DO NOT TAKE NKRUMAH’S NAME IN VAIN!

Seldom has there been a more propitious time, for the Nkrumaist vision of a united and modern African nation-state of diverse ethnicity, to triumph in the battle of ideas, in post-Nkrumah Ghana . Today’s Ghanaian society, a polity that is a hell-hole, underpinned and driven by greed and selfishness, is the result of the blind and unthinking acceptance by our largely unimaginative political class, of the iniquitous policies foisted on our country, by neo-colonial interests - chief amongst which, have been the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund: ably assisted by the self-seeking Western governments, referred to, incredibly, by some in the Ghanaian media (who should know better!), as “our development partners.”

And nowhere does the Nkrumaist message of self-belief and the need for a fairer society resonate, in today’s Ghana, more than amongst those who have had to make the most sacrifices, and lost out the most, as over the years, successive Ghanaian regimes since 24th February 1966, from that of the traitors who were paid agents of the C.I.A., as well as stooges for neo-colonialism; through to the brutal military dictatorship of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC); and today’s civilian carpetbaggers and pretend-democrats, known respectively as: the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), have all, during their tenure, enthusiastically implemented the harsh economic measures, advocated by sundry foreign self-seekers for their own benefit - and at the expense of the Ghanaian masses: whose well-being and welfare, constitute and represent, Ghana’s abiding national interest.

Nkrumah’s message of self-belief and the African personality, resonates amongst ordinary people, and more so today, dear reader, as ordinary Ghanaians look askance at the oligarchs who now dominate Ghanaian society, and who have benefited the most, from the misery inflicted on the masses, as a result of the implementation of cruel and inhuman economic policies, over the many years of suffering in Ghana, as those mostly overweight stooges for neo-colonialism, club together, to use some of the enormous wealth they have now amassed ( because it is they and their crowd who have prospered mightily under the PNDC, NDC: and now, even more so than ever, under the NPP), in an outrageous attempt to buy their way to power, yet again.

And the question one often hears many a down-trodden Ghanaian ask these days, whiles watching the obscene display of wealth by some members of the ruling party, as they compete to buy their way to the presidency in 2008, is: why do the followers of Nkrumah not unite to win power in December 2008, and form a regime that can, and will, act, to protect Ghana’s national interest and promote the welfare of all Ghanaians, in January 2009?

Why, do ordinary Ghanaians not have in power today, one of the most incompetent and unimaginative of regimes, which is steadily impoverishing the vast majority of Ghanaians: who are seeing their quality of life deteriorating, even as sundry interested parties (who themselves are benefiting from the misery of the masses!), tell them that poverty is reducing in Ghana ?

And is the NPP not proceeding to saddle the masses and their offspring (and their offspring!), with yet more hard currency foreign debt - the most egregious example, being the recent highly irresponsible and criminal issuance (as in causing financial loss to the state: exactly when, dear reader, did parliament approve this loan?), of IOU’s to investors overseas, redeemable in hard currency within a set time frame, and known by the fancy name of sovereign bonds; regular interest payments on which start being made henceforth?

And in adopting this imprudent course of action, is the desperate regime in power today, which is shamelessly piling up yet more of the self-same hard currency debt of the past (simply to enable it procure the wherewithal to dazzle the electorate with, by using the borrowed money to create a mini economic boom - which will come to a quick end, soon after they win power again), not scandalously ignoring the bitter lessons of the consequences of building up a large foreign debt portfolio, payment of interest on which, bled the very lifeblood out of our nation, in the past, and led to the present misery of ordinary Ghanaians?

So in the light of all of the above, dear reader, how can any follower of Nkrumah today, claim to be a true Nkrumaist, and still not understand the importance of uniting to enable Nkrumah’s CPP to become a powerful force once again, in Ghanaian politics: one that is capable of winning power in December 2008? Why do those myopic individuals who today claim to be Nkrumaists, refuse to unite under the banner of the party founded by Nkrumah? Does it not have a brand-name that has instant recognition throughout our homeland Ghana , and which there is such tremendous goodwill for?

If they were true Ghanaian patriots and pan-Africanists; would they, at this crucial juncture in our nation’s history, when our envisaged oil wealth can provide our country with all the needed resources, with which to finally undertake the social transformation that Ghana so desperately needs: to make this a fairer and just society for all Ghanaians; not unite to fight to win power again, for the New CPP?

Is that end, not the very driving force, which sustained Nkrumah, during the period when bomb after bomb, was exploded by the enemies of the people, as they attempted to assasinate him? And what is wrong with uniting to win power again for the New CPP, which will make ordinary people, masters of their own destiny once more, I ask, dear reader?

Is that not what led Nkrumah to seek political power - so that he could lead the creation of a modern African nation-state, which was egalitarian in nature, and in which the power of the nation-state, was harnessed for the benefit of all the people? Did he not return to our shores on 16th December 1947 after his long sojourn abroad, to help drive away the colonialists who were exploiting our country and its people, and help to create a fair society for all of his people? And is that not why he was removed from power by the enemies of Africa - who did not want him to succeed in his aim?

How can those who claim his legacy live with their consciences, if they continue to refuse to put aside personal ambition; and unite under the banner of the party founded by him? Do they not understand the necessity, at such a critical point in time in Ghana’s history, for them to downsize their inflated and oversized egos; and refrain from engaging in the outrageous and cynical exploitation of Nkrumah’s name, simply as a cloak to hide the unpalatable truth: that politics has become mere business for them, for which reason, they must hang on (at all cost!) to those irritating vehicles of their personal wealth creation - those laughable and absurd so-called political parties of theirs, which do not have any credibility whatsoever, with the majority of the Ghanaian masses?

If the historic opportunity to harness, protect and utilize Ghana’s anticipated oil wealth, to transform Ghanaian society from the present “dog-eats-dog” hell on earth, which our nation has been turned into, since Nkrumah’s overthrow in 1966, is not to be missed by the followers of Nkrumah, then we must, dear reader, speak plainly to those whom, for outrageously banal reasons, refuse to put aside selfishness and greed, to unite under the banner of a united New CPP.

Do these tiresome little minds not understand that if Ghana’ oil wealth is to be used for initiatives, such as: setting up an educational bank, which will make long-term soft loans available for all those studying in our tertiary intuitions; build state-of-the-art healthcare facilities throughout the country, so that they are easily available to all; build one major new planned city to completion point, on a regular basis, until all our cities are planned and civilized places, for us all to live in; train a paramilitary police force of 100,000 men and women to help ensure that we make our democracy a paradise for law-abiding Ghanaians - and hell on earth for the criminals in our midst.

Dear reader, do Ghanaians not deserve to have a political party, such as the CPP, which will do the following with our oil wealth: provide resources to modernize and make our judiciary a truly independent one, which delivers justice swiftly and fairly; provide long-term mortgage for all public servants to buy or build their own homes which they will promptly lose if they cheat mother Ghana; enable all public servants (not just military officers!) to retire on their present salaries; abolish personal income tax; bring down the tax rate to just 10 per cent to encourage private enterprise (and please note that Nkrumah, as always, was light years ahead of his contemporaries: whiles the Chinese and Russian socialists banned private enterprise, Nkrumah believed in a mixed economy something which today, both Russia and China have discovered, to the benefit of their people!); and build railways to link all our regional capitals, just to mention a few of the sorts of initiatives which Nkrumaists will introduce, when they unite and are returned to power by Ghanaians and assume the reins of government in 7th January 2009?

Let the hypocrites amongst the members of our political class, who claim to be the followers of Nkrumah, stop taking the name of the Osagyefo in vain! They must not have the effrontery to use Nkrumah’s hallowed name, if they continue to refuse to unite and fight the December 2008 elections, under the banner of the New CPP. Why, do they not see the appalling state which Nkrumah’s Ghana is in today? Do they not care about the plight of the Ghanaian masses? Those who lead the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) and the Peoples National Convention (PNC), must understand that Nkrumaists do not have the luxury of remaining divided and fragmented, any longer - not when Ghana will soon have oil money, to transform it into a prosperous society for the benefit of all Ghanaians.

They must remember Madame Fathia Nkrumah’s death-bed appeal to the followers of Nkrumah to unite. And they must respect the memory of Nkrumah. And above all, if they wish to continue burying their heads in the sands of time, then those of us who are loyal to the memory of Nkrumah, demand that they cease using his name in vain - or we shall turn the writing equivalent, of the gun turrets of military tanks in their direction, henceforth.. They are forewarned. Period. May God bless and protect our homeland Ghana always. Long live Ghana ! Long live freedom! Kofi Thompson can be contacted by email at: mailto:Tpeakofithompson@yahoo.co.uk and by SMS text message on: (027) 745 3109.