CPP North America Replies Professor Amoako-Baah

Our attention has been drawn to a publication of a debate organised by Myjoyonline (Independence Day debate) held at the Kofi Annan Centre for Excellence in ICT (KAICE) pitting Professor Amoako-Baah and Professor Badu Agyeman-Akosa.

http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2015/March-26th/joy-debate-akosa-amoako-baah-cross-swords-on-ghanas-58th-independence-anniversary.php

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=352079

In an attached audio to their publication referenced above, Myjoyonline allocates about sixty-five percent of the tape to Professor Amoako-Baah and the remaining thirty-five to Professor Akosa’s submissions. We would first admonish Myjoyonline to be fair in their reportage.

Speaking for the motion: “Ghana’s independence has lost its meaning”, Amoako-Baah, boldly said Ghana would have been better off if Nkrumah hadn't made enemies. CPP North America is not only worried about the points raised by Amoako-Baah but also shocked that a Professor and a head of Political Science Department could make such a lousy and reckless statement.

It is ridiculous for Amoako-Baah to state that Nkrumah became angry at the colonial masters because his doctorate thesis was rejected in America. This statement is disgraceful to say the least and a demonstration of poor academic ethics. The fact is that Nkrumah didn’t accept to come down to drink tea with colonial masters whilst they continue looting his country. The Bond of 1844 had expired; Britain was ruling our country illegally; plundering our resources with impunity and were not developing the country. Meanwhile the elite club (Amoako Baah’s heroes) were sitting happily drinking tea with these plunderers, subjugating their own people. The only roads built were those leading to our mineral resources. The colonial master had ruled Ghana from 1821 and barely thought about educating us in schools let alone building infrastructure in the country.

Second, we want our brother - Amoako Baah, to note that one does not need a PhD to be appointed into political office hence making a mockery of Krobo Adusei’s appointment smacks of elitism. Again, PhD is NOT a barometer for measuring work performance abilities. The Professor is clearly and undeniably out of touch with reality. Yes, Krobo Edusei and others may not even have finished standard seven, yet they were street smart, they had wisdom and intelligence and were proud to be part of Ghana’s only industrial transformation since independence. Amoako Baah should not forget that Nkrumah even offered Danquah a position in governance and so how could he have made enemies? The truth is that Nkrumah was a century ahead in vision compared to his supposed enemies; Nkrumah was poised, selfless and thought about his people. And if he could even win election whilst in prison why won’t his supposed enemies loathe him? They couldn’t figure out why a poor man from a village in Nzema could outsmart them. He (Nkrumah) was their enemy not the other way round.

Thirdly, Amoako Baah said Ghana’s education standards have fallen. Yes it is a fact but he forgets to mention that he is part of the reason why standards have fallen. If a head of department could not outline a basic academic analysis of why Ghana has reached such a crescendo and rather unashamedly makes a lousy and disingenuous academic debate then indeed the country is in serious trouble. CPPNA believes that Amoako-Baah’s line of argument was one of the most unintelligent debates ever heard from a Professor.

A first year student in Uncle Amoako-Baah’s class could have done a better job citing the reasons for Ghana’s decay and linked it to why our political and economic freedoms have been hijacked. A first year student in Amoako Baah’s class would have pointed out that a country attains independence to control its resources and direct its destiny but that is not the case in Ghana as we speak. Rather, our resources have been recolonized and our destiny directed by the stroke of a pen thousands of kilometres away. A first year student in elite Amoako-Baah’s class would have pointed out the selfish mindset of some people in the country, from politicians to religious institutions; from traditional practices in Paga to contemporary Flagstaff House malfeasance; from breakdown of civility to lack of respect for rule of law; from wholesale looting of state lands and buildings to endemic and institutional corruption; from schemers and collaborators of judgement debts to saboteurs who have colluded with foreign nationals to subjugate our rights and steal our gold whilst polluting our water bodies. In fact this same first year student would have intelligently made a strong case using some of the above points and laid the blame squarely on the educated and the elites including noisy Amoako-Baah.

Did Amoako-Baah compare Nkrumah’s 9 years economic transformation to Ankra/Afrifa’s 3 years of destruction? What about Busia’s three years of economic coptation by the IMF/WB or Acheampong’s brilliant “operation feed yourself”? Did Apostle Amoako-Baah talk about the dubious treason of December 31 1981? Did he do a comparative analysis of PNDC - NDC I, 19 years of utter destruction of Ghana’s industrial base, coupled with SAP, ERP infamy? What about the HIPC whose monies were “directed“ at building toilets instead of factories? Has new kid on the block (Amoako-Baah) done any serious analysis of Presidents Kuffour’s cataclysmic second term of nonsensical run down of state coffers, for which he had to sell one of the remaining Nkrumah achievements (Ghana Telecom) to bail out bleeding Ghana? What about the apocalyptic Mills/Mahama finding a pin in hay stack conundrum? Tragically, Amoako- Baah even forgot to remember the heavily-indebted Mahama/Amissah tro-tro bus which is broken down in the middle of the road and has no headlights. And he calls himself a Professor? God should tarry.

At this juncture, we dare Amoako-Baah to answer these questions: Did Nkrumah tell his “enemies” to dismantle the Gold refinery in the western region and discontinue all projects he had started; burn his books which have now re-appeared in the libraries of Europeans countries? Did Nkrumah tell his “enemies” to sell over 400 factories built by the veranda boys to themselves and cronies? Did Nkrumah tell his “enemies” to hand over on silver platter all the Nation’s resources including minerals and oil? Did Nkrumah tell his “enemies” to buy everything they needed including parliamentary chairs, carpets, water and toothpick from abroad? In fact CPP North America is worried about the kind of trash this professor is teaching our children at the Kwame Nkrumah’s University of Science and Technology.

Lastly we challenge Amoako-Baah to redeem himself by comparing the industries and infrastructure the veranda boy/girls built in 9 year to that built by the educated and elite in 49 year-rule. Certainly, it is not the fault of Nkrumah but that of people like Amoako-Baah, the elitist.

If the Professor thinks he can be making irrational noise in the media expecting a political appointment from a possible Akuffo Addo government, then he must think twice, for Akuffo Addo could do without such a mindset.

CPPNA wishes that our forefathers/mothers who fought to liberate Ghana are left to rest in peace. We cannot re-write history by stoking dissention. This is the time to move forward and work hard to leave inheritance for the next generation. We want Amoako-Baah to note that Nkrumah and JB Danquah did their best. The lengths of our fingers are not the same; therefore all cannot do the same job equally. Nkrumah stands tall in Ghana, Africa (Addis Ababa-AU), the UN and many nations including Singapore. Amoako-Baah can continue living in Cloud Cuckoo Land. Ghanaians are tired of sycophancy, trickle-down economics, social and environmental breakdown as well as academic dishonesty such as the one demonstrated by the new kid on the block, Honorable Apostle Professor Elite Amoako-Baah. It is time to move Ghana, our beloved Country forward.

God bless our homeland Ghana.

Long live the CPP.

Kweku Manful

Vice Chair – CPP North America

akokonini@yahoo.com