I rule under the sign of Gemini, born in Manhyia hospital in Kumasi on
a certain Sunday June,19th in the late 70's.
I experienced an unforgetable birthday at a tender age, when
corporal Halidu Gyiwa alongside colonel Ekow Dennis and other disloyal
soldiers struck on the 19th of June, 1983.
The overthrow of Rawlings was announced,amidst wide-spread jubilations
throughout the country which I still reminisce.
The Usherfort and Nsawam Prisons were thrown open, and
several prisoners fled; the jail break metamorphosed into a coup
d'etat.
Several hours later, captain Quarshigah appeared boldly at the GBC to
announce the foiled coup attempt to rescue the tainted pride of
Rawlings.
I was raised in a typical Zongo community called Sabon Zongo,just
a stone throw from the Manhyia palace.
Some critics of my articles insinuate that I am not a Ghanaian
without any basis for their insinuations. Perhaps it is an heresy for
a typical Zongorian like myself to rise above the morass of
ethnocentrism, hate speech, stereotyped perception about the
natives(Asantes).phantom of imaginary enemy ,and religious bigotry
that's being fuelled by the extremists, radicals and the NDC
propaganda machinery in the Zongo community. I may be
eccentric for I refuse to allow my society to 'put me under the
faculty of ape-one like of imitation' by choosing my plan for me.
K.A Busiah's aliens compliance order had it's execesses. And the NPP
must not run away from it.
If the aliens compliance order had been pragmatically
implemented, aliens from our neighbouring countries would not have
been able to penetrate through our porous borders, and poor
identification system, to bloat our current population.
Does it make socio-economic sense to have a system in place
that can not differentiate between an alien and a citizen?
For political expediency, the NDC activists in the Zongo
community, encourage foriegners to register for vote,to the detriment
of the citizenry.
Long before the aliens compliance order, the CPP government
of the late dictator, Dr.Nkrumah, passed the deportation(Osman Ladan
and Amadu Baba) Act on 23rd August 1957, empowering the minister of
interior to depot the two persons there in to Nigeria, despite the
writ they had issued,and which was pending in high court.
As the leaders of the then Muslims Association Party,
(MAP), Amadu Baba and Osman Ladan's only crime for their depotation,
was to have rejected Nkrumah's offer to their MUSLIM ASSOCIATION PARTY
to join the Convention People's Party.
In effect, 13 tribal chiefs, including my grandfather,
the late chief of BISSA Community in Ashanti, Alhaji Salifu were also
deported for opposing the CPP. The Muslim Association Party (MAP),
Merged with the National Liberation Movement(NLM), And the Northern
People's Party to form the United party (UP).
I was attracted to the UP by these quotation from Dr.
JB Danquah 'The party's policy is to liberate the energies of the
peoplel for the growth of property owning democracy in this land, with
the right to life, freedom and justice, as the principles to which the
government and the laws of the land should be dedicated in order
specifically to enrich life, property and liberty of each and every
citizen'.
No wonder, we experienced a golden age of bussiness
and enhanced infrastructure in the erstwhile NPP administration. Good
governance and due process was manifested for the 1st time in the
fourth republic under J.A Kufour. Eventhough capitalist
oriented, The NPP Government iniated social interventions such as the
National Health Insurance Scheme, Free maternal care, Free school
feeding programme and many others to cushion the burden of poverty on
the deprived communities like my Zongo Community. As an
independent minded Zongorian, my personal principles, and convictions
does not allow me to be ungrateful for the NPP on the basis of tribal
sentiments ,that can not guarantee food on the tables of many a hungry
Zongorians nor pay their wards school fees. For Allah's
sake, for how long will my people in the Zongo continue to be victims
of the NDC propaganda to divide in order to rule?
The threats I have been receiving from phone calls and
emails for speaking my mind on ghanaweb can not deter me in any way.
I don't have a death-wish, but I don't expect to live
forever. And fear and despair is for those who expect to live forever.
Who and What shall I fear except ALLAH when my life stands before
me?
Tanko Ali Yahaya,
independent minded Zongorians.
skiliwonda@gmail.com
