Remembering Kwame Nkrumah
Today we are remembering the birth of one of the great sons of this country: his contribution towards the attainment of independence etched in the marble of our history as are those of his five other freedom struggle colleagues.
We would have rather the controversy surrounding whether or not he was the sole initiator of the independence struggle did not arise. Not, however, when some persons relish distorting history.
We are guided by the chronology of the country’s independence struggle from Saltpond to the time when the Union Jack was lowered to be replaced by the colours of the newly independent country at the Polo ground.
Ignoring the role of the other members of the Big 6 would be a travesty of history which for the sake of the younger generation should not be encouraged. The kids need to be told the proper history of the country.
We are not discounting the role of Kwame Nkrumah in the building of the country, no, not at all. We recognize his commitment to the development of education in the country, especially, the continuation of the free education policy as started by the colonial administration in the Northern Territories and how the policy has brought parity between personalities from the north and their southern counterparts.
It is important that those who have been falling over each other as they seek to thwart the new education policy to bring education to the doorsteps of every Ghanaian child take note of the first President’s recognition of this intervention and be schooled accordingly.
Although the 7-year development plan did not achieve the bulk of its objectives, it was an outstanding and ambitious programme even in those days of our post-independence period for which we doff our hats.
We wonder how the socialist tendencies would have been today considering the fact that countries which inspired Kwame Nkrumah to tread along that path have had a rethink of the policy obviously finding it antiquated and therefore requiring changes or even moderation to catch up with the fast moving world.
We recognize the spirit of nationalism which the Young Pioneer Movement sought to instill in the youth even as we disagree with some aspects of the indoctrination.
Democracy under the founder of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) was threatened and almost at the precipice. No matter the reason behind the President’s decision to have politics move in the direction it did, having only one political party dominate in a country cannot be acceptable.
The act which allowed for the detention of persons assumed to be threats to the CPP, and for that matter, the President, was an affront to the rule of law as much as was the arbitrary dismissal of a Chief Justice as Sir Arku Korsah suffered.
These are but some of the controversial segments of the rule of the man whose birthday we are celebrating today.
It is regrettable that the party he founded and upon which he rode to political stardom has been reduced to a struggling grouping in the country’s politics.
It is our hope that the birthday of this important personality in our country’s political history and beyond would encourage us to reflect upon his tenure with a view to learning the bountiful lessons therein.
Source: Daily Guide
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FACT CHECKER: For the sake `of history, Kwame Nkrumah established a personality cult and envisioned himself as a Messianic leader . He created an ideology called 'Nkrumaism' that cost millions of dollars in tax payers money. He created and supervised a system of patronage that introduced ghanaians into corruption till this day. He staffed his government with party loyalist as is being practiced today by NPP and NDC.He used state media and state press as a band wagon for his government propagandist machine. Kwame Nkrumah behaved like an emperor without clothes. He personified the state . His cabinet ministers built mansions and palaces and brought all traffic to a standstill when they traveled. Similar to what we see today. To be a minister in ghana is a chance to make a fortune due to vast pickings in bribes , state contracts, diversion of public funds to private uses. Nkrumah was also a lonely man.When he was informed of the depletion of money from the public purse by his cabinet ministers, he broke down and cried.In Nkrumah's era, prominent politicians simply looted the state treasury , transferring money to private account. The practice of bribery and embezzlement spread from top to bottom. With no time, bribery and corruption became the order of the day and a way of life. Cabinet ministers were know to push through contracts with 10% fee that goes into private pocket. His notorious minister Krobo Edusei, scrupulously ordered a 3,000 pounds gold plated bed from England for his wife . Edusei will later confessed for amassing 14 houses, a fleet of expensive cars and numerous band accounts overseas. Nkrumah himself was actively engaged in the business of bribery and corruption. He set up a special company called the National Development Corporation(NDC) to enhance the handling of bribes from foreign businessmen . As a result , Nkrumah became a wealthy man with most of his booty hidden in overseas bank accounts. Nkrumah relied on fear as an instrument of control. In his day, government became a reservoir of free money. He maintained a total grip on radio, TV and newspapers. He pursued or killed his critics with impunity using the unpopular 'Preventive Detention Act'. Under Nkrumah, corruption became a howling monster that threatened the economic foundation of a new born country.Government funds were massively squandered in every direction possible.An underground company' the 'guinea press' received more than $2m to do his bidding. Patronage was held by the highest bidder. By 1966 most of the public corporation set up were badly managed and corruption was rampant. In effect, he mortgaged ghana's revenue for the long haul. The overall handling of ghana's economy in the long haul was calamitous. Ghana by 1965 had become bankrupt. the young country was saddled by massive debt, rising prices , higher taxes, shortage of food. A copy cat of todays ghanaian economy under akufo addo and john mahama. A spending spree of over $900m between 1959-1964 had left the young country saddled with debt with scores of loss making industries and a fast shrinking agricultural sector managed by inefficient party loyalists. His dream of 'Pan Africanism' was a farce. ' we must act now or tomorrow will be late' Yet no other African leader shared his enthusiasm. Surrounded by sycophants and praised daily by the guinea pig press, Nkrumah became remote from the realities of the day, refusing to believe that things are not going well. Any set back was quickly blamed on the neo-colonialist. The growing folly of Nkrumah's regime was'Job 600" for a meeting of the Organization of African Unity which will later become a white elephant. That meeting will eventually cost the tax payer over $20M. The conference was itself an abject failure. A large number of African leaders did not show up. The call for African Unity was a ' sham' . Same like the AU that only sings without any melody. When the Ghana Armed Forces struck and dethroned him whilst in overseas to mediate in an international dispute that has nothing to do with ghana, his own supporters and boot lickers deserted him like saddam hussein , dancing in the streets of accra like never seen before.
GHANA BEST PRESIDENT WITH VISION