Mr Chairman, was the take over necessary?
By Kakyireba Yaw Kakyire
Ghanaians would want imperatively, to be liberated from the culture of hardships and unbearable conditions in poor nutrition, highly escalated prices of goods and services...Flt-Lt Jerry John Rawlings, incumbent Chairman of the PNDC still insists that popular participation in decision making - "popular democracy", which was being charted through the People's Defence Committee (PDC) is not at stake and that their dissolution was the result of their having undergone serious review for the purpose of enhancing their responsibility and accountability in line with the declined objective of the People's government, hence the Committee for the Defence of the Revolution (CDR) in their place.
Meanwhile the PNDC Secretariat at Castle Osue has asked all Regional Secretaries to submit proposals on the restructuring of the CDRs. This means that a higher body to whom the proposals are to be submitted will study them and come out finally with new guidelines for the functions of the CDR's. The suggestion therefore is that not until these formalities are done the CDR's cannot be said to be functioning as the PNDC so claim.
In this regard it has been further suggested that not until Flt-Lt Rawlings makes his peculiar position lucidly clear and not use his right as head of state and chairman of the PNDC to take certain harsh decisions on the economy without consultations with the masses, suspicion and doubt will persistently hang over the teeming population of Ghana on what he actually means by grass roots participation in decision making.
Recently the Executive Board Meeting of the TUC which among other things examined the economic and social situations under the "so claimed" people's government lashed at the PNDC for submitting to the dictates of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank without ever consulting the masses.
According to the TUC, initially the PNDC proved beyond all reasonable doubt that it really represented peoples power when it adopted direct consultation with the masses through debates on national issues at the Parliament House.
However, the labour movement so regretted that such consultations turned out a nine-day wonder. In fact with the politics of deceit being currently played on the defence committee concept and the rumours that are widespread on an alleged return to the ballot box soon, no one can specifically tell what political direction the PNDC is charting. The general consensus however is that Flt- Lt Rawlings who in the era of the erstwhile Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) played to the gallery metaphorically, conjures up an image of Judas and has betrayed the broad masses of their political liberation for few pieces of dollars in the form of loans and grants from the IMF and World Bank.
In his nationwide broadcast on the 25th Independence Anniversary on March 6, 1982, Flt-Lt Rawlings noted "during the Limann administration, serious allegations of corruption against top functionaries became a matter of idle gossip and party intrigue even in parliament and investigations being conducted will reveal at appropriate time some of the even more sordid crimes committed by the past administration."
The Chairman however assured that the PNDC was determined that those sordid tales should not return and that power should find its rightful place among the people at the grass roots rather than with the few who misuse it for personal gain.
Invariably, Flt-Lt Rawlings keeps on trumpetting that his government whose objective is to create social justice based on accountability and responsibility, is the most honest ever in the political history of Ghana. The suggestion is - that his administra- tion's inability to prove equal to accountability is a very great minus. In fact the PNDC will relieve Ghanaians of the great burden of suspicion and doubt if it would come out and tell how much is the monthly salary of its members and that of his secretaries and how much wealth has been created since coming to power.
While, in fact, Ghanaians would strongly and earnestly desire to be told how PNDC appointments are made and terminated and by what qualification and criterion, they would also wish greatly to know how much the revolutionary leader had in his bank accounts before his violent robbery of power at gun point from President Limann that he was able to make a personal donation of C50,000 to Dansoman Estate SOS Children's home.
Ghanaians would want imperatively, to be liberated from the culture of hardships and unbearable conditions in poor nutrition, highly escalated prices of goods and services, inadequate housing, continuing deterioration of social services, growing unemployment and crime that is on the ascendency.
To most political thinkers and critics as well, if free economy and free trade are what the revolution guarantees then ex-president Limann was more revolutionary than the chairman of the PNDC. One important fact that cannot however be overlooked is the explanation the leader of the revolution owed Ghanaians and the whole world as to why he overthrew ex- President Limann after all, if the present state of affairs is the final destination of the revolutionary voyage. The fact is that the present state of affairs look indifferent from the Limann days except perhaps that hardships and incessant suffering now exacerbate the plight of the Ghanaian more than the days of the People's National Party (PNP).
Presently a Datsun deluxe or Saloon car attracts a sale price of C1.2 million as against the Limann time which sold at C85,000, Milk now sells at C20 to C3.0 at the time Limann was nearing overthrow. Geisha (tinapa) and Sardine now sell at C50 whereas in the Limann days they used to sell at C25.
The revolution, to many, is an unfortunate situation. Meanwhile the demolished Makola Market has bounced back to unprecedented vigorous trade activities. The suggestion therefore is that if market mummies can now freely display any item which falls within and without the 17 specified commodities which include matches, soaps, sugar, milk for the people's shop concept) while for official statement had been made for their free market and that demolished Makola market has been set free from the chains of trade limitation for the rebirth of trade vices as is presently being orchestrated at the very nose of the PNDC government then in the interest of social justice accountability and responsibility, it's the wish of many that Flt-Lt Rawlings should be made to pay for the cost of the Markola market he caused to be demolished in 1979 when he was Chairman of the erstwhile AFRC. While the political future of Ghana presently looks moored with uncertainty, with each day growing opaquer and opaquer, the question that never escapes the lips of right thinking Ghanaians is whether there was the need for the take-over.
This clearly defines the onslaught of attempts to overthrow the PNDC. Last month 17 people were clandestinely executed for their alleged involvement in a coup plot to overthrow the PNDC government. And even though there was silence over the subversive attempt perhaps because it will create an impression of political instability in the country, quite unfavourable for more loans and grants from the IMF and World Bank, a number of conflicting interpretations were made at the time.
While many were of the opinion that the coup plot was at the instigation of Libya, Cuba and USSR to overthrow the now pro-western government of PNDC to establish a true revolution based on true Marxist-Leninist philosophy, others interpreted it as directed at exterminating the PNDC membership for bringing hardships to Ghanaians.
The general consensus however is that the PNDC should have to justify the promises of the December 31, 1981 take-over else there is the need to question the real purpose of ex- President Limann's overthrow.
