Letters
Politics of equality
I was shocked to read the insulting letter of one T. Fiamagbele against a Mr Asamoah Awuah Dapaah in the December 16, 1985, issue of the Talking Drums. He quoted from George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' thus: "All Animals are equal, but some are more equal than others'.Is that the reason why eight full-blooded Ghanaians were stripped of their citizenship and traded in for one half- blooded Ghanaian who happens to be the cousin of the PNDC chairman, Flt-Lt. Rawlings?
Is he telling the whole world, for instance, that the few Ewes in Ghana are more 'equal' than the majority of Ghanaians?
People should know that politics of tribalism, favouritism, nepotism, etc, will lead us nowhere, and as such, should cease to exist in our lives, so that we can think and criticise constructively.
Yaw Frimpong,
West Germany
Join hands
I would like to suggest to the Ghana Democratic Movement (GDM) led by Mr J.H. Mensah, and Campaign for Democracy in Ghana also led by Major Boakye Djan (rtd.), to join hands in order to build a strong and united front to fight tyranny and dictatorial rule in Ghana. For these two movements share the same aspirations and stand for the same cause.The more they delay in uniting their forces the less powerful front they can present to the PNDC. History of Africa has taught us that whenever there are two of such movements fighting for the same cause the losing side turns to sabotage the other when victory is finally won. We don't want to see another Angola, Uganda, Zimbabwe, just to mention a few of them.
History and generation will judge us if such an important issue is further delayed.
Kingsley E. Amoatey,
West Germany
Children in Cuba
Mr. K.S. Owusu-Appiah of Raubach, West Germany, writing in your issue of the 16th December, 1985, on the above subject, seemed to be only concerned with the standard of education our young ones might be receiving in Cuba.It seems to me that Mr Owusu-Appiah has been away from home for a long time. For he has completely got it wrong about why these children are in Cuba. They were sent to Cuba not to acquire academic knowledge in the fields of their choice but to learn socialism so that they would return home to be vanguards of the PNDC's so-called "people's revolution", which they are pushing down our unwilling throats period.
The question therefore of the Ministry of Education sending officials to Cuba to inspect the educational facilities does not arise. But then who is that official in the Ghana Education Service who will dare make such a suggestion?
Kwabena Okyere,
London
Right idea but forum for right wing ideas
As a concerned citizen of Ghana, I was really delighted by the launch of your weekly magazine, Talking Drums, as an alternative to the other magazines whose coverage of news in the West African sub- region has become largely unrepresentative.Your teething problems in attempts to be competitive, in my opinion, should not be any excuse for sub-standard journalism. The quality of printing paper, among other things, could still be better. However, a very good attempt, is being made at least, to furnish Ghanaians abroad about developments at home. What is rather tantalising is the Music and Arts scene and the sports column that goes to the extent of providing soccer fans with the league table to-date, making your paper innovative, quite down-to-earth and, of course, cross-sectional in its appeal.
My only reservation is that your paper is becoming too anti-PNDC and seemingly sympathetic to right wing splinter groups in self-imposed exile. More vent is provided to right wing sterile ideas and attacks on PNDC. One does not need any X-ray analysis of reporting in your paper to conclude on its ideological stance. One evidence of my insinuation could be re- called from Mr T. Fiamagble's (Accra, Ghana) article "Annoying letter" of December 16th issue of Talking Drums. Many more instances of readers' outrage about your paper being the vanguard for the self-opinionated politicians could be cited.
To criticise for the sake of criticism is misplaced energy. People who profess to possess a magical formula to get Ghana out of her economic doldrums must put forward their salvation package and stop being critical of every policy of the government. Ghana would never sur- render her sovereignty to any ruthless minded multi-national or look up to any Big Brother elsewhere for her economic emancipation. We will determine our own destiny regardless; and break free from the fetters of psychological impotence.
It would be gross disservice and in- sensitivity to the unlimited number of progressive readers of your magazine, who see the danger of your paper drifting into the web of frustrated political activists with moribund ideas, who blat- antly refuse to recognise the irreversible wind of change and the mood and calibre of present day Ghanaians.
Edward A. Donkor, West Norwood, London.
