Sam Jonah Claims Are False

Monday, 28 August 2006 -- A former worker of Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC) now Anglogold Ashanti is challenging the accounts recorded in a book, Sam Jonah and the remaking of Ashanti, describing it as incomplete.

“The author published fat lies, half truths in her book” says Clement Sangaparee, who was (and probably still is) a member of the Association of Committees for the Defence of the Revolution (ACDRs) who insists that the accounts by the author based on claims by former AGC Chief Executive Sam Jonah are not true.

According to him, it is not at all the case that Mr. Jonah was the only one who suffered at some point, adding that the claim by Mr. Jonah and the author of the book that former president Jerry Rawlings and his wife personally contributed to bring AGC to its knees is not true. “Sam Jonah did a lot to revamp AGC” he says but “the PNDC's Economic Recovery Programme (ERP 1 and II) initiated by Jerry Rawlings led to the sinking of the George Cappendell Shaft (GCS) now at 52 level and in operation".

"The ERP again led to the sinking of the Kwesi Mensah Shaft (KMS) up to 52 level also in operation and the construction of the giant oxide plant, which is the largest in West Africa also in operation over ten years ago. All the above named projects were duly inaugurated by former President Rawlings between 1984 and 1986. That is my main reason why I stated that her book is INCOMPLETE.”

In his own review of the book he describes as incomplete because of half truths, Mr. Sangaparee recounts bitterly how under the instructions of Mr. Jonah, known and perceived sympathisers of the National Democratic Congress were harassed, intimidated and hounded out of the Obuasi mine. “As a result of the NDC election victory, all hell broke loose in AGC right from 1996 until 2000 when five registered political parties threw their weight behind the NPP to win the elections on 7th December, 2000".

"Sam Jonah launched his own brand of revolution in the AGC dubbed: "Flush Rawlings' supporters out of the company", and so former cadres (CDRs), the very people whose recommendations to Rawlings brought him to such a high office were targeted for redundancy, dismissal, harassment, demotions, intimidation and what have you. One could not tell whether AGC was a Gold Mining Company or an unregistered giant political party operating in this country. Therefore, all known supporters of Rawlings were the grass that suffered as a result of the author's alleged "Get Jonah Campaign" on the quiet.”

Explaining further the onetime shift boss at the Obuasi mine, who claims he was denied promotion for being a Rawlings’ supporter, said “scores of innocent workers of AGC, both senior and junior staff were shown the exit from AGC between 1996 and 2000. The company was awash with hate, suspicion, greed, fear uncertainty, mistrust, back-biting, lies, envy and dirty politics both on surface and underground.”

He further charged in his review of the book that he is only speaking against a one-sided publication aimed at destroying the hard won reputations of the former President and his wife as well as former Vice-President John Atta Mills. But he also says he is disappointed in the three people for failing to setting the records straight by talking to the author of the book. “I will again register my disappointment to Rawlings and his wife as well as the former Vice President for their refusal to talk to the publisher. Nothing can be done to please everybody, but at least, the author would have done Ghanaians some good if she had not rushed to publish her one-sided book but had enquired further from Obuasi where the mine project is situated". "This writer was a miner with the sinking department, and was with the crew that sunk the George Cappendell Shaft (GCS) while others also sunk the Kwesi Mensah Shaft (KMS).”

Mr. Sangaparee dissociated the NDC which he supports from the May 1999 AGC strike action, writing that it was a result of the workers anger and nothing else. “… the media including Jonah himself believed and still believe today that it was organized by the ruling NDC Government, forgetting that it was prolonged for almost 14 days because of the nasty degrading remarks of the stubborn late Twum Barima who told the workers that they should leave them alone, when they are hungry and penniless, they will go back to work".

"It was this statement that annoyed the workers, which led to the carrying of a 'mini coffin', in which, they claimed was the body of Sam Jonah that they were going to bury.”