Opinions of Thursday, 23 September 2010

Columnist: Akoto, Akwasi A. Afrifa

Founder's Day: A Celebration of Mediocrity.

To gauge an idea, its originator, its worth, its sustainability and its potency, just look at the followers of the idea two generations or so later.

The Nkrumaist of our day- as of yesteryear- is two face, parasite, opportunist, corrupt, and a leech. They “praise” him in name only but can't even revive his ideas through a respected party. Why, because the idea is unsustainable. It is not inspiring enough. Instead, like leeches, they have latched on to another Dictatorship, the P-ndc. Whilst, the P-ndc, lacking any credible and tangible idea of its own have reciprocated. After all a bad and a phantom idea is better than no idea at all.

Just look at their leaders of today: Nduom, Pratt, his own son, Sekoe, and our current President, Professor Mills, to mention but a few, they are all parasites. Not forgetting those Nkrumaists, at the genesis of both the AFRC and the P-ndc, who took advantage of an unworldly Chairman, and manipulated him; an easy task because the Chairman of the P-ndc also possessed the same traits of dictatorship and systematic bloodshed and “State sponsored terrorism” i.e imprisonment without due process, stifling of free speech, innate hatred for democratic process.


Compare that to the UP tradition, it is still going strong, two generations after our founders are no more. After our leaders were jailed and killed at the founding of our country; after another Dictator came on the scene, 20 or so years later, and continued to kill the remaining leaders , imprisoned the rest, strip them of their "sweat" and chased some of “us” into exile , The UP tradition is still going strong. It is sustainable. It is still potent and it is still worthy. And just like an everlasting fountain of the true idea, it continues to nourish our spirits and inspire our thoughts. Every generation improves on and adds something worthy to our tradition. We have a formidable Party. We have been in Gov.t for two consecutive times and successfully so. We are on the verge of kicking out the Pseudo socialist party out again, after only one term.

But let the parasites and the leeches continue to celebrate a phantom idea and dictatorship. It just serves as a yearly reminder that, the country is not far away from and in fact, one step away from a descent into the years of imprisonment without due process, stifling of free speech, and innate hatred for democratic process.

As such, let the followers of the UP strengthen their resolve, for the fight for democracy, for “Freedom and justice” is not over. It has just begun.

AFTERWORD.
With 200 million pounds – $38 billion of today’s money- , any one could have built schools, dams, roads, etc.

The true test and genius of leadership is the leader who comes into power with no inheritance of money and is still able to build dams, schools, roads through sound economic policies.
Akwasi.A.Afrifa Akoto.