Letters
They Shall Fall By The Wayside
So another loyalist journalist has fallen from grace to grass. First it was Mr Kojo Yankah, Editor of the "Daily Graphic" who apparently overreached himself in reporting Amartei Kwei's final hours and now it is Yakubu Dadinkai, the acting editor of the "Weekly Spectator" who has been retired for "gross dereliction and irresponsibility in the performance of his duty". His demise had to do with the reporting and editorial comment on the alleged starvation income of Madam Fathia, the widow of Dr Kwame Nkrumah.They say revolutions usually consume their own sons and daughters. Who knows; these gentlemen and others who are in similar positions have learnt something to guide them in their future endeavours.
Solomon Armah, New York
Devaluation Is The Only Way
You reported in your November 7, issue that according to the Secretary for the National Defence Committee, Prof. Mawuse Dake, the recent increases in the commodity prices were the only choice left to the government in its efforts to resuscitate the economy. The same view, he said, is also held by both capitalists and social- ists-oriented people he had held discussions with on the issue.At long last it looks as if some people are coming round to the realisation that shouting platitudes from the sidelines and rally platforms is not enough to justify or promote a better economy. Devaluation of the cedi has been at the centre of all the coups. I am relieved to hear that this government has out-lived this hackneyed excuse.
K. Osei Bobie, Frankfurt
Two Years Of Suffering
It is two years ago that the popularly elected government of Dr Hilla Limann was overthrown by Rawlings who promised to save the country from destruction, both real and imagined, by the politicians. He accused the PNP government of perpetuating corruption, misery and mass suffering.Now the question is: has Rawlings and his team of strange bedfellows comprising socialist/marxists, capitalists, young so-called revolutionaries and intellectuals of all shades of political persuasion managed to improve the situation in Ghana? If they would be true to themselves and the millions of Ghanaians suffering all." from the shameful deprivations of drug-less hospitals, food shortages, kangaroo courts, murders and military-cum-police brutality they would admit that they have failed.
Did I hear anybody say that two years is a short period to achieve results? That is a bunch of baloney if I ever heard one. Under the Limann administration, democratic processes had been initiated to improve things and since everybody knows that you do not achieve success overnight in such issues it was only a matter of time that the results would begin to show. Now the revolutionaries are repeating the same message that previous govern- ments had been saying that times are hard and, in fact, a more difficult period lies ahead before Ghana sees the end of the dark tunnel.
Wherein lies the justification then for the take-over? Rawlings must admit that he has failed and hand over to an interim civilian government. Benjamin Otoo
Brunkerstieg, W. Germany
Keeping The Media In Control
Please allow me to comment on an article "PNDC policy on the press" published in the October 24 issue of your magazine. As far as I could see that particular article evoked all sorts of emotions and bottled up feelings of the writer. For one thing it carried three different titles which, to me, reflect on the state of the media in Ghana. "Rawlings stabs the press in the back" announced the cover; "Of free press speech, memories and colleagues in jail" proclaimed the article by Elizabeth Ohene.I quite appreciate the fact that people in her position at the moment cannot appreciate the dilemma of the PNDC government on the press. As she rightly pointed out "if all sections of the press had toed the official line during the abortive trial of Flt-Lt Jerry Rawlings after his abortive coup attempt of May 15, 1979, the entire history of Ghana might have been very different from what it has turned out to be."
"Tremendous pressure came from official circles," she continued, "to keep the details of the trial from the public; some people thought otherwise courted official displeasure and publicised that trial and the motivations that drove Flt-Lt Rawlings to what he had done. That is how the Rawlings message got through to the people; that is why June 4, was ever possible. Some might say that is how he stayed alive at all”
If the writer is fully aware of this, how come she now thinks the current government would allow its press to use the same method to sabotage its efforts to rebuild the country's shattered economy. One may violently disagree with the methods being used to "improve things" in the country but surely the press is so important that it cannot be allowed to operate without any control.
Samuel Saviour Konu, Washington
Ghanaian Diaspora?
I am writing to support the views and sentiments expressed in an article "The heart of the matter - the military" written by K.K.A. Odiasempa of Maiduguri, Bornu State in a recent issue of Talking Drums.There are thousands of Ghanaians in self-exile all over the world for the simple and sad reason that the economy of the country has deteriorated to such a level that nobody can make a decent living if he or she does not involve himself in corrupt practices. It can be said without any fear of exaggeration that the past ten years have seen a steady flow of Ghanaians trained with our resources leaving the country who under normal circumstances, should be helping to improve the living standard of the people.
James Amankwaah, Glasgow
CORRECTION
The first sentence of Mrs Valerie Sackey's letter published on page 8 of last week's issue should have read: "I have NOT written to you since Talking Drums was launched".The last sentence of the fifth paragraph of the letter from Yaw Mensah, London, should have read: "It is therefore the responsibility of the ECOWAS to call upon the Western world to come and help to overthrow these unpopular governments in Ghana and Upper Volta."
Our apologies.
EDITOR
