Opinions of Saturday, 19 May 2012
Columnist: Sangaparee, Clement
– Focus On The First Republic 1957 – 1966
The National Liberation Movement (NLM) with “Mate-meho” as its local name was a tribal grouping that had built BARRIERS among the various tribes of the country –especially, Northerners, Ewes and Akans and so, they lost the three elections conducted by the British in 1951, 1954 and 1956 to the well organized CPP Party led by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, simply because Ghanaians shunned TRIBALISM. It confirmed the suspicions of most Ghanaians and their fears that the NLM which was later renamed the United Party (UP) belong to a particular tribe. They talked of social justice, but they have never shown any concern over social issues at all.
The NPP represent the United Party today 2012, This party is being portrayed as a democratic party by so many intellectuals as well as some Church leaders who lack faith and spirituality as 90% of Ghana’s Church leaders indirectly support the NPP.
You just have to go to the various churches every Sunday to hear how they preach to their congregations whenever the NPP is in opposition and you will see and hear things for yourselves.
They must rather form their own political parties and contest the much hated NDC at the polls come December 7th every 4 years and we see who will actually win.
Alienation of a section of the electorate
Ghana gained independence on 6th March 1957, but one year after independence in 1958, the late R.R. Amponsah and Major Ahwaity of the Ghana Armed Forces made a coup attempt to overthrow Dr. Nkrumah’s CPP government with the help of Dr. J.B. Danquah, a C.I.A Agent from the United Party. Dr. Nkrumah was compelled to send the preventive detention Bill to Parliament to be passed into law which empowered the government to detain nation wreckers, coup plotters, and subversionists without trial in order to prevent the young nation from being mangled at birth by Politicians of the UP tradition who have been rejected thrice by Ghanaians.
He went further to organize a referendum for a one-party state and majority of Ghanaians endorsed it. This brought ill feelings among all members of the UP tradition, who resulted to cowardly bomb throwings nation wide while collaborating with the American C.I.A Agents led by J.B Danquah for the eventual overthrow of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah on 24th Feb. 1966 through a very bloody coup led by General E.K. Kotoka and Brigadier Afrifa who later promoted himself to a General when Kotoka was killed in an abortive coup in 1967.
The CPP was proscribed for 10 years by the National Liberation Council (NLC) military junta. Please note that, the term National Liberation was a throw back to that murderous National Liberation Movement, a tribal grouping based in Kumasi which the NPP represent today.
Their main agenda is that what they always want to tell Ghanaians and have not been able to say it openly is that THEY, (THE NPP) should always be in power and not any political party like the CPP, NDC, PNC or any other group. The Progress Party (PP) led by Busia used his position as the Chairman of the Centre for Civic Education and campaigned against. Dr. Nkrumah and his CPP government for 3 good years before resigning from that position to contest the 1969 general elections. Nobody knew him, so he had to sell himself and destroy Nkrumah first since he (Busia) had always being in exile in Britain planning how to bring down the CPP government. How could Busia’s violent supporters talk of alienation when they were burnt on killing innocent Ghanaians in order to remove Dr. Nkrumah?
FOCUS ON THE 2ND REPUBLIC, OCTOBER 1969 JAN – 1972
The essence of a “University” is to explore the “universe” of knowledge that is why there are different departments in every university for students to study different fields.
The essence of university education IS NOT THE DEGREE CERTIFICATE but a trained and analytical mind. Therefore, A FOOL remains A Fool whether he goes to university or not, and will remain a fool that he is until he dies and will finally be buried as a Fool in a foolish grave of course.
Though Busia posed as the champion of TRUE DEMOCRACY in his addresses on several political platforms and on national television in the second Republic in 1969, he could NOT AVOID his CLASHES with the JUDGES in the FAMOUS SALLAH CASE where he accused them of BIAS and PARTIALITY against his Progress Party government. “My Government, Dr. Busia the then Prime Minister CHARGED and WARNED, will exercise its right to EMPLOY ONLY THOSE whom it wishes to employ. No court can ENFORCE MY DECISION that seeks to COMPEL the government to EMPLOY or RE-EMPLOY any one………..” My government will NOT CONDONE any lowering of standards for MAINTAINING this principle. Yes, that was Professor K.A. Busia, the so called world acclaimed democrat who lectured white men in several universities in Western Countries. That was Professor Busia, who “believed” in the Rule of Law before he died. The Progress Party Government of Dr. Busia was WORSE than any military government in Ghana.
The NLC military Junta made sure that Dr. Busia became the Prime Minister of Ghana AT ALL COST as they used the NLC protective Custody Decree which was the same as Dr. Nkrumah’s Preventive Detention Act which they (UP) members criticised but used it to detain thousands of CPP former ministers, party leaders and even ordinary CPP supporters including this writer nation wide. I was a Young Pioneer secretary from 1961-1966 and I paid a price for that under Gen. Afrifa’s NLC military Junta.
Some CPP leaders were executed by firing squad, while three leading members of the CPP namely Maguus George, Maclean Konche and Comrade M.O. Kwatia died in detention at the Nsawam prisons through torture while striking workers under Busia’s administration were shot dead by policemen at Obuasi during a miners strike which lasted for three months 3 miners were shout during the strike in 1969 under Dr. Busia’s government in 1969.
It was only the NRC, Supreme Military government of General Acheampong and General Akuffo which DID NOT execute their political opponents at all from 1972 – June 1979. Therefore, the NLC military junta enjoyed a very weak internal opposition as it was a Western inspired coup de’ tat, with a strong Western Support in 1969, they IMPOSED a constitutional arrangement with VIRTUALLY UNDEMOCRATIC FEATURES, and the tribal “Mate-meho” politicians were given power on a silver platter-having dis-intergrated the once mighty CPP party through Legislation-NLC Decree 345 which made it an offence punishable by 5years IHL without the option of a FINE for possessing the MERE PHOTOGRAPH of the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana. We hid the photographs of Dr. Nkrumah inside our boxes instead of burning them.
They even feared Dr. Nkrumah’s mere photograph after his violent overthrow by the C.I.A in 1966 hence that infamous decree “Thanks” to the dreaded American C.I.A. in 1966. Are we now free or still enslaved? Are we now happy and satisfied? Are we now economically sound and vibrant? Can we now make ends meet to feed our children? Do we have enough food to put on our tables? Are we now healthy? I shall return on part 3 of this article, I shall return in part 3 of this master piece. Is anybody listening? I am done. “Jaanbie Iwaii” Aluta Continua!
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CLEMENT SANGAPAREE
MUNICIPAL ORGANISER
UNITED CADRES FRONT
P. O. BOX 32
OBUASI
E-mail: clementsang@yahoo.com