A coup d'etat manifesto?
Kwabena Kankam
In an article on an alternative government to Rawlings, it was argued that it is not a crime to disagree with the PNDC methods and having disagreed, it is the duty of a citizen of Ghana to state his alternative and be ready to defend it in public debate. The writer of the article below offers reasons why it is not wise to follow that procedure.Ms Ohene's article 'What's the alternative to Rawlings' in the Talking Drums, December 5, 1983 requires comment because the writer misses the point. She has my sympathy, because she does not appreciate the situation we here in Ghana find ourselves.
It is true that there are lots of Ghanaians both inside and outside the country who are strongly opposed to the chaotic regime of J. J. Rawlings. It is also true that a lot more Ghanaians wish to see this irresponsible govern- ment go than wish to see it continue in office. To be blunt, the Rawlings cabal scores the highest marks in unpopularity among governments of Ghana. No government since independence has had so many people and so many groups working for its violent overthrow.
Ms Ohene should have demanded her coup d'etat manifesto against the background of these and other facts.
The writer suggests that those who want to kick Rawlings out must not aim at replacing him with their circle of friends, but must 'demonstrate that they will rule' Ghana only with the consent of the people'. At this point, Ms Ohene calls for ... plans and programmes they have for governing Ghana' to be brought out (WHERE?) and in her words ... be subject to public debate'.
In effect, Ms Ohene is calling on all who are working for the overthrow of the Rawlings regime to publish their manifesto to be debated publicly.
The Peoples Decision An Obsession: I cannot help but think that Ms Ohene left Ghana too long ago, and so, writing from the relative peace, security and comfort of London, she has no conception and understanding of the society she is writing about.
For instance, it would be the height of naivety to expect any group inside Ghana working for the overthrow of Rawlings to publish its plans and programmes for public debate.
I do not know if Ms Ohene seriously expects Ghanaians in the country to participate in any such public debates. Let Ms Ohene be informed the Rawlings killers have murdered many, some of them in full view of Rawlings, the Tsikatas, the Ahwois, and the other 'progressives' for far less serious 'offences'.
If this point is taken by Ms Ohene, suppose she would expect only those groups outside Ghana working for the overthrow of Rawlings to publish their manifestos, and of course only those half a million Ghanaians outside the country scattered all over the world can take part in the public debate. It may be true that there are large concentra- tions of Ghanaians in the U.S.A., U.K. and Nigeria and these can be organised to debate these plans and programmes, but can Ms Ohene who appears to be obsessed with 'the people's decision' seriously expect half a million Ghanaians to decide for the 13.5 million population now taken captive May 1979. by the armed regime in Ghana?
Meaningful Suggestions From Media: The overthrow of the Rawlings is a must and it will be sudden and swift, so Ms Ohene should use her paper to make meaningful suggestions as to how best to re- organise the badly battered country when Rawlings is safely out of the way. It is unpleasantly destructive on the part of Ms Ohene to suggest that if those seeking to overthrow Rawlings do not place their programmes before with.' the public, . they should leave Ghana be, the poor country has been abused enough as it is' because, there is no difference between them and Rawlings. Of course, there is a lot of difference between Rawlings and everybody. Even between Rawlings and his fellow military adventurers, there is a lot of difference. Every school boy in Ghana knows that no group of people could do as much damage to Ghana as Rawlings and his gang.
No group of rulers have shed one-hundredth as much innocent blood in Ghana as Rawlings and his 'progressive' friends. Oh yes, Ms Ohene must note that there is a whole world of difference, and indeed there is no basis to compare any past or future Ghana government with Rawlings PNDC.
Serious Planning Not Done With Fanfare: I do not think that those patriotic Ghanaians outside the country who are working round the clock to free us from the claws of communist oppression would be attracted by Ms Ohene's idea of publishing their 'manifesto' No serious coup maker operates in pageantry and fanfare. Perhaps Boakye Djan, Kofi Batsa and J. H. Mensah would for a time keep quiet if they mean business. The noise should be made by organisations and not themselves. It is their inability to play the proper role at the proper time that has always made Ms Ohene hard on politicians.
But even so, her criticisms of politicians cannot be justified because if one has to judge by results, one can, with ample evidence prove that 'soldier rulers' have done more harm to the country than politicians: and these 'soldier rulers' have always had as their closest associates and partners-in crime, members of the inky fraternity.
It was the press in Ghana which gave Rawlings a platform to stage the first part of his scenario - the good actor and trickster that he has always been - during his treason trial for plotting to May 1979.
The question is why was Ofosu-Amaah not given the same publicity during his treason trial for plotting to overthrow Acheampong?
Come Down To Earth: Ms Ohene's conclusion is very interesting indeed - she suggests that after the coup makers have published their programmes and plans, and after these have been publicly debated, ‘... the people of Ghana will then decide if it is a programme they care to be associated with.’
I do admire the idealism of Ms Ohene, but perhaps she has to be informed with due respect, that the world is organised differently. Ms Ohene may perhaps care to answer this question: HOW CAN THE CAPTIVES IN GHANA, SURROUNDED WITH LIBYAN DEADLY WEAPONS AND DEPRIVED OF FOOD AND DRUGS, AND WHO LIVE IN FEAR take this decision?
