Opinions of Sunday, 4 March 2007
Columnist: Oto, Kwadjo
It is very strange the way Mr. Kwasi Pratt, CJA, NDC, and the CPP because of politics are trying to portray themselves as more Nkrumaist than Kwame Nkrumah himself. Nkrumah was a man who saw himself contrary to what the CJA is making him as Ghanaian and African not CPP or Nkroful.
The notion of down playing Nkrumah in Ghana@50 is an evil plot by especially the NDC using CJA which is virtually a wing of the party to make the NPP government unpopular and to score cheap political points. The NDC is like a drowning man who will hold on to anything that comes his way and that is exactly what they are doing, desperately clinging to Nkrumah and the CPP to score cheap political points.
It is never true that NPP government and the Ghana@50 Secretariat are down playing Nkrumah. Any truth loving Ghanaian will testify that Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is really at the centre of the year long celebrations except those hypocritical ostriches that see nothing except party colours. In fact it would be a disaster for anybody to ignore or down play Nkrumah who fought for our independence and decolonization of the African continent at this time that Ghana is at 50.
The official launching of Ghana@50 was deliberately and consciously held on Nkrumah’s birthday (21st September, 2006) to show how important Nkrumah is to our independence. The front page of the official Ghana@50 website displays a clip of Nkrumah and the famous declaration of Ghana as independent country. The secretariat has indeed featured Nkrumah in almost all the year long activities. Follow this link and find out for yourself: http://www.ghana50.gov.gh/events/index.php?op=events.
P(NDC) were in power for 19 years, what did they do for Nkrumah and his family? Mr. Rawlings and the P(NDC) were the ones who demonstrated with impunity the level of disregard they have for Nkrumah, the BIG SIX and our independence when Mr. Rawlings cancelled Ghana’s 25th independence anniversary in 1982. According to Mr. Rawlings the only thing Nkrumah left for us is the Ghana flag. Mr Rawlings is on record to have also said that Nkrumah’s independence is useless but the real independence of Ghana was June 4th and 31st December.
These same evil plotters who substituted our independence with June 4th and 31st December have now clothed themselves with innocent political cloths using CJA and some cheap populist from the other parties to clinch to Nkrumah and Ghana’s independence as if they have any respect for them. Fellow Ghanaians let us rise and resist these evil doers from destroying the beauty of our 50th anniversary.
Where were the so called CJA and the CPP when Mr. Rawlings and the P(NDC) confiscated Nkrumah’s house leaving his family helpless. A case in question is Nkrumah’s house which was given to the late former speaker of Parliament Justice D. F. Annan. It took President Kufuor’s NPP government to restore those properties to Nkrumah’s family.
It is only with malice that the CJA and the NDC are saying that NPP government is anti-Nkrumah. The argument that the other political parties have been ignored is flawed. The government of the day is not the government of NPP but of Ghana. It therefore planned and organised celebrations on behalf of the whole country since all the 20 plus million Ghanaians cannot be at the planning committee. No government has ever involved a political party in the planning of our independence celebrations before, not even Nkrumah who won the independence did that!
If there is any hero worshipping we should also remember that it was Paa Grant, a business tycoon and founder of the first democratic party UGCC who used his personal money (100 pounds) to buy a steamer boat ticket for Dr. Nkrumah to come to Ghana, it was also Ako Adjei who recommended Dr. Nkrumah to join the UGCC as the Secretary. If the CJA has no malice and devious plans they should also take a procession march to the graves of these two heroes of our Independence struggle and not to use Dr. Nkrumah to execute their evil plot. Dr Nkrumah in his book ‘I Speak of Freedom’ said before him, some people had started the struggle for independence, after him there will still be others. According to Osagyefo, people should not make Ghana’s independence as “Kwame Nkrumah’s” or the “baby of Nkrumah”. Nkrumah preached unity back then, so for CJA and NDC to use his name to preach disunity is very wide off the mark. By Nkrumah’s own words, I believe he is very sad and mad in his grave for what the CJA, NDC and the CPP are about to do.
The enthusiasm for the Ghana@50 is booming we should therefore ignore the evil plotters such as Kofi Wayo, CJA, NDC and the CPP. Fellow Ghanaians let us join the Ghana@50 anniversary train for it is our birthday as Ghanaians.