Ghanaians are living within two crises. A country that’s fast losing its values and a lost youth generation. Politicians are to blame for the first, while the youth are responsible for the second.

There’s a new trend that’s taking shape in the country that every Ghanaian youth has to guard against. Our politics is spoiling the youth to the hilt. The values on which the Ghanaian society was built are evaporating before our own eyes.

The junks we thrashed some years ago when the youth stood for the ordinary citizen are becoming fashionable. We’ve found a profession in defending the indefensive actions of the adults.

The very issues we promised to eliminate if we got the shot at governance are the things we’re embracing today. The corruption, selfish ambitions, intolerance, shoddy works, and lip service. We are repeating and defending these things to our own chagrin.

Politicians rob taxpayers to meet their selfish interests and you find some youth rise in defense of these people. A classic example was when National Democratic Congress (NDC) financier, Alfred Woyome was gifted GHC51.2 million from the nation’s purse. We found some Ghanaian youth going against everything that’s right to defend the action of the government. They knew the nation was being robbed, yet for partisan reasons they defended it. The political career of these youth is moving downhill because of that action.

During the 2016 general elections, I observed as my disappointment aggravated over fierce defense mounted by some NDC youth for some unprintable words used by government officials. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) youth also saw everything their leaders did including their utterances as good.

North Tongu constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa

The adults will promote you for defending them against your conscience, but know that your actions would rob the unborn generation of their future.

What happened to our conscience? What happened to the promise of doing something different when we get there? What became of all the ranting and chanting about the way the society is being ruined by the politician?

It didn’t come as a surprise to me when some youth defended Senior Minister-designate Yaw Osafo Maafo for describing North Tongu constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as ‘too young’ to comprehend details of his action in the $300 million CNT Construction Investment (CNTCI Ltd) loan and $27 million MacMillan textbooks deal.

If you love Ghana, you would realize the concerns raised by the legislator were in the interest of the country, but as usual, the NPP official downplayed it as the party is fond of. He resorted to bully rather than being fair to the core issues.

Although he apologized upon the request of the Chairman of Parliament’s Appointments Committee, the fanfare with which he said it makes it unpardonable. The display by the former Oda MP is a harbinger of what Ghanaians should expect if he is approved by the House.

Ghanaians should brace up for haughty attitudes from governing NPP officials. They put up same behavior from 2001 to 2008, resulting in their defeat in the election. The NDC has been exited because of similar behavior.

We’ve been disrespected by the people who begged us for our mandate for far too long. We can’t allow this pattern to continue. If power resides in the people, we have to insist on the right thing even if our comments grate others.

By supporting insolence behaviors of our leaders, we’re shredding decades of sacrifices borne by some Ghanaians to guarantee the youth a role in the governance of the country. We have become accustomed to the corrupt practices of the adults.

The fact is, our society has lost its ethical background because of the politician’s proclivity for highfalutin promises and lies. And the deal is that the Ghanaian youth has bought into these promises, making him an accomplice of crimes committed against the country.

Value-based thinking is eroded from our society owing to blind political patronage. It’s funny how actions of our youth are dictated by the ambition to be accepted and promoted within their political party. We need to outgrow from this rut. Our people expect more from us.

We shouldn’t lose our conscience to politics. A healthy society is dependent not only on an intelligent people but rather people who think right. You can have intelligent ministers, but if they don’t think right there would not be progress.

As youth, we need to think right for our society. We need to defend the country and point the wrongs in the actions of our leaders. It's refreshing that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged citizens and not spectators from Ghanaians. This role can only be performed when we get our thinking back.

Young people are struggling in record numbers to find work in Ghana and this represents one area into which we can channel our energies. We need to be fair in our defense and condemnation of both the youth and adults who deviate from the values on which our nation stands. Respect to one another, speaking truth to power, loyalty to the Ghana flag, patriotism, honesty and incorruptible actions are few of the values that should guide us.

As the youth, we have to ensure our actions revolve around these three pillars namely conscience, God and the interest of the country. If any action of ours contradicts these three philosophies, we should refrain from it. We're better than our current behavior.

Let us choose right over wrong, conscience over patronage, and the interest of the nation over partisan or personal interest. We have to make the commitment to walk on the high road and keep doing what’s best for our country.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed here are the Author's and do not reflect the position of management of the Multimedia Group Limited or Myjoyonline.com. The author Austin Brakopowers is a journalist with Joy 99.7 FM and could be reached via Brakomen@outlook.com or www.brakopowers.com