Opinions of Sunday, 4 May 2008

Columnist: Jeffrey, Peter

Open letter to Nduom and Mahama

Open letter to Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom and Dr Edward Mahama

Dear Nduom and Mahama,

At the great Tamale rally earlier this month, you, Papa Kwesi Nduom promise our northern compatriots that, “Under CPP government, we will restore your dignity as sons and daughters of Ghana. We will create jobs for the teaming unemployed people. The old CPP under President Nkrumah did, the new CPP under my leadership will replicate it to ensure that people earned worthwhile incomes that would improve the quality of their lives”.

You, Papa Kwesi Nduom, acknowledge that “unfair socio-economic system breeds poverty” and pledge that CPP will focus more on “preventions of social problems and be proactive to crisis and change”. Coming face to face with the sheer magnitude of poverty in the 3 northern regions which reduced you to tears, you told the cheering crowd that “CPP government will create greater opportunities for the poor through policies that provide workers with access to skills training, health care, good education, affordable housing, better sanitation, clean drinking water, electricity and better transportation”.

During the energy conference at the Great Hall of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, you, Dr Edward Mahama impressed the gathering and to greater extent the Ghanaian people, of your understanding of the issues that face our country. You highlight the immense problems our country face, especially the impact of bad policies by previous governments on the poor and you offer brilliant solutions to the problems. You said you would seek to extend electricity to the remotest parts of our motherland. You rightly recognise that our country’s dependency on fossil fuels cannot be sustained due to our precarious economic situation. You proposed to focus on solar energy and other sustainable energy technologies.

Over half of our compatriots live on less than a dollar a day. During the recent floods in the 3 northern regions, many families lost everything, including their homes. In my home region, the Western Region, many parents can hardly afford to feed their children 3 square meals a day. Youth unemployment in my hometown of Sekondi is over 60%. The situation is the same up and down the country. Many Children in my home town of Sekondi and up and down the country have become the breadwinners of their family. Many children have to abandoned school to fend for themselves.

During CPP administration of Dr Kwame Nkrumah you, Dr Mahama, Dr Nduom and many children across became the first in your family to go to school as results of Dr Nkrumah’s educational policies. As Young Pioneers you and many of your compatriots from across the country were encourage to mix and work together as one people with one common destiny. The patriotism and discipline that you two are exhibiting today, “love for country and country before self” were part of the training you under went as members of the Young Pioneers. Dr Nkrumah’s educational policies ensured there were no “divisions” among the children of your generation. There were no “street children”. All children learn in classrooms, not under Nim trees!

The quality of leadership you have shown since your election as the flag bearers of your “respective parties” is not surprise to Ghanaian people. As former members of the “Young Pioneers Movement” under the umbrella of CPP, you were trained to be the future leaders of a united PARTY and COUNTRY. Your leadership quality is what Ghanaian people are crying for. Your Patriotism is BEYOND DOUBT! As Young Pioneers, you pledge:

• To be always in the vanguard for social and economic reconstruction of Ghana. • To be a guard of workers, farmers, cooperatives and all other sections of the community. • In the coming elections you have pledge to offer “selfless leadership”. • You have pledge to “put country before self”. The have nots and the 80% poor, those that you call your constituents, (those children who are forced to learn under NIM trees due to bad educational policies of past governments, our girl-child who are force to abandoned school to save the family income for food, our young pregnant woman who die needlessly during delivery because our hospitals are starve of equipments and all are medical professionals have emigrated due to poor wages and lack of opportunities, the poor and jobless family who are forced to sleep in kiosk because they cannot afford their rent, the jobless graduates who roam our towns and cities, aimless and with no hope in sight, the poor railway worker at Sekondi Location who can hardly afford to feed his children because of bad policies by past governments, the poor market mummies who can hardly afford to feed their family due to the impact imported food having on our locally products)…… are calling for a UNITED NKRUMAIST PARTY not a “DIVIDED HOUSE”. • You can only rebuild our country to her former glory if you fight the coming elections as ONE UNITED NKRUMAIST PARTY.

Dr Nkrumah’s policies ensured that every child was given the same opportunity to become successful. Sadly, today in my hometown of Sekondi and up and down the country the youth feel marginalised, unemployed and hungry. Effia Nkwanta Hospital in my hometown of Sekondi was once the pride of Western Region. Effia Nkwanta now resembles a “GHOST TOWN” more than a major regional hospital. Medical professionals who serve at Effia Nkwanta and all regional hospitals up and down the country know that only a “UNITED NKRUMAIST PARTY” under the umbrella of CPP can turn our hospitals around!

Yet at Ghana@50 celebrations, many of those who proudly chanted Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s name and showed much support for the CPP, do not know who Nkrumah is, because many were not even born, still today they are calling for a united Nkrumaist party, CPP, to come and rebuild the country and offer their generation the same opportunities that Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s united CPP offered you.

On the campaign trail with the CPP and PNC, majority of Ghanaian people are saying “CPP we are waiting for you”. Ghanaian people know it is only an Nkrumaist party that can ensure equal opportunity and prosperity for all. My question to you two, Dr Edward Mahama and Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom is, “why have you allowed your party to be divided into two?”

After the CPP flag bearer ship elections, Papa Kwesi Nduom and the Patriots buried their differences and forge ahead as one team. The tremendous support for the new CPP and increase in membership is evident everywhere CPP goes. Opinion polls by various polling organisations all points to a massive win for a united Nkrumaist party under the CPP umbrella.

Those children who have no home to go to, those who learn under a NIM tree and those children who have to abandoned school to fend for themselves will never forgive you, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom and Dr Edward Mahama if you lose the 2008 as results of this “nonsensical” divide!

The market women, farmers, workers, unemployed youth, jobless graduates and the slum dwellers are all looking up to you two to redeem them from “economic bondage”.

You pledge as YOUNG PIONEERS to be the vanguard of the workers, market women, farmers, fishermen, students and the youth. During a CPP rally in Koforidua in March 2007 Dr Edward Delle, then the CPP chairman said, “Let us not waste time on inconsequential issues and focus on coming together to prove to Ghanaians that the CPP is ready to takeover the reigns of leadership and governance of the nation".

My humbly plead to you, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom and Dr Edward Mahama is to put the interest of the 80% poor, those Ghanaian people you have rightly identified as your “CONSTITUENTS” first and foremost. You did pledge as members of the YOUNG PIONEERS:

TO BE A GUARD OF ALL GHANAIANS, INCLUDING THE VOICELESS! YOUR PATRIOTISM IS BEYOND DOUBT! NOW IS THE TIME TO UNITE AND RETAKE OUR COUNTRY.

The Ghanaian people are calling for a united Nkrumaist party under the umbrella of Convention Peoples Party! NOT 2 SEPARATE PARTIES (CPP AND PNC) NO!

Peter N. Jeffrey

Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.