MBEKI BEATEN SOUNDLY

As the ANC grassroot sends a message of Discontent to the Neoliberal and Condescending Policies of Mbeki and Trevor Manuel The Elections of Jacob Zuma as the new president of the ANC in south Africa is a victory

WHOSE CAMPAIGN IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE AMONG THIS UNPRECEDENTED MONEY CONTEST?

It has been a watershed in the checkered history of our nation. This year’s unprecedented campaign for the position of flagbearership of the NPP has revealed that our fledgling Democracy is not out of the woods yet. This is a race that has shown how low the NPP is willinig to stoop to win political power. The flagbearership campaign has become a money circus with the highest bidder likelely to win the race. This has led the contestants to engage in a money spending spree never witnessed before even in general elections in Ghana history. This has angered a majority of even NNP party member who have been complianing about the use of money by the contestants. Leading the rage is Dr Arthur Kennedy who has not only expressed worry about the amount of money being spent by the other contestants but also he is questioning the source of their staggering wealth. He is calling for thorough investigations into thier spending and also be queried on the act odf bribing delegates. The widely acclaimed hardworking former General Secreatry of the NPP, Dan Botchwey has also expressed frustrations over the use of money. He is adament that their source of wealth is not unquestionable. To add to that other well respected and objective commentators have also condemmed the flagrant use of money by the majority ogf the contestants. Luminaries like Kweku Sintim Misa (KSM) have questioned

A DARK DAY FOR GHANA’S ECONOMY

.....Stooge Government buckles under pressure from EU and big business. On Friday 14th December one more death nail was driven into the economy of Ghana when the Government of Ghana signed a version of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and ACP countries. Ghana is the second country after Cote de Voire to sign the EPA in the West African region. Against the backdrop of incessant and sustained pressure from the civil society on the government not to sign the deal they went ahead anyway. Over a period of two years a lot of protest has been organized by civil society organizations across Africa backed by solid research findings advising against entering into this trade trap. Led by organizations such as Third World Network, Action Aid, Ghana Trade and Livelihood Coalition, Christian Aid and OXFAM a lot of awareness was created in Ghana on the nature and possible impacts of the EPA and there was a massive consensus that it would spell doom for the Ghanaian economy especially in the areas of Fiscal Policy, Agriculture and Industrial Policy. The West African Economic Community the ECOWAS resolved to refuse to sign the EPA en bloc saying that the deadline of December 2007 was too short for them to adequately negotiate a favorable deal and conduct a comprehensive impact assessment study. It seemed that for the first time in many years our leaders will listen to the internal voices of reason and do what would be in the overall interest of Ghanaians and not consent to the parochial interest of the elite clientele. The Government of Ghana affirmed the position of ECOWAS and the reasonable voices of the majority of Ghanaians and made strong statements that it was not ready to sign the EPA. Up until the EU – AU summit in Portugal between 8th and 9th December. Cracks began to appear in the united front when Cote de Voire signed under pressure from the EU and the powerful French business interests (Cote de Voire is the biggest and the most significant economy in the UEAMOA currency zone.). After the summit the government performed an acute about turn after it had apparently been put on enormous pressure by the imperialist powers. The government has gone ahead to sign the deal knowing perfectly all the repercussions that the EPA will have on the economy. This was clear from the pronouncements of the negotiating team and officials from the Ministry of Trade who had declared on numerous occasions that Ghana was not ready to sign the EPA The deal will cost the government about $120m in lost tariff revenue yearly. This will rob the government of badly needed funds for infrastructure and social investments. The EPA will also mean Ghana will open its markets to competition from highly subsidized agricultural goods from the EU. Since Ghana was hurried to sign the EPA it had not apparently prepared to even negotiate some concessions from the EU. This led the government to stage a farcical tough stance by appearing to hamper the signing ceremony. The signing was done on 14th instead of the advertised 13th. Ghana has suffered under the pressure of “The Washington consensus” policies via the Structural Adjustment programs of the 1990s. The stuttering industrial sector is set to suffer further from the unfair competition from obviously advanced and highly competitive European industrial products. It is estimated that it will displace about 8% of the industrial sector in Ghana over the next five years. For a nation that is already experiencing deindustrialization (before it even started), this will definitely be the death of industry in Ghana. The Agricultural sector is the one at risk the most from the deal since it is already suffering from the effects of the first and second wave of the deadly trade liberalization in the previous decade. Due to the unfair competition from the highly subsidized agricultural product from the EU and the USA, the agric sector in Ghana has been driven to the point of extinction. The grains, livestock and poultry subsectors have especially felt the pinch leading to shrinking of their productivity. Rice production especially has taken a heavy hit since the trade liberalization in the early 1990s.Rice production has fallen by as much as 25% while poultry production has fallen drastically under the weight of the dumped and highly subsidized (about €1.25bn) poultry products from the EU. The EPA will be a challenge to the livelihood and food security of the poorest section of our already poor nation. Even the EU’s own Sustainability Impact Assessment report admits that ECOWAS region will be adversely affected by the EPA. There are even some studies that suggest that only about 23% of Ghana’s export to the EU will benefit from an enhanced access as a result of the EPA. 73% of Ghana exports to the EU is covered by MFN zero and GSP zero tariffs. It is clear that this government is incapable of taking policy that will be in the interest of majority of Ghanaians. Under pressure from their imperialist masters and the rent seekers (exporters of marginal products inconsequential to the overall economy) this incompetent government has taken this country into a deal that will be most damaging to the majority of Ghanaians.

MAD DASH FOR THE POST

>>> The NPP Flagbearership Race hottens up with Hours to the D-Day Take a walk through the City of Accra and you wold be forgiven for thinking that thare is going to be a huge gig over the weekend of a much loved classic band who are getting together again.There are huge billboards and banners all over the city emblazoned with the pictures of the varios contestants. A lot of money is defibnetely being spent by the contestant... money that almost everyone is worried about. Even the NPP faithful who are used to seeing their party spend a lot of state money duiring electioneering are revulted by the open and brazen show of opulence. There is a tall list of some candidates who are spending money themselves.

A DIFFICULT OUTCOME OF CPP CONGRESS

As Kwesi Ndoum Secures flagbearership Slot

The historic CPP congress which took place at The KNUST campus over the weekend threw up a lot of challenges to the members of the CPP nationwide who were full of optimism about the fortunes of the party. As expected the crucial race of flagbearership was a straight fight between Paa Kwesi Ndoum a former Partner of Deloitte an Acoounting Consultancy, and an active member of the Kuffour administration; and Proffessor Badu Akosah a pathologist and a former Head of the Ghana Health Service.

After a very competitive and uplifting congress Paa kwesi was declared the winner with 53% of the delegate vote.In addition members of Paa Kwesi's team swept the board in other positions of executive power with the party. Mr. Nadi Nylander was elected Chairman, Kwamena Greenstreet as general secreatary and Alamisi and Organiser.This was an emphatic statement by the delegates.

Paa is a qualified person who has better visibility and national recognition coupled with a lifetime of achievement and success. He is also well endowed to finance a well oiled campaign.

However the choice has led some CPP to members scratching their heads. The popular choice outside the conference room was Prof AKosa. I was included in this consensus.The track record of Paa Kwesi's commitment to the CPP is really patchy and many people in the middle and tired of the NPP Administration are also frustrated by the choice because of the association of Kwesi with the NPP over the years. He does not represent the fresh start that people are clamouring for.Some CPP activist even go as far as calling him an NPP mole who will sell the party to the string pullers of the NPP. Some alleged that his campaign which was by far the most expensive was financed by the NPP.

For me, my opinion is a little bit more complex than just a disaster.

First i see Ndoum as sellable more than he can be credited for. However his act of political suicide of deciding to campaign against the CPP Flag bearer in the 2004 general elections is going to stack against him heavily.Also his long association with the NPP could be both harmful and beneficial depending on how it is used by both Friends and foes.But the very fact that i see Ndoum to an ambitious man assures me somewhat that he will fight the election fiercely.

The outcome of this watershed CPP congress has thrown up a lot of questions than answers for the future of the CPP.

The CPP knows it is not going to win this electtion, however most CPP activist are hoping this will be the beggining of good things for this sleeping giant of Ghanain politics

CPP IN A LEADERSHIP CONTEST THAT WILL DEFINE THE FUTURE OF THE GREAT PARTY

>>> Two men in Pole Position This weekend could prove to a watershed fro thye CPP. At the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (an institution named after the Great Nkrumah, founder of the CPP), the CPP will attemt to launch a renaissance of the party that holds more hope for Ghanaians than any other party. The CPP will attempt to elect a presidential candidate to fight the election in 2008.

MASSIVE DEMONSTRATION AGAINST HARSH ECONOMIC POLICIES OF THE GOVERNMENT

....Ghanaians slowly rising Against Harsh Living Conditions About 5000 Ghanaians braved a sweltering heat on Tuesday and took to the streets of Accra to protest thier disgust at the rising level hardships in the country.The attandence and public support was far beyond the expectations of the organisers (The Committee for Joint Action) who had underestimated the level of support for the protests. This was as a result of of the constant negative publicity by the enemies

JUSTICE FOR PERSECUTED TEACHER

But Residual lack of Respect Remain A couple of weeks ago i reported about how some teachers and educational workers are being persecuted for being outspoken about the potential problems of the new Educational Reforms. One teacher was in Tema demoted transferred to another ares after truthful;ly declaring on air that there were some problems with the Educational Reform. After incessant pressure from human right and civil societies as well as a massive solidarity demonstrations by teachers , the GES finally buckled and decided to reconstitute the affected teacher to her previous position. However the GES official are failing to send her back to where her family resides. This is evidence that they only changed their decision because of the pressure but not because they had overcome the deep disrespect the administration has for teachers. This Administration has for teachers as shown by the shabby treatment meted out to teachers including the recent one.This is driving more talent away from such an important career. Well any action will not affect their children since they have private tuition and foreign education arranged for them. I hope teachers will rise up and fight for what is rightfully theirs while maintain their passion to inculcate knowledge into the next generation

DARTEY IS DIRTY

.........Throws away 250 million Cedis Captain Retired Nkrabea Effah Dartey; the overly optimistic NPP flaberaship contest outsider has been knocked out cold. He has been disqualified from contesting in the flagbearership role after the NPP vetting committee declared that his coup attempt record will be too much for even the NPP to take.

MORE MONEY TO GO AROUND........But only for NPP delegates

As the money race (aka NPP Presidential Contest) hottens up the competition for the copious amont of money that the aspirants are prepared to cough up fpr the delegates multiplies byb the day. There are rumours that some aspirants have intensified theur efforts to get hold of the list of the true delegates so that they could better target thier palm-greasing. In the mist of the nummerous suffering of the ordinary Ghanain these people are clearly telling us that they are prepared to spend money to run fro president.

BATTLE FOR THE SOUL

The Religionist Lobby in Ghana Extend Their War Into the Classroom The Bishops, Reverends, Pastors, Evangelists, Apostles, Prophets, Prophetesses Prayer Warriors etc in the church crazy nation of Ghana are on the warpath. They are cross at what they describe as “the Godless nature of the new Educational Reform” Apparently the new Education Reform had deleted the ‘Religious and Moral Education’ (RME) course from the Elementary school syllabi. The Catholic bishop Conference of Ghana issued a strongly worded statement condemning the omission. Furthermore they instructed the heads of all catholic sponsored but government assisted schools to implement a strict daily regime of religious teaching. The powerful Christian council of Ghana -which is a pressure group comprising all the churches on Ghana (and is an awful lot of them) - has joined the fray and has demanded the reinstitution of the RME without delay. My opinion on this issue is that the battle is really one to convert young impressionable minds into Christianity. At such a young age it is pretty easy to pump religious dogmas into the heads of people and you’re sure it will stick for a lifetime. I quite remember that my brush with RME during my school days was a dominated by passages from the bible and overt Christian proselytizing. The burgeoning church industry sees it survival in the young ones coming through and it is desperate to lock a steady stream of followers for the future. However what the Religious Zealots forget is that Ghana is a Secular Constitutional entity than guarantees the religious freedoms of all manners of persons with any form religious believe whilst the state maintains a neutral religious posture .However the reality of RME is that it teaches Christianity to young impressionable minds using the platform provided by a supposedly religious-neutral state. Again the threat by the catholic Bishops to compel head teachers to enforce catholic values is taking it too far.

A FURTHER TIGHTENING OF THE NOOSE

..........As Another round of Petroleum price increases is announced. In the mist of the unbearable hardship that Ghanaians are forced to endure, there has been another surge in the price of the all important petroleum products. This is the third increment since October.This time around theres is up to 7% increase in the price of premium petrol raising the price to nearly $5 per gallon. This makes petroleum product the priciest in the west African Region. This increment comes on the heels of a 40% increment in the tariff of water and electricity. Our insensitive government is pursuing a so-called policy of total cost recovery.This policy is bereft of any welfare considerations in a country with an absolute poverty level of 42%. Ghanaians are really going to suffer to make any meaningful stride towards prosperity with a government like the one we have now. The pass- through effect of a petroleum price increase is well documented in Ghana with food prices the most impacted .It will definitely not going to be aMerry Christmas for the average Ghana in.(Excluding the filthy rich politicians)

Bright Future Budget

Last week the minister of Finance presented his 2008 budget to parliament amid the razzmataz taht this government has come to be associated with any ordinary event that they ussually consider as success. The budget, deceptively dubbed "A Brightre Future Budget" has anything but a bright for the suffering mases of Ghanaians.with the swagger of a confident thief this governmant is slowing crating a shiny veneer of success under whiich there is a rottne mess of mediocrity at best and failure at wosrt. The highlights of the budget reads like a hanging noose for ghanaians to commit siucide with. One of the pillars of the Brightre Future Budget is the impending imposition of an xcise tax on mobile talk time . In a country where thtre are no fixed-lines this is a misplaced attempt to milk the only fat cow inthe stable.It will affect businesses to a large extent in thier cost of communication. There is also a proposal to sell some state oned enterprises including profitable ones.Policy on Agriculture is the same old terse paragraph that recognises the importance of th sector to the longterm viability of our economy but without any substance as hw to fix the crunching problems. This , inpite of the fact that we are facing a deteriorating food security situation over the next few months as a rsult of the global situation and the flood the food bank of the country (Northern and upper regions). Thre was no major poicy announcement on indutrialisation and trde policy. The only highlight that has any semblance of 'brightness' is the setting up of a Northern Ghana Development Fund.

PUBLIC ORDER VERSUS FREEDOM TO DEMONSTRATE

Police service hiding behind law to curtail civil freedoms The Committee forJoint Action (CJA) has given hint of their intention to organiza a massive demonstration at beggining of next months aginst the policies of the NPP government, whic the CJA claim is working aginst the general welfare of the citezenry. The CJA has been one of the civil society institutions that has been speaking up on policies and general issues that affect the voiceless Ghanaian.

Conspiracy against The vice President

How the NPP Swerved the Second most Powerful Man in the Land If you think things are smooth and straight i the Npp as they have been claiming ,revise your notes because events over the last couple of days has clearly betrayed how stormy the ride is going to be for the accolade of representing the NPP in 2008 for the presidential elections. The vice President has just found out that he needs not only to spend money and make more use of of the privileges of his high office but to use the raw power of his office. The vice president was invited to attend his vetting at the party office on Wednesday. The honourable Veep duly got there five minutes to the appointed time ( a rare occurrence) only to be kept waiting for over 30 Min's before being finally told that the vetting was not coming on after all. This led the visibly shaken and shocked Aliu to profusely declare his undying love for his party and Ghana (a strange response given the circumstances) . Now the whole situation has been made worse by the fact that 8 hours before the vetting a newspaper owned by one of the competing aspirants to the Npp presidential slot had published a story alleging that the vices president does not own a valid party card. Looking at the people making up the vetting committee you really wonder if such an embarrassment is simply an oversight or there is more to it that appears. People like Prof.Adjei Becquine who is the chairman of the council of state are supposed to kw and do better. I relay think the Veep must realised that the chickens have come home to roost. First of all he is not considered as a true party man and that the only reason why he became the vice president only on the fact that he is a northerner. Again there is a groundswell of bitterness among the other contestants over the fact that most of them have had to resign from their positions in order to contests while the vice president still enjoys all the benefits of his office and indeed use state accessories and logistics in his campaign. A lot is brewing in the belly of the elephant and watch out when it explodes....because it will surely be messy.

DESTROYING THE NEXT GENERATION

The Welfare implications of the Indiscriminate Decongestion Amid the euphoria and dizying money spinning stunts of the NPP presidential campaign the poor and deprived people of Ghana are discovering how wicked this government really is. On the morning friday 26th october the destruction trail of the government hit the petty traders Tema station. Everything was razed to the ground before they left. What is more crucial is the fact taht most of the petty traders are women who are the sole braed winners for their families and thse loss of thier livelihood will affect not only themslves but all their descendants. This will have massive welfare implications for their children.

Killing Our People for Profit

THE GOLDEN CURSE

How the people of Nzema were tortured by the police on behalf of Adamus Resources , Canadian Mining Company

It is really amazing how cruel some governments can be.you would not believe the extent to which some governments can go to protect and serve the vested interest of a particular powerful group.This Npp government has demonstrated beyond all reasonable doubt that its will do gruesome things to its own citizens to advance its crude property-owning democracy ideology. Over the last twenty years mining has brought untold hardship and misery to the people who are unfortunate enough to have minerals in their area. The majority of people living in these areas just like the rest of the country do not benefit from the reckless and environmentally destructive mining that takes place in such places. Previously many chiefs and community leaders lobbied hard to get mining operations located in in their areas to benefit from the industry.but increasingly communities in the mineral rich areas have rather organised themselves into social pressure groups that are actively campaigning to prevent the citing of mining operations in their communities. This is what the brave and progressive leaders and people of Anwia and Telekobo Bukazo in the Nzema District decided to fight against a couple of days back.A mining company which goes by the name of Adamus Resources embarked on a prospecting operation in the area.The people and their leaders decided to demonstrate against their operations and what befell them defies any logic. The police service which is paid for and maintained by the taxpayer to protect and guarantee the rights of the people were set on these well meaning Ghanaians who were only fighting for their legitimate cause of protecting their natural environment against abuse. When the police left over 30 of the citizens including nursing mothers and children ended up in the hospital.About 70 others were arrested and tortured. The government has been doing this for ages without any proper check on their evil and it is time for Ghanaian to draw line over the use of the police to abuse people whose only crime is to fight fro justice .This incident mirrors countless abuses meted out to people who dare to challenge the mining industry which is destroying livelihoods and the environment in Ghana.Since the 1980s we have progressively suffered more than benefit from the mining on our Fatherland. mining is killing our country and we must rise up and fight.

PERSECUTION OF TEACHERS In Ghana

There is a disturbing trend currently sweeping through the education sector in Ghana that threatens not only the teaching profession but also the hard won freedom of speech in Ghana as well. Teachers who dare to make true public statements about the teething problem associated with the New Educational Policy are being targeted for demotions threats and transfers. All this is happening without any concrete resistance from the institutions that are charged with safeguarding the freedom of Speech of all Ghanaians and the rights of teachers. I am urging all Ghanaians worth their citizenship to stand up to the increasingly politicized Ghana Education Service and the inept NPP Government.This Stupid government is taking advantage of the uncritical nature of the loudest Ghanaian public commentators to commiit some atrocious crimes. In two widely publicized cases a Headteachers inTema has been demoted and transferred to another school for saying on radio that there has not been a high enrolment rate since the beginning of the New Educational Reform as anticipated. The other case involves an educationist in the Accra Metro Educational Office who questioned the availability of enough resources to implement the educational Reforms.He was issued with an official query and a threat of a transfer. Ghanaians wake up and fight this injustice.

KWESI NDOUM KICK STARTS CPP PRESIDENTIAL BID

Yesterday the former minister of Public Sector Reforms Picked up his nomination forms to contest for the flagbearership of the Great Nkrumahist CPP party.Though it lacked the pomp and extravagant pageantry that accompanied the same process of the fabulously rich but ideologically inept NPP who are the ruling Government. This act will not make the headlines and grab the attention of the general public it is one of the acts that are coming together towards the full restoration of the credentials of the CPP as the most credible alternative for getting this country back on the track to development from where we left off between 1957-1966. Slowly but surely we the true sons and daughters of the authentic Nkrumaihist movement is rising up and organising towards building an efficient organisational machinery to become a great political and governance force once more. The opening up of the nomination process ,it is hoped will invigorate the grassroots party structures and drive the party to get the publicity needed to put the party in the public consciousness.It is reported that at least three very credible and nationally recognisable contestants will enter the fray. Being a realist , i don't expect that whoever wins the CPP primaries to go on and win the Presidential polls in 2008 but what this step will do is to make slow efforts to build the party slowly and gradually until we get to a point where we can challenge the other parties. Thus will not neither simple nor easy and will take a long time. This Process is a good sign of good things to come

INCREASES IN UTILITY BILLS

The NPP vampire government is at it again.This time it has hit where it will hurt the most. According to the Public Utilities Regulatories Committee (PURC) which presents itselt as an independent body but in reality under the thumb of the government, utility prices will increase by up to 40%. Considering the luxurious lifestyle and the corruption of our leaders i do not put it beyond them to implement such a murderuos increament

ONLY 250 million Cedis

True to their for the NPP is telling us that they could really be outlandish and extravagant.Thier nomination circus has dawned on all ghanaians that they are here to spend. With a price tag of 250 million Cedis for a nomination form,it most Ghanaians thought it will provide the neccessary financial detterent to some of the light weight contender who havent stolen enough.Apparently this sum is chickenfeed to the 18 contestants who have thrown in thier hats. Stay tuned for more on the Presidential election 2008.

STUPID AND INSENTITIVE GOVERMENT

In Familiar fashion the CRUEL , GRUBBY MEDIOCRE AND INCOMPETENT GAHANAIAN GOVERNMENT has shown that they have tha utmost contempt for Ghanaians. Thier reaction to the devastating floods in Northern Ghana has taken even those of us who are aware of thier wicked capabilities by surprise. I am really mad at the moment and might write some unprintable words so i will pick up on this later.

THE DREAM OF THE TRUE GENIUS LIVES ON: 50 YEARS ON

The Mediocre Kuffour Govoernment which has been riding on the crest of a lucky wave since 2001has done it again. This time the timid president decided to engage in an immortality excercise by cutting the sid for the construction of the Bui Dam. This government has not spared any effort to claim all the credit and take no responsibility. This ex-post thinking to continue the building of the Bui Dam can only attest the Greatness of the Greatest Ghanaian so far.

This spineless and uninventive government sat for 7 years to realise that we need to add to the energy strock to just keep up to growth in Demand. compare that to the powerfull out-of-the-box thinking of the Great Nkrumah; who 50 years ago even in the the moment the Grand opening of the biggest man- made lake in the world still had the vision to build another one at Bui.

It had to take the national misfortune of a hugely disruptive energy crisis to prick them to implement a project tha has been planned and is 50 years overdue.

The Graet Nkrumah is physically gone but his Briliant ideas goes on

POLITICAL SEASON HERE!!

As a throwback to Eva Lokko it safe to say that we are now firmly and without doubt in the political Season. A season for truckery and traechery, a season for earning and spending,a season for promises and deception, a season for allainces and making enemies. A lot is going to happen ijn the weeks and months ahaed until we elect our next president in 2008. I also expect to see some new campaign strategies never wotnessed in the land before.Its going to be an exciting campaign so brace your self to participate in one way or the other. It is a watershed so do not be left behind ;or the wrong choice will be made for you

MONEY TALKS Akuffo Addo buys Nationawide PrimeTime to Launch Campaign

It has been revealed that the Former Foreign Minister of our dear nation, Nana Akuffo Addo is about to capture the airwaves this evening. From 6:30 pm this evening the obviuosly loaded nana Addo will set out to explain to Ghanaians and especially NPP delegates why we should vote him to be our president. .And how much does he acquire the airtime for? .... a cool $4000. This figure look huge but i can asure you that he can afford three times that much. And am i shocked that the political class seem to be willing to go all the way to aquire political power? No! There is so much at stake and the upcoming elections in 2008 will be an almighty blood battle to win power.Expect more of such spending spree in the coming weeeks and months as the race for the flagbeareship of the Npp hots up. The NPP will surely ling the money spoils they have amassed in power to keep themselves whre the money is. So if anyone hears a muffled voice with a serious tone on their radio this evening ;be informed that it is Nana Addo Calling.

CPP WAKING UP

It is probably the Best new our jubilee year. It is an auspicious year and it will be an appropriate time for the party founded by the Great Nkrumah to wake up and take its rightful place in the political landscape of this country.

Over the last few weeks the CPP has been enjoying a lease of positive media attention. The party has been in the public space for more good raesons than any other cause. Any body who wacthes the political scene in Ghana will attest tonthe fact that when such things happen then it means there is a fundamental shift in the political dynamics of this country.

The 50th Annivessary celebrations has refocused more attention on the graetness of Nkrumah and what he has achieved for this country. Every one looks back with pleasant nostalgia of the really good old days. The detractors of Nkrumah ,try as they could did not succeed in eroding the solid reputation the Great Man built for himself accross Ghana and Africa.It was such a beautiful sight to watch all the leaders of Africa converge on the Independece Park and pay deserved tribute to the Great Man and thank him for his help in the liberation strugle all over the continent. Also the recently ended AU summit in Accra where our current president (as the Host) and majority of the presidents gathered failed miserably to come up with a decision on a Continental Union government showed how forward looking Nkrumah was when he proposed a union government in 1957 at the time of Ghanas Independence.

Again this resurgence of the CPP is a sign of the yearning of ghanaians to have another party that will bring a new dael and attitude toi the table.And CPP seems to be best placed to fill this gap.

I am hoping those in authority will not blow this opportunity and capitalise on the groundswell of sentimental affection that is being shown. The leadership of the CPP must match this show of support and interest with equal harwork and organisational prowess.

PLEASE DO NOT LET OSAGYEFO AND THE PEOPLE OF GHANA DOWN ;CPP!!!

KARL ROVE RESIGNS

So finnally the brain of Mr. Bus has left the Neocon Nest.This is a huge blow to the increasing vulnerable Bush administration in its dying last years. In a move to save the precious little reputation Rove has left, he has resigned citing personal and familiy reasons. Mr. Bush says it is a major loss for his administration and he aint kidding when he says that.

CRAZY SYSTEM (FUEL PRICE INCREASES)

Today I sat in a public transport bus (actually they are all privately owned) from home on my way to work just as i do everyday;the only difference was that a huge argument ensued among the driver and his conductor on one side and the passenger on the other over fares. the arguments were so fierce and heated that it threatened to boils over into fisticuffs. Theres was this wily man who was really boiled over and threatened fire and brimstone. This is the perennial bickering that follows any increase in gasoline prices whether announced or unannounced. The Killer govern met are uncoceruered about all this because those in government will not bear any burden whatsoever. It cost me 18000 cedis to commute to and from work every single day from my 900000 cedis allowance .(which is in a 2 months arrears anyway )

KOFI ANNAN IN GHANA PARLIAMENT

Today history was made in Ghana when Kofi Annan, the former UN General Secretary became the first private individual addressed the parliament of Ghana.

Of course as was expected he talked about development and eradication of poverty ;however the occasion was only relevant for its form instead of substance.

Among other things he pointed out how Ghana and Malaysia Started out in similar circumstances at independence in 1957 but 50 years down the line it is a tale of two cities. I am deeply troubled by this simplistic analysis of what accounts for the disparities between the two countries in terms of development. It is even more disturbing troubling when such heavy weights who we trust to know better indulge in such mob simplicity. It makes it more dificult to see clearly, the obstacles that stand in the way of our march towards development.

GHANA: GRADUATES AND JOBS

TODAY at my work place there is going to be a send-off party for National Service Personnel.( National service is a compulsory year internship for all tertiary education graduate in Ghana.)

The dominant question among the service personnel is "where do we go from here?"We are all apprehensive about where our first job opportunity is going to come from. Some of us are so dejected we are beggining to think if it was a mistake to attain our levels of education.

JOBS ARE SO SCARCE IN GHANA!!!

Our political leaders keep payee lip serve to the challenge of providing jobs for the increasingly desperate Ghanain youth.

ANOTHER CURSE FOR MY DEAR NATION

18th June 2007.The Venue is instructive ,the ominous whitewashed former British Slave Fort called Giuggisberg Castle.Amid the obscene opulence and flooding champaigne, a tall wiley whietman in worktop,jeans and boots raises a small pot contaning a dark liquoid and beckons the president to step forward and inspect it. The president obliges as if this drill has been rehearsed a million time times while the ministers gatherd around eagerly look on. The president's face lights up in an ecstatic glow and the man in boots exclaims in an excited tone GHANA HAS STRUCK OIL!!! Well all this was in celebration of Ghanas luck at finding oil in commercial quatities in the the west of the country,offshore. And what has this got to do with such a desperate and alarmist title? The excitement of the president and his hangers on must at least seep through to me. I am myself weary of being uneccessarily negative of our country and events in most other parts of Africa. I am an eternal optimist on the future of Ghana and Africa an a whole.I should be the most happiest person on the planet but knowing what i know about the current leadership of my county , i really shudder to think about what the future with oil money to fund thier obscene extravagance. I will Write on the resource curse later.

Foreign Policy USA

HAVE THE HAWKS BEEN CAGED? The Neo-Conservatives appears to have been driven out of the Whitehouse but are they really gone? When president Bush delivered the verdict the following morning after the US mid –term elections; describing it as a “thumping defeat” one immediately had the inclination that a lot of changes in Washington were in the offing. The Ideological battle for the control of American foreign policy (at least for next two years) had reached a decisive point and the election was the critical decider. Whether the Bush administration would continue to be dominated by the Neo Conservatives (Neocons) or shifted toward the Realists view was the key question that was begging for an answer. And true to predictions, the last real bulwark of the Neocons, Donald Rumsfeild the Defense Secretary was shown the exit…well he resigned but it was clear that he infact was pushed instead of jumping. A few hours later Mr. John Bolton, the US representative to the United Nations who was himself smuggled into that position after evading Congressional hearing also resigned. This was clearly done to avoid having to face the now Democrat controlled congress with a high possibility of suffering a humiliating rejection. For a man who had famously declared his disdain and contempt for multilateralism and international institutions, he clearly would be far from missed in UN circles. So with such influential Neocons gone, can one safely say the “Hawks”(as they are collectively known because of their tendency for hardliner and confrontational attitude to disagreement ) have been consigned to a strong room and locked away for at least the rest of Mr. Bush’s second term? Before that question could be attempted it will be worth considering the immediate events that led to the mid-term ‘thumping’ and the subsequent loss of favour of the Neocons. The clouds had been gathering and all the warning signs were clear since the insurgency in Iraq gathered steam and a lot begun to go wrong with the occupation. After the glorious victory in Iraq in mid 2003 the Neocons with their hawkish strategists committed a lot of blunders that came back to haunt them. A lot of issues came together to change the ideological outlook of Washington and rescue American foreign policy from the Neocons. One of such issues was the continuing and unabated disaster in Iraq which had left a bitter disappointment to most Republican and even some of the hard core Neocons. The abject failure in Iraq as well as the increasing death toll of American soldiers was proving a hard pill to swallow. Having failed to effect change from the inside, some the Neocons who did not like the Iraq strategy decided to fight the system from the outside. Many of them launched stinging attacks against the administration especially personalities like Donald Rumsfeild and Dick Cheney. A lot of them called for the sacking of Mr. Rumsfeild and a drastic change in direction at the Pentagon. One of such disillusioned Neocons was David Frum, the former speech writer for Bush who is credited for coining the phrase “Axis of Evil”. In November 2006 he granted an interview to Vanity Fair in which he fiercely criticized the strategy in Iraq, questioned the leadership of Mr. Bush and called for the sacking of the Defense Secretary. Also in the same Vanity fair magazine Richard “the Prince of Darkness” Perle of the American Enterprise Institute as well as Kenneth Adelman, a former member of the Defense Policy Board at the Pentagon who famously declared in 2003 that the Invasion of Iraq would be ‘cakewalk’; heavily criticized the handling of the war and reiterated the call for the sacking of the Defense Secretary. Coming from such visible and powerful Neocons it surely was a worrying development. These men were the real brains behind the invasion in the first place so such an abrupt about turn was really a barometer on how bad matters had gotten. Matters really got out of hand when on November 4 2006, The Army Times, The Marine Times and The Navy Times published a joint editorial calling for Mr. Rumsfield to go. These publications were the mouthpieces of the various US army units (Army, Marine, and Navy) and as is the time honored tradition in the US, the military takes orders from administrators but this time the Army was calling for the sacking of their administrative head. This was unheard of! But it happened. Then there was the resultant plunge in the popularity of the Administration and their Policies. The slim public support that was showed before and during the war has even grown even more thinly. The president himself has had to watch his approval rating whittled down to historical lows. One such rating conducted by Harris, and released just before the mid-term elections in November showed that his approval among even Republicans was very low. As a matter of fact Mr. Bush’s approval rating was found to worse than what former president Nixon enjoyed during the Watergate Scandal! Having listened to the council of the Neocons which had proved to be disastrous for both the war effort and his image, he did not need a lot persuading to start reevaluating his options. Probably one of the most significant events that triggered the change in direction in the Oval Office was the wide public acceptance of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group even before their recommendations were published. It was not a hard sell at all as the only effort it had to put in was to convince Americans their plan did not include any of cardinal strategies of the failing Neocons plan. Even the make up of the bi-partisan group was enough to extract public approval and support. Led by James Baker, a former Secretary of State (a leading realist) and consisting of some of the most experienced politicians in the US credibility was not hard to command. Even though subsequent events has seen their ‘radical’ suggestions ignored by Mr. Bush in announcing and increase in troops in Iraq and also flatly refusing to engage Syria and Iran in any diplomatically on the way forward in Iraq, it is clear that the current strategy (which is actually no different from previous only) is not informed by the Neocons and will certainly not be run by them. It is also clear that the members of the Neocons camp is not singing from the same hymn book. .There has been sharp divisions among them over other issues which used to unite them. One of such issues is the way forward in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how to deal with Iran over its nuclear ambitions. Some of the Hawks themselves seem to have lost their Neo conservative zeal and have begun to questions whether their ideology is relevant in today’s reality. In the same Vanity Fair interview Richard Perle said that on hindsight the invasion of Iraq was a mistake and that if the question was asked of him today he would advice against it. Such a frank admission from the intellectual linchpin of the Neocons camp is such a significant pointer to the level confidence in the camp. Also Kenneth Adelman also speaks of the plan to invade Iraq as one he would mark “CANT DO” and file away given the benefit of hindsight. For a man who declared that attacking Iraq and getting rid of Saddam Hussein would be ‘cakewalk’ it is a shocking revelation. The Neocons have become an endangered species in the White House as a series of scandals and failures have seen many of them exit from the administration even before the ignominy in Iraq made them unpopular in the public perception. The co heads of the Hawks cabal have all but disappeared from the administration with the departure of Neocons heavyweights such as Douglas Feith, former Undersecretary for Defense Policy and Lewis Libby, the former Chief of Staff for Vice President Cheney. Paul Wolferwitz was shipped to the World Bank to pursue the economic schema of the Neocons strategy for world domination. It has not gone exactly according to plan as the new policy culture that has swept through the organization’s bureaucracy has dwarfed his influence. In fact his view of the world has been moderated over the last two years he has been the president of the World Bank. The former Undersecretary of Defense, John Bolton was also sent to the United Nations. John Bolton’s years at the UN which came to an end recently saw America become more unilateralist as was captured in the last Speech by the former UN secretary General Kofi Annan delivered at the Truman Institute in December last year. One of the heaviest blows to the Neocons camp was the forced resignation of Karl Rove for his involvement in the leak of the name of a CIA undercover agent. His departure was a big loss to most republicans who believed that his role in the in the campaign delivered the 2004 presidential elections for Bush. He became so powerful in the Whitehouse that he was referred to as “the brain of Mr. Bush” and a major asset to the Neocons. Not even the Neocons in Congress were spared as a major figure like Tom Delay, the leader of Republicans in Congress, was forced to resign for his part in campaign finance shenanigans. So with such serious setbacks to the hawks can it be concluded that their time in the corridors of power in is over? It could be argued tersely that one of the Neocons henchmen, the vice President Dick Cheney, is a survivor and could still have influence that could tip the balance of power back in Neocons territory. However the chances of that happening are slim since the conduits for his ideas in the form the former Defense Secretary have been cut out. He is now lone and marginalized figure in the Whitehouse and even struggle for visibility. His cataclysmic fall out of favour has been swift and the best he can hope for is to become a lame duck for the next two years. This is such a contrast from the glory days of his power and influence when he was the most powerful personality in the Oval office and the fulcrum of the Neocons of the ideological camp. Having pulled all the significant strings in the Bush’s administration during the first term and first two years of the second as well as pushing out figures with more realist and moderate world vision such as Colin Powel, the former Secretary of State, Mr. Cheney dominated the American Foreign policy scene. Since the turbulent aftermath of the mid –term elections, a lot seemed to have settled and there is a gradual shift in foreign policy which is a bit different from the previous one primarily informed by Neocons doctrine. It started with changes in personnel at key positions to drive the new strategy. The new Secretary of Defense; Robert Gates is a good bet for a change in strategy in Iraq which is now in shambles. As a former chief of the CIA he is expected to bring more realistic tactics not only in Iraq but in Afghanistan as well. The movement of John Negroponte from his current position to the State Department as Deputy Secretary of State is expected to boost diplomacy and more multilateralism which were reviled by the Neocons. As a former US representative to the UN he comes with more experience and realistic outlook on foreign policy and however hawkish it is, it would be much better than whatever the world had to deal with the Neocons in control. Also the appointment of the current US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalizad to the UN to replace John Bolton is a shift in direction which can only be good news for the world and America as well. The disappointment over the refusal of Mr. Bush to go along with the recommendations of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group has dampened the hopes of many in the Realist camp especially the refusal to engage Iran and Syria in an attempt to find a durable solution in Iraq, but it is clear that the Hawks have lost both physical and ideological presence in Washington.