Controversial textbooks distorting Ghana’s history – CPP

The Convention Peoples Party (CPP) has noted that the publication of the controversial history textbooks has put the CPP as a political party in bad stead.

The party said once such a “disinformation campaign has started; it is difficult to return to reality. It is unfortunate that in the recent past attempts have been made by some political elements in our society to distort the history of Ghana.

“It is sad to note that even sacred dates which are steeped in our political history have been changed and its relevance has been distorted.

“For instance, it is unfortunate that an important day like the Republic day has been expunged, excluded, and exiled through an obnoxious HOLIDAY ACT which seeks to rewrite the history of Ghana and limit the political achievements of the CPP.”

Below is the full statement…

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, we have invited you here today to express our concern about a publication captured in the History of Ghana for Basic 6, authored by one Mercy Gyaa-Adiyiah and published by Golden Publications.

The said publication carries distasteful, offensive and incorrect information about the founder of the Convention People’s Party and the first President of the Republic of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

The CPP is concerned about the turn of events, in that, the said textbooks which are described by NACCA, as non-recommended textbooks are alleged to have been on the market for the past six months, but NACCA couldn’t take any action to withdraw such offensive materials, knowing very well that they had not been assessed and recommended for use for Basic 6 pupils.

Also the publication has put the Convention People’s Party as a political party in a bad stead, once such a disinformation campaign has started; it is difficult to return to reality. It is unfortunate that in the recent past attempts have been made by some political elements in our society to distort the history of Ghana.

It is sad to note that even sacred dates which are steeped in our political history has been changed and its relevance has been distorted. For instance, it is unfortunate that an important day like the Republic day has been expunged, excluded, and exiled through an obnoxious HOLIDAY ACT which seeks to rewrite the history of Ghana and limit the political achievements of the CPP.

Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972) was a pioneering Pan-Africanist and the Leader that championed the Independence Struggle (1957-1966), who is also regarded by many as one of Africa’s greatest politician. Commentator, historian and scholar, Kwame Nkrumah has also been described as thus, Africa’s Man of Destiny’ Pride of Africa’ etc. Twenty-One years ago, the BBC’s African listeners voted him as Africa’s Man of the Millennium.

To many students of history, the CPP can say without any ambiguity that, Nkrumah was one of the main catalysts of the African independence revolution in the 1950s and 1960s which saw many African Countries obtaining their Independence, and his political rhetoric influenced world affairs in the 20th century.

How come today, a country that championed the Unity and liberation of the African Continent removed 25th May which was celebrated as the African Union Day from the Nation’s Calendar of Events. As if this was not enough a leading member of government precisely a former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Ocquaye, originated a number of synopsis, presenting a false version of the political history of Ghana. But we should remember that in spite of the machinations of our enemies to push the CPP down we will always push forward and be victorious in our strides.

It is not surprising therefore that a Ghanaian writer can describe Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as a “dictator”, when the CPP was a constitutionally elected government, having won elections in 195, 1954 and 1956 with a mandate of the people to implement a well-planned economic policy that saw Ghana as a doyen of great economic development.

The CPP believes that describing Kwame Nkrumah as a dictator, is an agenda to destroy his indelible legacy, it should be also revealed that it has always been the mantra of the ruling New Patriotic Party an offshoot the Matemewo UP, and NLM traditions who will spare no time in calling Osagyefo a dictator. This however has no basis and very upsetting indeed.

In another vein, the author captured at pages 35, 36, and 37 of the textbook “The Golden History of Ghana, BS 6 about what she described as “Limitations or problems”. They included:

The CPP wasted the resources of Ghana to support some African countries to get independence. For example, it is said that the CPP government gave £10 million to Guinea to fight for independence from France.

The CPP did not respect traditional institutions and Chiefs and this made some chiefs break away from the party.

The leader of the party, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was a dictator whose command must be obeyed without complaining.

The policies of the CPP led to the shortage of goods or food and lack of employment.

The CPP was not a democratic party because it turned Ghana into a one-party state in 1964.

The CPP abused the rights of many Ghanaians through the Preventive Detention Act it brought about in 1958

The CPP through the Deportation Act deported many foreigners who were doing genuine businesses in Ghana and from which Ghana was benefitting. An example of this is the deportation of Alhaji Lalemi of Nigeria.

The CPP under the leadership of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah turned Ghana into a socialist state on which a lot of state resources were wasted.

In 1964 the CPP changed the flag of Ghana which signified the unity and objectives of all Ghanaians.

On the same page 36 of the textbook, the author, Mercy Gyaa-Adiyiah stated the following:

“Many people contributed to the fight for independence from the British colonial rule. However, there were six main leaders who played many roles in the fight for independence. They are together called “The Big Six” in Ghana Politics.”

Who in Ghana does not know that, whilst Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was passionately advocating for the Independence of Ghana, some group of people who today want to partake in the achievement of attaining Independence vehemently opposed it and thus the refrain “Self Government within the shortest Possible Time (Big 5) and Independence Now (Great Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah)

The CPP also noted that the action of the publisher seeks to portray a malicious intent to denigrate the good works of Osagyefo in the wake of the struggle for independence and to change the narrative of the history of Ghana.

The CPP wants to put history in a better perspective, the enemies of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah always used the Preventive Detention Act(PDA) as a tool to describe him as a dictator but according to Justice Opare Addo, a leading member of the CPP in his book “The Good PDA did for Ghana Africa, he noted that

“It is the notorious habit of the perpetrators, and supporters of the overthrow of the CPP government in 1966 to cite the passage of the Preventive Detention Act as a justification for abominable events, the Act was introduced to Parliament and passed to curb the increasing use of explosives for fatal and destructive purposes. To resort to that law was a necessary act to be taken in a situation in which the law enforcement agencies (The Police, Military, and the Courts) appear not to have an antidote to the deadly offence which assumed highly dangerous proportions soon after the celebrations of Independence. The CPP had to approach on the matter on the basis of “Prevention is Better than Cure

Untruths and negative political propaganda, historical distortions which was perpetuated in the past by our political opponents has now been translated into indoctrination machinery aimed at imbibing falsehood into the minds of class six pupils who are certainly going to be the future leaders of our dear nation.

It is sad to note that, not until there was a public outcry over the offensive comments about Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah which is found to be malicious, provocative, untruth and insensitive as captured in the said textbooks, nobody, either a corporate or individual made any attempt to get it out of circulation.

The Convention Peoples Party specifically expected the Executive and Legislative arms of government to condemn this distortion of history, but nothing has been heard in that direction and we are highly disappointed.

But the CPP commends the Fourth Estate of the Realm(MEDIA) which brought the issue to the fore, put it on the National Agenda and discussed it for the Public good

As a body acting on behalf of the Ministry of Education, to raise the quality of education at the pre-tertiary level and to instill in young Ghanaians a heightened sense of cultural identity and nationalism, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) finds it difficult to believe how no one could supervise the National Council of Curriculum Assessment (NACCA) to exercise proper supervisory role in checking such abuses of publishers in the educational sector of our country.

How can a Council with a representative structure of 21 members representing education professionals, employer’s association, religious and faith-based bodies, business interests, teacher unions, and other educational interest’s representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, a nominee of the West Africa Examination Council, and of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled can claim to have no foreknowledge of this controversial textbook? The NACCA also has 31 full-time staff, led by an Executive Secretary and funded by the Ministry of Education. How can such an assembly of prominent Ghanaians stand aloof for such an infraction to happen?

The Convention People’s Party (CPP) wishes to state that a punitive action as stated in law should be taken against anybody either corporate or individual, who is found to be culpable in this insensitive and mischievous act

The Party is also totally mortified that a tribe (EWES) can be described as “inward-looking” and to the CPP these tribalistic sentiments are uncalled for and has to be condemned by well-meaning Ghanaians who love the security and unity of this country. Originally the Volta Region was and still remains the stronghold of the CPP and it is clear that these attacks are linked together to destroy, Kwame Nkrumah CPP and Volta Region.

The CPP is also, calling on his Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, the President of the Republic of Ghana to dissolve the whole NACCA governing Board and Secretariat with immediate effect and a new body reconstituted to show Ghanaians that his Government is not in favour of the publication regarding this falsehood. We also wish to call on Government to ensure that these books are totally withdrawn from the Ghanaian Education System.

The CPP is calling on all Nkrumahists and well-meaning Ghanaians to rise up and resist any form of falsehood, distortion of our history and the indoctrination of our Children through the educational system in our country

FORWARD EVER, BACKWARD NEVER.

Nana Yaa Akyempim Jantuah

General Secretary