The Prospects of the Oppressed Ghanaian

; Nkrumaist Youth continues the Struggle

One will remiss to say that it is possible to build a perfect Ghanaian society or say at the same time that a better and improved society can’t be built in Ghana, unless otherwise the persons thought is founded on unscientific utopianism or gross ineptitude to the study of science of society, respectively. It is not by choice to live in this society called Ghana where we still struggle to economically develop independently after political independence; where we fail to provide the basic necessities of life; where the politics of democracy has become so much limited to radio and newspaper insults, periodic elections but no significant changes for the people; where religion has become a means of survival and for establishing wealth through exploitation of the masses; where the country’s educational system fails to feed the economy strategically and industrially for the purpose of addressing the structural economic and social problems; and in summary where the system is hopeless for the millions of her population.

In the application of the most up-to-date scientific analysis this may either call for a radical revolution. But revolution, as the only best means of changing systems, needs to be thought and understood for the purpose of establishing the mass organisation capable of structural transformation of the system and building a coherent, united and economic progressive system to shape the progress of the society. According to Trotsky, ‘parrots don’t cause revolutions’. Certainly, revolutions do not come by mere strings of words but in practical terms achieved by first building a vanguard of people who must come to deeply understand the science of society and the controlled forces of that society. Secondly, each person involved in this process of consciousness must be a center of organisation, thus ensuring to best possible and practical extent the letter of the consciousness. Sacrificing oneself to such deep thought of social consciousness is what leaders in Africa, post-Nkrumah, have failed to grasp through pain and sacrifice to provide the concrete solutions to the realities confronting their people. These leaders where either born in families of elitist-ruling class or were ignorant and products of this same decayed system, and therefore failed to understand which energies and forces compete in our social space. Having become mindful of this consequence of neo-colonial social formations is what has encouraged me to be a member of the Nkrumaist Youth League of Ghana. The organisation derives its root and believes in the scientific changes to matter, its internal contradictions and relations to other things and upon which causes our society to change. Just like all Nkrumaist organisation, it strives to pursue a progressive agenda. The society called Ghana is poor and African in nature and is not immune from a decayed material phenomenon. It is not also independent from the bourgeoisie-controlled laws which are seen in the actions and inactions of institutions such as the legislature, the Judiciary and the Executive. Our political and social institutions are ill-short of the needed guiding frameworks to propel fundamental economic change because their existence has become a product of neo-colonialism, as a result of a stage in human development and therefore triumph in this condition. Their mechanisms or behavior provide only adjustments to resolving the problem. The people are however trapped in this condition and have become victims of the micro-state neo-colonial condition. Through our educational system, the media and other mechanism, the political agenda the country is predominantly determined by the ruling elites.

It is partly against this backdrop that the Nkrumaist Youth League of Ghana therefore sets itself into motion as the sacrificial organization to create a new hope for the youthful generation in this harsh condition and further ensure the fulfillment of the dream of the Nkrumaist tradition and its scientific destiny in the competing globalized world of capitalist-profiteering. The League strives to bring together all young people in the country for the purpose of advancing the desired agenda of the progressive forerunners of the country. The League exists to fervently commit its full energy to the economic liberation and protection of the oppressed class in Ghana and guarantee its progress across the length and breadth of the African continent.

In resolving any problem, it is worth asking the significant question whether the object of the problem is still relevant to deserve a purge. If the object is still relevant, then it is worth investigating the problem before a dosage can be prescribed to purge the object. That notwithstanding, I would attempt a synopsis of our political party system in the most ordinary language.

Ghana has a complex problem. Stated briefly it is: The contact of the Europeans with the people of Gold Coast under what is known as colonialism which has resulted in the emergence of a set of conflicting living conditions and outlooks on life which seriously hamper Ghana’s progress to nationhood and economic prosperity. After independence in 1957, the people of Ghana led by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah made substantial efforts in overthrowing this imposed exploitative system. The system, though efforts made was significant, was hard to be overthrown by Kwame Nkrumah because the organisation called the CPP wasn’t well organized like those in Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela and China. This system is called capitalism, driven by the elitist private-ruling class but in a form known as imperialism, which also changes its form within time and process but its essence remains the same. Its essence is to keep the majority of the people of Ghana and Ghanaians oppressed. However, this system after political independence and now continues to live with us under the disguised championship of NDC and NPP.

The two political parties have trapped many Ghanaians to believe that there is no other way of ameliorating ourselves from poverty but rather to continue to depend on them. They confuse us in the media as if our needs as a people can only be addressed by some vociferous and tall men , former Jerry Rawlings and ex-president J.A. Kuffuor. The two political parties make us to believe that they serve our interest, but rather will ensure that their class interest of GH?7,000.00 monthly salary is guaranteed; heavy retirement package known as ex-gratia is fulfilled; unlawful acquisition of state lands meant to serve public purposes such as building of schools, clinics and bungalows for ‘low grade public servants’ like teachers, nurses, civil servants and taxi driver. They would prefer to sell off public-owned enterprises like Ghana Telecom, Ghana Airways, ADB, Goldfields, Nsawam Cannery etc. all to themselves, their families, friends and girlfriends. Indeed, this condition in Ghana reflects the class society Kwame Nkrumah talked about in his post 1966 writings.

The worst character of NPP and NDC is that they are both ethnocentric in their mode of electoral operation. Why always Ewes vrs Ashantis? This is because whenever we are kept ethnocentric in our politics, we become ignorant of the need to hold our leaders to be accountable. They strive to keep many of us ignorant and wish to perpetuate this condition for their survival in the political system. Certainly, this political class society must be overthrown but ought to be done by the majority of the people by first examining the condition. This is what we called Consciousness. It is only the people who can change it because they are the main victims of the condition. Your duty is to ensure many shares in this common change. You must find a role to expose the nakedness of this imposed political and exploitative system.

The ruling class of NPP and NDC possesses superior financial strength and at present have superior organizational skill. They have indirectly arrogated to themselves the political ownership of the land and invested itself with authority and the right to regard Ghana as theirs. Meaning that the Ghanaian who owned the land before the advent of the NPP and NDC has been deprived of all security which may guarantee him or her an independent pursuit of destiny or ensure his or her leading a free and unhampered life. For now, he or she has been defeated in the field of battle but refuses to give up.

In Ghana, today, the political conflict has emerged as one of class struggle on one side and on another of practical steps to know where you stand in the struggle. The economic failures of the NDC and NPP should convince us that they are both drivers in a vehicle dashing through time and space to its final destruction. The Ghanaian passenger in it has become a tiny organism with private live that leads him or her to a private death. Personal power, greed, corruption and fame have become the dominant measures of values and the things to live for. This outlook on life divides the country into a host of individual little entities which cannot help being in constant conflict thereby hastening the approach of the hour of their final destruction. Self-determination is the philosophy of life which will save a Ghanaian from the disaster he clearly sees on his way - disaster to which Exploitation, Class dominance, Poverty and Unemployment are all ruthlessly and inevitably driving him or her.

We as Ghanaians should therefore regard civilisation as the common heritage of all mankind and claim as full right to make our contribution to its advancement and to live free as any group of free human beings on earth. Furthermore, we must claim the right to all sources and agencies to enjoy rights and fulfill national duties which will place us on a footing of equality with every other group of human beings in the advanced world.

By

KADIRI ABDUL RAUF

Member of the Conventions Peoples Party and the Nkrumaist Youth League of Ghana (NYLG)

nkrumaistylg@yahoo.com