BY: Otchere Darko

AN OPEN LETTER TO MADAM SAMIA NKRUMAH

INTRODUCTION: I am writing this open letter to a female “lookalike” of Ghana’s First President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, whose name is Madam Samia Nkrumah, who is currently an MP, who also is a daughter to the man she resembles so much, [except her complexion] and who, in my view, possesses all the attributes that can make her a strong contender to the Presidency.

As I do all the time, I like to stress that I am not a member of any of the existing political parties, including the new CPP. I am also not a practising politician anywhere in the world. *I am, therefore, writing this letter with the sole aim and commitment of helping to propel into being STRONGER THRID PARTIES in Ghana that are capable of destroying the current over-dominance of the “political duo” of the NDC and NPP and, thereby, killing the on-going agitations for constitutionalising bi-partisan system of democracy, as opposed to multi-partisanship. Such constitutionalisation of the bi-partisan system of democracy would mean proscribing all parties in Ghana, other than the current two dominant parties, NDC and NPP; and that would, in turn, mean encouraging these two parties to continue pursuing politics in the same negative way as they are doing now. *I am also making this appeal to this bubbling new politician as a response to recent public pronouncements attributed to her, some of which seem, in my opinion, are inappropriate, coming from a person who, unarguably, is emerging as a BIG potential Presidential aspirant.

Dear Samia,

My candid advice to you, Madam, is to concentrate on the future and leave the “DIVISIVE PAST” of Ghana’s politics out of any future public pronouncements you make. As a daughter of the First President of Ghana, the good deeds of Dr Kwame Nkrumah are assets to you, more than to most other politicians who are seeking to capitalise on the immense popularity of the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah. You do not need to stress these “inherited assets” directly or indirectly in any of your public arguments and debates. THE DEEDS OF FATHERS AUTOMATICALLY FOLLOW THEM TO THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN. THE GOOD DEEDS OF YOUR FATHER WILL, BY THEMSELVES, FOLLOW YOU.

Dr Kwame Nkrumah built his good image before he was even deposed and, certainly, before he died. His good deeds are VERY GLARINGLY DISPLAYED.......from his stress on “Independence Now” in Ghana’s Independence struggle; to his famous “The Independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked with the total liberation of Africa”; to his African Unification work that led to the first meeting of Heads of all Independent States in Africa in Accra in 1958; to his domestic achievements.....Akosombo Dam, Tema Township, Tema Motorway, expansion of schools and colleges, mass education of all Ghanaian adults, creation of national sentiments...as opposed to tribal sentiments, general infrastructural development, fast industrialisation; etc. All these good deeds are there to testify what Kwame Nkrumah did for Ghana. His personal “self-denial to the detriment of his nuclear family” does not require authentication by his daughter. Ghanaians know it, and even his deposers did not attack that “self-denial” part of his character.

Madam, concentrate more on telling Ghanaians what a Government led by Samia Nkrumah will do for Ghana. Tell Ghanaians things that they want to hear from a prospective future leader: that you will attack corruption brutally and make it unattractive; that you will build national unity and destroy tribal politics; that you will improve education and make it more need-oriented; that you will provide free basic education up to age 12; that you will improve the National Health Service and gradually introduce, [side by side with the NHIS], free basic health care for certain health needs....such as maternal and child care, basic health care for school children up to university, access to health care for people who become unemployable for a long time for any reason other than unwillingness to work, etc; that you will NOT abort any development programmes started by your predecessors; that you will maintain good working relationship with all parties including the main opposition party; that you will collaborate with other African governments to speed up the integration of African economies as a first step towards greater African integration; that you will rely fully on Ghanaian and African intellectuals and use them to help accelerate development; that you will accelerate economic development and create opportunities for full employment and prevent emigration of Ghanaian brains, talents and professionals; that you will allow Ghanaians in the Diaspora to be more involved in the political and economic development of the nation; that you will rely less on the IMF and the World Bank for loans in your national developmental agenda and will rather relying more on domestic resources based on the principle of cutting one’s coat according the size of one’s cloth; that you will pursue a “non-alliance” approach in your international relationship; that you will disassociate your government from corrupt and bad African leaders. It is these and other specific positive messages that will collaborate with your “inherited political asset”, the Nkrumah image, and help you to be a front-runner in any future presidential bid.

If you need to mention your father, let it be in respect of mistakes that he made during his leadership. All political leaders all over the world make mistakes, otherwise they are not human beings. Covering a political mistake is a political mistake on its own. The most successful and greatest politicians are those who acknowledge their mistakes and learn lessons from them. In your case, and being the current [practising] heir to your father’s political heritage, the wisest thing for you to do is.....

*ALWAYS BE BOLD AND ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FATHER’S MISTAKES; APOLIGISE FOR THEM; AND LEARN LESSONS THAT WILL HELP YOU NOT TO REPEAT THOSE MISTAKES IN FUTURE, SHOULD GHANAIANS HONOUR YOU TO SERVE THEM AS THEIR LEADER IN FUTURE.

It is by being able to acknowledge your father’s mistakes and apologise for them that you will position yourself as a “National Leader” and a “Crown Princess” [so to speak] to your father’s political throne; be helped to win the hearts of those who, under normal circumstances, would not vote for any Nkrumahist but whose votes are essential and, therefore, need to be attracted and wooed towards “OUR BUBBLING NEW SAMIA NKRUMAH”. If you need to win any Presidential election in future, then you will need to draw the vast majority of the socialists from the NDC; and, in addition to that, you will, also, need to target and appeal to some of the voters who do not vote for NDC, such as those who usually vote for the main opposition NPP. This is the reality of politics that you have to grapple with as you prepare yourself to move beyond the moon and aim at the sun in a country that is evenly divided between its left and its right.

Source: Otchere Darko, (A Regular Campaigner for Stronger Third Parties in Ghana); Written on 12/03/10.