SPREADING NKRUMAH’S IDEAS; A Start Made at The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park

Kwesi Pratt Jnr donates books to Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum

By Ekow Duncan

Over 2000 copies of Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s books and books about Nkrumah are to be given to the country’s public libraries, universities and polytechnics by the Legacy Project of the 8^th Pan- African Congress held in March in Accra this year.

For a start, 30 of these books were presented to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park yesterday by the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the 8^th PAC, Comrade Kwesi Pratt at a ceremony on Tuesday.

The books which were ordered directly from the publishers of the books, PANAF publishers in London because of their rarity on the local market, included titles such as “I speak of Freedom,” “Class Struggle in Africa,” “Neo-Colonialism -The Last Stage of Imperialism,” and “Africa Must Unite,” among others.

Making the presentation, Comrade Pratt explained that spreading Nkrumah’s ideas was a continuation of Nkrumah’s works especially in the struggle against poverty and illiteracy.

He said the Memorial Park could become the Mecca of Africans working for a stronger, wealthier and a united continent.

Towards this end, he called on the government and other progressive governments and organisations to support the creation of a Kwame Nkrumah Research Library at the Park.

Receiving the books, the Director of the Park, Alhaji Abubakar Osman said the books will help many including the staff of the Park to read and know more about Nkrumah’s ideas.

He added that the Park urgently needed a vehicle so it could take some of its exhibits to various parts of the country so that those outside Accra can also access the rich archives of the Park.

In an interview with the press after the ceremony, a member of the Socialist Forum and Secretary to the Local Organising Committee of the 8^th PAC, Comrade Justice Henaku said the Legacy Project is still expecting more of the books to arrive.

He added however that while the work of the Legacy Project will greatly help to make Nkrumah’s works accessible to many, more will be required to make the books accessible to even those in remote parts of the country.

Editorial

NKRUMAH’S IDEAS

Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah taught the people of Africa many important lessons which are still relevant for their development.

One of the most important lessons Nkrumah taught us is that Africans cannot be inferior to any other race and that we ought to shape our own destiny.

Nkrumah also insisted that colonial subjugation would not end with independence and that the colonized people need to continue to struggle to free themselves from the tentacles of the colonial metropolis.

The Insight believes that the application of these teachings would be so crucial in the struggle of the African peoples to take control of their resources and to overcome under- development and poverty.

It is in the light of this that we commend the 8th Pan African Congress and the Freedom Bookshop for donating more than 2000 books by or about Nkrumah to various public institutions.

It is our hope that these works will be put to good use and that they will be provided much needed guidance in our quest for development and prosperity.

SECURITY THREAT !

Acting NPP Chairman, Freddie Blay

By Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor

Considering happenings at the NPP front that entail security implications, let me ask a loaded question: Why is it that of all the political parties, it is the NPP alone that has found it necessary to form a security organization to defend it or its Akufo-Addo's interests against those of his opponents?

We have already heard of the "trouble" at the NPP's National Headquarters and what the security implications are. Contrary to earlier claims that the NPP headquarters had been ransacked by elements purportedly supporting Afoko and that 11 of such "invaders" were military personnel, the truth is gradually emerging that something more troubling is at the centre of happenings there.

Some NPP supporters have been quick to blame President Mahama and the NDC for infiltrating ranks and organizing the day's event just to worsen the NPP's internal crisis.

Clearly, there is much happening in connection with the exact purpose of that NPP headquarters. The formation of a security wing (known as the "Invisible Forces") has added more suspicion to what exactly the NPP has up its sleeves to confront the Establishment.

As I have already said in my opinion pieces on the security threat posed by such a ragtag force, the government must act quickly to prevent a nasty situation in the near future.

The truth about what happened today is contained in this report by PeaceFMOnline (See http://elections.peacefmonline.com/pages/politics/201511/261607.php).

Nana Akufo Addo

You can see clearly from the report that the military and police were in action to retrieve those weapons and other items (as some have identified as sacks of wee, machetes, cudgels, and many others). What are those weapons being stored there for?

The time is long past for the government to stamp its authority on the situation. It must disband all such ragtag quasi-security organizations and ensure that the orthodox security services act prudently to deal with any deviance. That is why the BNI and other intelligence-gathering institutions must be more proactive than they've been all this while to expose the brains behind the formation of such organizations and to prosecute those who fall foul of the law.

If for nothing at all, Ghanaians want to enjoy the peace that has prevailed all these years. The kind of violence (or the rhetoric of political violence) being introduced into national politics by the NPP and its Akufo-Addo must not be countenanced at all.

Interestingly, the day's event happened just when Akufo-Addo left for London. He is known for running away after setting others up to cause mayhem. Then, he returns to settle back in the groove as if he has no hand in the events. Shameful.

I repeat my loaded question for emphasis: Why is it that of all the political parties, it is the NPP alone that has found it necessary to form a security organization to defend it or its Akufo-Addo's interests against those of his opponents? We saw how this ragtag organization of disgruntled elements was used in the Afoko case and will be used in other cases considered as inimical to Akufo-Addo's interests.

Suspended NPP Chairman, Paul Afoko

Now that the truth about the use to which the NPP's national headquarters is being put, the authorities must investigate today's happening and punish those who have to be punished for illegally stocking weapons and other substances there.

It is better to act now than to frantically mobilize resources to "cure" what could have been prevented. No more, no less.

The Ghanaian Establishment has been really sluggish in acting against forces that threaten national security. Some of us who complain about what is happening in the NPP today had done so in the 1990s and early 2000s when we were serving our country before moving on to other departments of life. I remember very well my writing to complain about reports that the late Major Courage Quashigah was contemplating and actually working on creating a private army for the NPP. What happened on that issue belongs to history, but it looks like the ghost that was disregarded then is now taking shape to scare the system. Courage Quashigah is dead and gone but his dream for a militant group is still active in the NPP. Is anybody listening? I am available for further explanation. Just reach out to me.

I shall return…

E-mail: mjbokor@yahoo.com

Editorial

Let’s pause and change

The reported invasion of the NPP head office is the latest low in the country’s multi-party journey.

There are various versions of who staged the attack and while it is important to establish the truth of what really happened, our concern here is how these troubling developments are fast becoming the norm.

A number of commentators suggest that the attack is part of the internal struggles within the NPP. If this is the case then it appears to confirm the trend where intra-party fights have become as aggressive if not more so than inter-party contests.

It is dangerous not simply because of the damages it is leaving in its wake but more importantly because of the risks it is carrying for the country.

Multi-party democracy, the proponents suggest, lead to a contest of ideas which ultimately should lead to the good of the country.

The contests we are seeing now both intra and interparty can hardly be classed as contest of ideas; they seem mainly personality based and the main basis behind it is that some party members see particular individuals as their route to personal gains.

Such an attitude to politics, we dare warn, is very short sighted indeed.

WHERE IS THE REPORT ON FINANCIAL DEALINGS IN NPP?

NPP Flagbearer, Nana Akufo Addo

By Ekow Mensah

There is some growing concern about the whereabouts of the report of the Ohene Ntow Committee which investigated allegations of impropriety in the handling of an account of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).  

The allegationsincluded claims that some officials of the party made unauthorized withdrawals from the party’s Ecobank account.

The Committee chaired by Ohene Ntow had members as Dr Osei Akoto, former Minister of Finance, Professor Gyan Baffour , Member of Parliament , Kwaku Agyemang , Member of Parliament and Joseph Osei Owusu also a Member of Parliament.

Some party insiders claim that the four members of parliament have already presented the report of the Committee to the leadership of the party.

However, other members say that the report presented by the Members of Parliament did not have the approval of the Chairman of the committee and did not reflect the true findings of the committee.

Suspended NPP Chairman, Paul Afoko

It is believed that Mr. Paul Afoko, the substantive Chairman of the party received a copy of the report just before his suspension by the National Executive Committee.

It is not clear if the report was formally and properly presented to Chairman Afoko.

The content of the report has not been made public in spite of the very wild speculations about its findings and recommendations.

The release of the report is likely to worsen the crisis within the NPP.

While some say that the allegations against acting Chairman Freddie Blay and National Treasurer, Abankwa Yeboa are baseless, others insist that the Committee’s report indicts them

It is not clear if the report of the committee will ever be made public even though party members and the public are highly interested in it.

Editorial

Projects and Elections

There can be no doubt that the Mahama administration has embarked upon an impressive number of social and economic projects across the country.

In Accra, everybody can attest to the significant improvement in the quality of roads across the national capital.

The reconstruction of the Ridge Hospital and the new Teaching Hospital at Legon are very impressive monuments in addition to what is being put up at the Kwame Nkrumah circle

Reports from the rural areas speak of new water projects and rural electrification schemes in addition to chip compounds and other medical facilities.

We are most certainly impressed by these efforts of the Mahama administration but we warn that elections are not won with projects.

If elections were won with projects Ashanti Region would be the stronghold of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Volta Region would be the World Bank of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)

Elections are won by parties which make people feel comfortable with the rule.

Sad Story Of A Blind Man

Ghana's Education Minister Opoku Agyeman

By Ekow Mensah    

Emmanuel Odei of Obosomase in the Eastern Region of Ghana is blind in one eye and the story of his blindness is as unfortunate as it is tragic.

He was a student of the Presbyterian Junior Secondary school at Obosomase .

On July 18, 1997, one of his schoolmates offended a teacher who then decided to punish him by dishing out strokes of the cane.

In the process of the caning part of the cane broke off and went straight into the left eye of Emmanuel.

The eye could not be saved and Emmanuel has been blind in that eye since then.

His right eye is also reported to be defected and he is unemployed.

As the time, the Basic school Head Teachers’ Association offered to compensate him with GHC100.00 (one hundred Ghana Cedis).

GHC20.00 (Twenty Ghana Cedis) of the amount was to be given to Emmanuel for his hospital bills and the GHC80.00 (Eighty Ghana Cedis ) was to be used to purchase treasury bills.

According to Emmanuel who came to the office of “The Insight” last Thursday, not a pesewa has been paid to him since the gentleman’s agreement.

Strangely, Emmanuel wanted to be a driver but the DVLA would not issue him a license because of his condition.

A Report prepared by the District Director of Education on the matter and minutes of a meeting with the family of Emmanuel are published here for the information of our readers.

Editorial

Insults on the airwaves

 President John Dramani Mahama was absolutely right when he complained about insults against political opponents on the airwaves.

Nobody involved in national politics has been spared the bare faced insults of activists who have nothing substantial to say.

The President has on countless occasions been insulted and vilified and so have opposition leaders.

There was even one occasion when the president was photoshopped to create the impression that he was engaged in a sexual act.

 One just wonders when the politicians will spend their time discussing the pressing social and economic issues confronting the poor masses instead of abusing themselves.

We agree with the President that the insult must stop but we know that it will only stop if some politicians elevate public discussion to the level of the intellectual.

Who is going to do that?