporting the campaign.
The campaign will involve a regular clean-up campaign in the community, education and an enforcement drive.
Other speakers at the event were the Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings and the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Authority, Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah
