SFG CALLS FOR NEW MOVEMENT

Justice Kofi Henku

By Ekow Mensah

The Socialist Forum of Ghana (SFG) has called for the formation of a coalition for change “to generate a progressive counter culture of solidarity to combat neo-liberalism and crony capitalism”.

In a statement to mark the 57th anniversary of the achievement of a Republican status, the SFG said “this counter culture mass movement should aim at expressing the kind of exploitative system we are labouring under”.

The statement signed by Comrade Justice Heneku, the Secretary of the Forum described 1960 as a ground breaking year for Africa in which Ghana attained Republican status and 17 African countries gained independence.

The full text of the statement is published below;

STATEMENT ON THE 57TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA

The Socialist Forum of Ghana salutes all comrades and citizens of Ghana who are celebrating the 57th anniversary of the achievement of the status of a Republic. This was a milestone in the just struggle of the people of this country against colonialism and for the building of a proud independent and sovereign state.

1960 was a ground breaking year for Africa when 3 years after the liberation of Ghana from the yoke of colonialism, 17 African countries gained independence and Ghana went to the polls to declare itself a fully-fledged sovereign Republic.

Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah

57 years after this declaration, there has been a lot of backsliding with a state of lawlessness, a resurgence of the feudal chieftaincy class, economic neo-liberalism and economic dislocation stalking the land. Corruption has increasingly become acceptable and we are now comfortable with the poverty, inequality and insanitary conditions which our Republic is now mired in.

The elite represented by the duopoly of the 2 main parties which alternate in power, have created a status quo characterized by exploitation and chaos so they just keep playing political football and distracting the attention of the people from the thievery, corruption, looting, destruction of the ecosystem, sale of state assets, handing over control and ownership of natural resources to predator companies and unbridled borrowing.

The SFG is very much concerned about the ongoing attempt to entrench the neo-colonial, neo-liberal exploitative system in Ghana and demands a “hands off” policy from our natural resources. We call on all progressive and democratic forces to form a coalition for change to generate a progressive counter culture of solidarity to combat neo-liberalism and crony capitalism. This counter culture mass movement should be aimed at exposing the kind of exploitative system we are labouring under amongst the Youth, women, farmers, workers, the unemployed, the small business entrepreneurs, students and the mass of ordinary citizens.

We call on all citizens and progressives on the 57th anniversary of the Republic to rise up, organize and takeback our country for our people. 

                                                                                                               

Justice Heneku

For Convener  

EDITORIAL

THE NEW MOVEMENT

We fully agreed with the Socialist Forum of Ghana (SFG) that there is the need for a new movement which will focus attention on the fight against neo-liberalism and what it calls crony capitalism.

This is because since 1992, national policy has not changed in any significant way in spite of the fact that power has alternated between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Indeed, both parties have always rushed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) on their election for dictation on how to run the Ghanaian economy.

All of them have continued on the path of unbridled privatisation of state enterprises and the people’s access to social services remain limited.

We think that it is time to change this paradigm and only a new progressive movement can do this.

The progressive forces have serious work to do and it must be done now!