The Member of Parliament for Sissala East, Mohammed Issah Bataglia, has criticised what he describes as a national tendency to react passionately to challenges only to lose momentum shortly afterwards.
Speaking on the JoyNews AM Show, the legislator reflected on issues of border security, youth unemployment and national development, warning that Ghana risks turning its strengths into vulnerabilities if decisive action is not taken.
“You cannot also deny the fact that we have very porous borders,” he said. “What is supposed to be our potential, if we are not careful, becomes our threat.”
Mr Bataglia noted that his frequent travels to his constituency often leave him deeply concerned about the future of the country, particularly when he observes the plight of young people.
“Because at the point I want to travel back home and I see the young people, I have a feeling that this country must rise up,” he stated. “I don’t see the reason why we should go hungry as a people. I don’t see the reason. Compared to Burkina Faso, there’s no reason.”
The MP suggested that Ghana possesses significant resources and opportunities which, if properly harnessed, should prevent widespread hardship.
However, he lamented what he described as a culture of reactive engagement rather than sustained commitment to solving national problems.
He continued, “In this generation of talkers, who will react to something and then go back to sleep? And we believe that everything we are, God is always in control.”
Mr Bataglia emphasised that responsibility for change does not rest solely with political leaders but with citizens as well.
He underscored the central role of Parliament in driving reforms while cautioning against drawing sharp distinctions between leaders and the electorate.
“Parliament has a big role to help us,” he said. When asked whether that responsibility extended to all members, he responded, “Parliament, including you and everybody?” Sometimes, when we begin to separate leadership from the followers, it creates a problem.”
The MP called for collective responsibility and sustained action, urging Ghanaians to move beyond rhetoric and commit to long-term solutions that will secure the nation’s future.
His remarks follow a deadly terrorist attack on Ghanaian tomato traders near Titao, a town in northern Burkina Faso, on Saturday, February 14.
According to Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, who spoke on JoyNews on Monday, the traders were in Titao when jihadists launched an attack, specifically targeting the men. Among those travelling on one truck were ten men, including the driver, and eight women. Seven men were killed, and three others sustained serious injuries. Some of the women were affected but not seriously injured.
However, the president of the Ghana National Tomatoes Transporters and Sellers Association, Eric Tuffuor, stated that eleven men were killed in the attack. He described how the attackers shot the men on sight, kidnapped some of the women, and set the truck ablaze, burning everything to ashes.
