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Opinions of Friday, 15 November 2013

Columnist: Sangaparee, Clement

Popularity Is Not Bought With Money

, It is Acquired Through Patriotism

After the violent over throw of the Late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah by the C.I.A of the United States using Afrifa and Kotoka on 24th Feb. 1966, Ghana’s past leaders tried in vain to become popular by using MONEY but they all failed to shine even in Ghana.
Over 40years ago. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is dead and thousands of Ghana Youth only hear his name and see his photographs but they have never seen him physically, yet he was so popular that his name has been written in gold and silver with his statue standing tall in front of the AU headquarters in far away Ethiopia. He never bought his popularity with MONEY as the forebears of the Pharisees in Ghana representing the NPP did between 1951 and 1956 and FAILED because they were rejected in Ghana thrice – during the general elections conducted by our British colonial masters in 1951, 1954 and 1956 and the British had preferred Dr. Busia to Dr. Nkrumah, the grassroot politician in those days.
So when Ghanaians rejected Busia thrice to the astonishment of the British Governor, the National Liberation Movement (NLM) with “Mate-meho” as it’s local name, claimed that all those elections were rigged by the British in favour of Dr. Nkrumah whom the British had then placed in Prison. Dear reader, do you now see the true colours of the Danquah/Busia tradition which the NPP represent today 2013? They have never accepted any election defeat since 1951 to date 2013.
With all due respect to those NPP leaders who still deceive themselves and their innocent supporters that the NPP won the 2012 elections but were Robbed by the Electoral Commission and the Supreme Court of Ghana, the only honest and respectful step to winning the next elections in 2016 MUST BE AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT NPP LOST THE 2012 ELECTIONS because their Presidential candidate, Nana Akuffo Addo who is also a Tribal Warlord on War Path was only popular in the camp of the NPP and did not appeal to most Ghanaians because of his militant approach to national issues in 2012 amidst threats and intimidations. So it is a FICTION that the NPP won the 2012 election. Let the NPP bring back Nana Akufo Addo in 2016 and the NDC will not waste time campaigning against him but he will be lucky to get away with 20% of the total national votes cast since President Mahama would have finished building the University in the Eastern Region. Major Afrifa told Ghanaians that “Ghana was an egg in his hands” and Dr. Nkrumah was an international patriot. You see, people can become popular Negatively like the NPP and can become popular Positively. Yes, that was not Afrifa fault, because his tribesmen in the Ashanti Region decorated him with the title “Okatakyie” which means “A warrior” in the Akan Language after the violent over throw of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in 1966, so he thought he was a popular politician in Ghana then. Now both Afrifa and Nkrumah are dead but Afrifa’s name has been swept under the carpet while Nkrumah’s positive name continue spreading across the continent and even the world like wild fire.
1. As a former Young Pioneer Cadre, I admired the late Dr. Nkrumah and had my political education from the once mighty CPP government and not the present phony, CPP in 2013 – it is an apology of the CPP that some of us knew between 1957 – 1966, this is a fact and I owe no apology to the current CPP leaders. “General” Afrifa handed over power on a silver Platter to Dr. K.A. Busia in 1969 after banning the CPP for 10years and Busia’s Progress Party government became a one Party State, yet one of their reasons for overthrowing Nkrumah was the one Party State governance of the CPP. Dr. Busia paid himself 5years salary advance before he was overthrown by Col. Acheampong on 13th Jan. 1972. Ghanaians will always remember Busia and J.B. Danquah as well as Obetseby Lamptey – as the murderous bomb throwers who killed thousands of innocent men, women and children in their political fight with the late Dr. Nkrumah from 1957 until he was finally overthrown in 1966. So Busia and Acheampong could not also buy popularity as well as J.B. Danquah and co. General Akuffo overthrew Col. Acheampong in a Palace Coup in July 1978 and tried to cover up corruption in the then Supreme Military Council (SMC) military junta and a young air force pilot and patriotic Junior Military officers swept them off the backs of the suffering masses on June 4, 1979 and formed the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). It was popularly known as the June 4 Uprising led by Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings who never promoted himself to a Senior officer position in the army like his predecessors did but maintained his Junior rank position for 19 years. Jerry Rawlings is the second president after Dr. Nkrumah who is also very Popular World wide, and did not buy his popularity. He handed over to President J. A. Kuffour in 2001 and he wanted to do away with Rawlings and whatever he stood for by making several assassination attempts against him and even tried to tell Ghanaians that Rawlings is a social nobody, but it backfired with Rawlings being more popular than Kufour. President Mills is the third most popular man even though he is dead because of his peaceful approach to national issues and the fourth most popular man is our baby faced President of the Republic of Ghana His Excellency John Dramani Mahama. President Mills never bought his popularity but Ex-Prez Kufour bought his popularity by BRIBING GHANAIAN MEDIA from 2001-2008 and with him out of power – his popularity remains only within the NPP just like Nana Akuffo Addo. When you buy popularity with money and the money gets finished, your popularity is also finished for good. This is my rich advice to all politicians in Ghana. Is anybody listening? I am done. Aluta Continua! “Jaanbie Iwaii”.


CLEMENT SANGAPAREE
UNITED CADRES FRONT
OBUASI


E-mail: clementsang@yahoo.com.