Dr. thanks for your article. My answer to your question is no. Why? Because we Ghanaians love and pay loyalty to our various political parties than the nation as whole and that is a very dangerous scenario.
Most nations ... read full comment
Dr. thanks for your article. My answer to your question is no. Why? Because we Ghanaians love and pay loyalty to our various political parties than the nation as whole and that is a very dangerous scenario.
Most nations that find themselves engulfed in endless civil war took the very dangerous path we are currently in and what do we gain from that?
Till we can wean ourselves off that "party loyalty" nonsense, the tone of our national dialogue will always sound unpleasant.
Another fact is, we black Africans cannot govern ourselves for cool heads to prevail and there plenty of reasons to support that. How and why can't we supply a free flow of uninterrupted electricity to our citizens? It is because we are not there yet despite all the elite we have in our midst. We have failed as a nation that has taken her destiny into her "own hands". I stand to be corrected.
Kwadwo 9 years ago
Are you not the same guy who insinuated that Mahama's rendezvous to Quatar was historic? If that was not partisan garbage, you tell me. How can you raise national dialogue amidst such propaganda? You must heal yourself before ... read full comment
Are you not the same guy who insinuated that Mahama's rendezvous to Quatar was historic? If that was not partisan garbage, you tell me. How can you raise national dialogue amidst such propaganda? You must heal yourself before you come out here with this crap.
Atoklo 9 years ago
This is the best article I have read on Ghana this year. When I was a school boy, Japan didn't have a clue how to make cars. It was through nation building and unity (all hands on deck) that today they are challenging the bes ... read full comment
This is the best article I have read on Ghana this year. When I was a school boy, Japan didn't have a clue how to make cars. It was through nation building and unity (all hands on deck) that today they are challenging the best car building nations in the world. Kwadwo, whatever Paul's shortcomings are, what he has written is not crap. I am inclined to believe that you don't even understand the meaning of the word crap, let alone understand the quality and wisdom of what he has written. Your behaviour and reaction is the very essence of what he is writing about. I will advise you to go back and read this article again. If nothing at all see what you can learn out of it. If you don't, then you are the biggest CRAP. Let's praise our brothers/sisters when they do something good. We are too quick to criticise and often unconstructively. Well done Paul. You deserve an award for this piece.
Mahmoud 9 years ago
Our problems and partisanship started with Nkrumah who divided this country into patriots and traitors. Patriots were those who accepted that he should be president for life, practice communist dictatorship and one party stat ... read full comment
Our problems and partisanship started with Nkrumah who divided this country into patriots and traitors. Patriots were those who accepted that he should be president for life, practice communist dictatorship and one party state, and unleashed an anti-Western propaganda using our small country's meager resources to challenge well established centuries old Western countries. They accepted that he could declare himself a prophet and savior of the Blackman yet, tyrannizing his own Black people at home because they have alternative views for the development their country.
Those who have alternative views were called nation wreckers, spies, and agents of imperialism and CIA agents that should be liquidated and imprisoned dead or alive. Could you believe that the opposition members he was tyrannizing at home were the very people who started the struggle for our independence? They employed him and paid for his ticket to come and work as a General Secretary of the group, saving him from the tyranny of unemployment in London. The freedom fighting vanguards were senior civil servants and employees of the state and the struggle was gaining momentum. They therefore needed someone who would work full time; free from official work constrains to propagate the group's message of independence to all the people regularly.
Under their guardianship, Nkrumah used the platform and became the public face of the group. His popularity soared when some people perceived him as the one, or the only one that was fighting for our independence. So when he heard from the lady Secretary of the Governor General, who was later on sacked and became Nkrumah's own secretary after the independence, that Britain was preparing to give us independence, Nkrumah increasingly used militant and unorthodox tactics to annoy the Whiteman and embarrass the group he was representing. He then used the opportunity to break away from the group and formed his own party to slap them from behind in order to take power.
This explains Nkrumah's hatred for the group and did not want them to ever get power in Ghana while he was alive. Maybe, he was afraid of his own ghost. His ardent supporters in Ghana today would like us to believe that Nkrumah initiated and single handedly fought for our independence, and as such, they name every project after him as if we were in a kingdom.
Kojo T 9 years ago
Tx Paul and Atoklo Well said
Tx Paul and Atoklo Well said
Bonsu 9 years ago
One would have thought that our many years at the experiment of democracy should teach us that political parties are not enemies but opponent at ideas as to who can make the country better.But the political climate and even t ... read full comment
One would have thought that our many years at the experiment of democracy should teach us that political parties are not enemies but opponent at ideas as to who can make the country better.But the political climate and even the posture of some of the political leaders who should know better leave much to be desired.
Our Democracy has become a competition of who can be more insulting and who can prove disrespectful to authority and hide behind the party for safety and members of their party are ready to break the law to support that person.
The president is booed and call names when on international assignment and these people think that is democracy.The right to freedom of speech had also been interpreted to mean saying what ever you want without thinking the harm it could cause.
Everything is politicized and we are becoming a lawless state.I don't know whether this is a result of weak leadership or over exuberance of the Ghanaian people.Until we draw the line between what is democracy and freedom of expression,our democratic evolution will flounder and bring with it chaos.
francis kwarteng 9 years ago
Dear Brother Amuna,
You have spoken well.
I am so proud of you. Great wisdom.
Keep more of this coming.
Have a great weekend!
Dear Brother Amuna,
You have spoken well.
I am so proud of you. Great wisdom.
Keep more of this coming.
Have a great weekend!
KKO 9 years ago
Paul,
This is an excellent piece. I wish all those Ghanaians who consider themselves among the elite or intellectuals within Ghanaian society both in and outside the country, would read it because 90% of the issues that have ... read full comment
Paul,
This is an excellent piece. I wish all those Ghanaians who consider themselves among the elite or intellectuals within Ghanaian society both in and outside the country, would read it because 90% of the issues that have caused and still stoke the flames of polarisation in society have been caused by those people.
Apart from the military usurpers, everyone who has ruled Ghana since independence has had at least a first degree from one well known university or other. Even the “Abongo Boys” were goaded on and then advised by so-called intellectuals, yet they have all pursued divisive and potentially destructive policies to the detriment of Ghana.
Jerry Rawlings who, has turned out to be one of the most corrupt leaders that Africa has ever known, never misses the opportunity to heap insults on others and he is sure to be defended to the hilt by so-called intellectuals.
I personally know at least three state institutions that lost vital documents in early 2001 because Kufuor’s government began its life by asking people who were obviously not “part of us” to proceed on leave with no attempt whatsoever to secure those institutions. The academic Prof Mills would not be left out. First he appointed the divisive Kofi Awoonor who had written chapters to denigrate a whole tribe and an ethnic group which makes up nearly 60% of the population of Ghana, to the important position of Chairman of Council of State. He then went on to appoint young men and women barely out of school to important government positions because they had the distinction of being able to insult their elders for no just cause.
How were those who were being constantly insulted supposed to co-operate with such ministers and their government? Mahama actually appointed them and sent them to school at the expense of the Ghanaian taxpayer so they could continue to heap insults.
The fight for Ghana’s independence began about 100 years before 1957. Yet there are ‘intellectuals’ who will tell you that it all began with Kwame Nkrumah’s imprisonment in 1947! J. B. Danquah, whatever anyone thinks of him, was one Ghanaian who achieved a lot in his own personal life from nothing and dedicated his adult life for the cause of Ghana. Yet young SSS failures come to this form and heap invectives on his departed soul. What are his relations and admirers supposed to do, just sit and allow others to continue to disturb his ghost?
Yes, we really need a national Reconciliation (with a capital R) and it can only begin when the elite, academics and the half baked journalists among us start to accord a modicum of respect to EVERYONE of our national heroes. We will then begin to see our politicians for the rogues they are and start to make them accountable to the people of Ghana, instead of just voting for anything just because he or she “is one of us!”
Adel 9 years ago
Great piece Paul.Sometimes I wonder what we Africans achieve with this behaviour;always wanting to hurt ourselves yet we turn around and blame non africans.Wake up people.
Great piece Paul.Sometimes I wonder what we Africans achieve with this behaviour;always wanting to hurt ourselves yet we turn around and blame non africans.Wake up people.
Dr. thanks for your article. My answer to your question is no. Why? Because we Ghanaians love and pay loyalty to our various political parties than the nation as whole and that is a very dangerous scenario.
Most nations ...
read full comment
Are you not the same guy who insinuated that Mahama's rendezvous to Quatar was historic? If that was not partisan garbage, you tell me. How can you raise national dialogue amidst such propaganda? You must heal yourself before ...
read full comment
This is the best article I have read on Ghana this year. When I was a school boy, Japan didn't have a clue how to make cars. It was through nation building and unity (all hands on deck) that today they are challenging the bes ...
read full comment
Our problems and partisanship started with Nkrumah who divided this country into patriots and traitors. Patriots were those who accepted that he should be president for life, practice communist dictatorship and one party stat ...
read full comment
Tx Paul and Atoklo Well said
One would have thought that our many years at the experiment of democracy should teach us that political parties are not enemies but opponent at ideas as to who can make the country better.But the political climate and even t ...
read full comment
Dear Brother Amuna,
You have spoken well.
I am so proud of you. Great wisdom.
Keep more of this coming.
Have a great weekend!
Paul,
This is an excellent piece. I wish all those Ghanaians who consider themselves among the elite or intellectuals within Ghanaian society both in and outside the country, would read it because 90% of the issues that have ...
read full comment
Great piece Paul.Sometimes I wonder what we Africans achieve with this behaviour;always wanting to hurt ourselves yet we turn around and blame non africans.Wake up people.