Opinions of Saturday, 22 February 2014
Columnist: Sangaparee, Clement
- Part One
The role of political leaders in all societies is very crucial. For this reason, the political life of leaders in a developing country such as Ghana needs a very thorough examination. Ghana has produced two MAJOR POLITICAL LEADERS Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia. The over whelming popularity of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah have overshadowed Busia in African politics, but in Ghana, Busia was a MAJOR FORCE NEGATIVELY since 1951-1966. He entered Ghanaian politics in 1950 and led the Ghana Congress Party (GCP). The murderous National Liberation Movement (NLM) with “Matemeho” as its local name. He also led the Unite Party (UP) and finally the Progress Party (PP) in 1969 which he led to a “landslide victory: in the mock general elections and became Ghana’s second Prime Minister on a silver platter as the great CPP was totally banned for 10 years and all its members including this writer disenfranchised. Dr. Busia died in 1978 in the U.K. but even after his death, the violent and tribal political force he engineered were still in motion in Ghanaian politics today 2014. If an Africa Leader is not favoured by Western powers, He is a wrong leader for Democracy. If he/she win elections they are illegal. Dr. Nkwame Nkrumah led Ghana to independence on 6th March, 1957 but the Americans and British were NOT HAPPY AT ALL since they had wanted Dr. Busia to win. He was a murderous bomb thrower whose party supporters killed thousands of innocent men, women and children through bomb throwings, the use of machetes, axes and clubs to kill as well as using soda water that were shaken in a hot climate and thrown into crowded CPP Rallies. The British and Americans started planning the overthrow of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as far back as 1958 by using Mr. R.R. Amponsah and Major Ahwaittey of the Ghana Armed Forces. They used the Asante/Akyem politicians led by Dr. Busia and J.B. Danquah who ensured that the country was ungovernable right from 1957 until Nkrumah’s violent overthrow 0n 24th February, 1966. When the late Generals E.K. Kotoka and A. A. Afrifa and the Military seized power violently in Ghana with the blessing and assistance of the U.S Central Intelligence Agency, Dr. Busia’s dreams of political leadership NOT IN EXILE but as the head of government at home came true. By consistently campaigning against Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and his CPP government from 1951 to 1966, he stood out tall as the Alternative National leader both in Ghana and in the West. It was only a matter of time that he would surely be invited by the then new military rulers as Dr. Nkrumah’s heir apparent in Ghana. Soon after consolidating its grip on political power, the NLC Military junta created the “Political Committee of the National Liberation Council (NLC) that liberated nobody except Asante/Akyem politicians and their families in June, 1966. Mr. Edward Akuffo Addo was the Chairman while Dr. Busia became his vice chairman respectively. The rest were William Ofori Attah and J.A. Brainah who were both strong members of the blood soaked United Party (UP) which the NPP represent today 2014. The choice of Busia and the other members of the old United Party was an INDICATION of the New Military Regime’s desire to Replace Dr. Nkrumah and his CPP with the old violent opposition party. It was Busia in exile who had challenged Nkrumah and exported bombs, grenades, cartons of soda water and tons of dynamite to his UP supporters in Ghana who used them in bombing and killing innocent CPP supports right from 1951 until 1966 when Nkrumah was finally overthrown. Therefore, if Dr. Nkrumah’s CPP Government was overthrown the logical successor in the eyes of the NLC Military Junta and many Ghanaians was Dr. K.A. Busia and his opposition United Party. The rapidity with which leaders and supporters of Dr. Busia United Party were appointed to powerful political positions was an indication of the intensions of the NLC Military Junta. Both the NLC and Busia’s Old United Party were Conservative and subscribed to the liberal democratic ideals. The NLC Military Junta then set the stage for Dr. Busia to climb the post Nkrumah political ladder, but since he was not known by most Ghanaians apart from the ELITE as he was always a fugitive in exile, the great CPP had to be banned with NLC Decree 345 which even made it an offence for one to possess the mere photograph of Dr.Kwame Nkrumah. It was an offence that carried 5 years imprisonment with hard labour. As a former Young Pioneer Cadre, I organized CPP Members and adviced them to hide Dr. Nkrumah pictures in their trunks and chop boxes since the NLC government could not search all Ghanaian’s to look for Nkrumah’s photographs and they did as they were told. When Edward Akuffo Addo replaced Justice Julius Sarkoere Addo as Chief Justice on 26th September 1966, his Chairmanship of the NLC Political Committee went to Dr.K. A Busia who became the most powerful civilian in the NLC Government. He went on foreign trips on behalf of that government or accompanied NLC Members on such trips. He also held press conferences on behalf that government. By early 1966, Dr. Nkrumah left the management of the economy in the hands of a bureaucracy that was opposed to his political programme and to a bizarre combination of incompetent party hacks and their backers in high places and rather paid little attention to the rural majority which produced the wealth. Dear reader, like I stated earlier you must be extra careful when dealing with NPP Members politically or economically.
Is anybody listerning? I shall return when the need arise. I am done ‘Jaanbie Iwail” Aluta Continua!
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Clement Sangaparee
United Cadres Front
Obuasi
Distribution
All Media Houses
Accra/Ghana
e-mail [email protected]