The Pachenco Syndrome: Attitude, Bahaviour & Policies

The sea “throws up” Accra’s plastic waste. Photo credit: Nshorna

Over the years most of our leaders, political leaders and others, have championed the single cause of Ghanaians having positive attitudes towards the development of the nation. Leaders have, on many occasions, on the youth to develop attitude in keeping a clean environment, desist from corrupt practices and above it all being patriotic.

It is undeniably clear that today we have accepted attitude as our ultimate solution in cubing matters regarding poor economic growth, building at unauthorized places, unavailability of adequate energy, non-payment of taxes, poor sanitation practices, selling of lands to multiple buyers, etc.

One may start to wonder what attitude is and how it actually becomes part of an individual’s way of life. Hogg and Vaughan defined attitude as “a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings, and behavioral tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, events or symbols”.

In order words, attitude could be an individual’s mindset as a result of occurrences or knowledge and this could affect his/her behaviour in a particular environment. For example, children get attitudes from their upbringing, influence from colleagues and in their day-to-day involvement in activities or with others. What they read, see, hear and experience affect their attitudinal behaviour.

Most of us have an attitude of laying our beds and doing some minor cleaning before leaving for work because of our experience in boarding schools or rules set by our parents. You can decide not to brush your teeth before going to work or school and yet be confortable, but the reactions that it might create will force you to start brushing everyday and with time you develop an attitude of cleaning your teeth regularly even if it happens to be a holiday.

If you travel to most developed countries, you are likely to experience the culture of cleanliness and how patriotic they are. We seem to forget the very principles that instilled that kind of attitude in them. Rather, we return home to preach attitudinal change in acquiring what they have.

Nationals of Singapore will not be willing to defecate their environment not because of the love for their country, but for the punishment they will endure. These iron-hand practices for years have bred generations of Singaporeans who see cleanliness as their way of life rather than a law. How many Ghanaians will litter the street of London or Singapore whilst there? Non! But could you image how many foreigners will freely litter this country or behave like us? Averagely, it will take a foreigner about two-three months to start behaving like a Ghanaian and about ten (10) minutes for a Ghanaian to behave like a European.

For the past hundred years and beyond, human behaviour has been subject to strict laws through policies. Great nations have emerged not because of individual’s attitude but as a result of national interest. The Chines are known for their backyard gardens, likewise most Americans cue to pay their tax returns and you can ask an Australian how drug traffickers are dealt with in Indonesia. The South African government will heavily task foreign imports to lessen the cost for their local produces and sometimes will even not allow them in at all. So if you find a South African national patronizing their products even in foreign lands, do you then say they are patriotic or its as a result of their national interest over the years that has made them what they are today.

Until we realize that policies initiates laws and when fully implemented becomes human behaviour and, with time develops an attitude, we Ghanaians with our high taste for foreign products and gutless leaders will continue to paint and polish over dirt till one day the dirt will no longer be able to support the polish.

The Pachenco syndrome is now over riding our entire God-given talents and we are just failing to use the basic scientific principle in problem solving.

Rhoe C. Quaye

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