Letter of Protest Against Sale of GT

LETTER OF PROTEST-AGAINST SALE OF NATIONAL ASSETS

VIS-À-VIS GHANA TELECOM TO VODAFONE

Hon. Nii Adu Daku Mante July 23, 2008

Chairman-Finance Committee

Hon. Dr. Benjamin Bewa-Nyog Kumbour

Ranking Member-Finance Committee

Hon. Kojo Armah

Chairman –Communications Committee

Hon. Abraham Osei-Aidooh

Chairman- Business Committee

Majority Leader

Minister For Parliamentary Affairs

Parliament of Ghana

Accra, Ghana

Dear Hon. Nii Adu Daku Mante;

The Ghanaian community continues to watch in horror as the Ghana government

continues to dispose of hard fought and acquired strategic national assets. This

practice is a stain on the face of Ghana. We urge you and your esteemed committee

members to immediately cease the disposal of the nations assets , whether they are strategic

or otherwise for the sake of the future generations of Ghana.

It is no secret that every year, since the overthrow of the administration of Kwame Nkrumah, our nation’s leaders have embarked on a systematic dismantling of the industrial assets of Ghana, the very foundation upon which the nation was to build and develop its economic future. For more than a decade, tens of Ghanaian industries built by the CPP administration of Nkrumah have been sold under the guise of Structural Adjustment Program, or a disguised Highly Indebted Poor Country scheme devised by the enemies of African development to swindle us from ownership of these assets.

For decades, despite the protests of the Ghanaian community, the Ghana government has turned a deaf ear to requests that our government immediately cease this disposal of the nations assets to international and neo-colonial asset raiders, all in their attempt to cripple our development and force us to be continually dependent on their economy, not ours.

It is also no secret that a shocking number of Ghanaian men and women, who these industries would have benefited in the manner of providing jobs for our able bodied men and women, college graduates seeking jobs with living wages to maintain a descent life have been relegated to street hawkers, homeless, with a lucky few who have immigrated to foreign lands in search of a livelihood. Human and drug trafficking in Ghana victimizes our women.

It is also no secret that even when such women marry Ghanaian men, and bear children, a high percentage of the children eventually drop out of school for lack of a strong family to support them morally and ethically. Children born in these marriages are denied a future of hope, and as a result, refuse education. The Ghana government has been standing by watching these conditions develop over the years depriving these children of their social justice, and then denying them basic human rights. We believe that the sale of strategic national assets have greatly contributed to unemployment and the deterioration of the moral fiber that used to hold our nation together.

These policies are not only cruel and unfeeling; they violate the Convention on Refugees, of which our country is a signatory nation. Such actions are Ghana's shame; the entire international community is witness to our country's dishonor and unconcern for the future of our youth.

We strongly urge our government to immediately halt the sale of all national assets, and protect them in our country under the open supervision of the Ghana government to enable us decide wisely what will be the best and most effective ways to regenerate these assets to the benefit of the future generation.

To us, the sale of these national assets are tantamount to the sale and expatriation of Africans centuries ago that led eventually to the economic demise and exploitation of Ghana and Africa by colonialists who came to us smiling in our faces yet with the sword behind their backs.

Whereas we congratulate the Finance Committee members and the MPs and all dignitaries who stood firm in opposition to the sale of GhanaTelecom to Vodafone, we are not in the least satisfied with the way and manner in which this transaction was clouded in secrecy. We are as well dissatisfied with the terms of the contract and demand that an independent Ghanaian auditing firm be given the chance to look over the terms, and if they are deemed unsatisfactory, completely abrogate the contract in the interest of the people of Ghana.

We believe that when it comes to the protection of our national assets, there must be a non-partisan approach to look at the interests of Ghana for the security of our hard fought and won independence.

Again, we congratulate you the Chairman, your committee members, and all those who for the sake of Ghana put their political affiliations on the shelf, and stood up for Ghana. In the name of our departed elders, as they sang,

“Yen ara asase ni

Aye abooden de ma yen,

Mogya a nananom whiegu nya deto ho mayen,

Adu me ne wo bre so,

Se ye beye bi atoaso”.

Sincerely,

Kwasi Budu, MBA

General-Secretary- CPPNorthAmerica

On behalf of the executives of CPPNA

akokonini@yahoo.com

Cc: Hon. Kwadwo Adjei Addo, MP, Vice Chairman

Hon. Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, MP

Hon. Maxwell Kofi Jumah, MP

Hon. Coleman Grace, MP

Hon. Akwasi Osei-Adjei, MP

Hon. Kofi Frimpong, MP

Hon. Paul Collins Appiah-Ofori, MP

Hon. Richmond Sam Quarm, MP

Hon. Eugene Atta Agyepong, MP

Hon. Yaw Osafo Maafo, MP

Hon. Kwame Osei-Prempeh, MP

Hon. Kojo Opare-Hammond, MP

Hon. Elizabeth K. Tawiah Sackey, MP

Hon. Rita Tani Iddi, MP

Hon. Ben Kumbour, MP, Ranking Member

Hon. James klutse Avedzi, MP, Deputy Ranking Member

Hon. Samuel Sallas-Mensah, MP

Hon. Hon. Pele Abuga, MP

Hon. Eric Opoku, MP

Hon. Amadu Seidu, MP

Hon. Sumani Abukari, MP

Hon. Collins Dauda, MP

Hon. Daniel K. Abodakpi, MP

Hon. Edward Kojo Salia, MP

Email: samuel.ampah@gmail.com