This is something I picked up from a Ghanaian friend.  It might
interest some of you.

Tom


********************

Topic: Energized by John Agyekum Kuffour's State of the Nation address last
month, Ayittey Bannerman-Menson, a public relations executive with
Fleishman-Hillard, one of the world's largest public relations firms,
challenges Ghanaian professionals to embrace the responsibility of
rebuilding
Ghana by first ending the rough, retaliatory and regressive regime of
Rawlings
and the rookies.  His paper is followed by Owusu vs. Asumadu on how to
respond
to the deteriorating economic conditions at home.

AYITTEY BANNERMAN-MENSON, Public Relations Executive, Fleishman-Hillard,
Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri, April 29, 2000:

On June 4 1979, when Rawlings was freed from jail to take over power in
Ghana
by Boakye Djan and others, he noted that there was a bubble of discontent
brewing, that had to be deflated/diffused before it burst. The rest, we all
know, is history.

For the last twenty years, he and his cohorts/henchmen have continued to
inflate this bubble, and now it is indeed ready to burst. He has turned our
hospitals into graveyards, our primary and secondary schools into .......,
decimated the ranks of the middle class (if there was ever such a class),
reduced COMMON SENSE to NONSENSE and treated Ghanaians like second-class
citizens. The NDC has elevated its friends - some of whom are our friends -
and abased those who have stood against it. Rawlings alone, has succeeded in
creating civil strife by pitting Ghanaians against Ewes, and has set the
stage
for what could turn out to be a bloody civil war, if it ever came to that. I
can hear the skeptics boo, but the handwriting is on the wall. We may choose
not to see it, but I urge you all to take a closer look. Ghana gets worse by
the minute.

For the want of food and shelter, everybody has become co-optable, even men
and women of the cloth, men and women of conscience, our brothers and
sisters.
After all, the opposition's flag bearer was for a brief moment a secretary
responsible for local government under Rawlings.

The (P)NDC has co-opted good men and women as well as evil, unscrupulous,
deceitful citizens of Ghana - from our youngsters to the leaders of our
churches and men of cloth - whose sole mission has become to preach the
ministry of prosperity and to amass wealth in the name of Jesus and are at
Rawlings beck and call-to men and women of all works. You name them and they
are all on the roll call of the castle. Are we going to hell's kitchen in a
Satan's hand basket?

The difference this time is that Ghanaians - both at home an abroad - are
praying that the bubble does not burst. We are all afraid of the consequence
of this bubble bursting. Even the opposition, should they be swept to power
in
heaven's chariots may not be able to prevent the inevitable. The gulf
between
the rich and the poor continues to widen. Ghana finally has become a country
of extremes - or is fast becoming. And, the sad thing is, the few who are
seeking out a living at the expense of the majority are in denial about
Ghana's true state.

Let us ask ourselves, what if the bubble bursts? I have another question -on
whose watch will it burst? If I were Rawlings, I would want it to burst on
the
watch of the opposition. I wonder if the opposition has a remedy to solve
Ghana's problems. I think even the best is doomed to fail. Ghana has passed
the point of no return, in my humble opinion. A mere handover cannot change
the plight or the course of our history - we seem to have set course for
destruction.

So what are we to do as the era of good stealing and looting has taken a
firm
hold of Ghana?

I believe that the opposition should coordinate and call a massive general
strike to bring the Rawlings government to its knees. If Ghanaians do not
respond, then just maybe they are not ready for change. The opposition
should
form a government of unity, declare a state of emergency, bring to justice
the
men and women who have and continue to loot Ghana. Reorganize our loans and
debts, examine all contracts signed on the behalf of the people of Ghana,
including the failed policies enacted by the IMF, World Bank and other
lending
agencies around the world.

If Ghanaians fail to act now in the name of peace, they should remember
Liberia, and S. Leone. While we like to believe that we as a nation are a
bunch of cowards, and God loving people who will not resort to massive
violence, our history, especially under Rawlings in 1979 and again in 1981
should tell us otherwise. Under the PDCs, Ghanaians unleashed a brand of
violence on other Ghanaians that we had never seen before. If we believe,
for
even one minute, that it cannot happen again, then we are in denial. And, oh
by the way there are no shortages of martyrs and idiots who wouldn't die at
the chance to rule Ghana. Remember Charles Taylor and Liberia.

The president's kids are in school somewhere in Europe, his wife has
physicians in Europe, Mawusi Dake died in Ghana after a visit to his doctors
in Europe. Prof "Structural Adjustment Program" Kwesi Botchwey now lives and
teaches at Harvard in the United States, as are many other present and
former
operatives of the PNDC. What idiot builds a castle and then lives in his
friend's hut. We buy planes and jaccuzi (remedy for asthma).

And, oh by the way again, Hissene Habre, Augusto Pinochet and two former
heads
of state of Korea were tried long after they handed over power. So to Mr.
Rawlings and his henchmen - you will not escape justice, we will repatriate
our money, no matter how well you hide it and we will come after you no
matter
where you go! To all Ghanaians who prostituted themselves, and who are still
or thinking about it - this is a message of caution. The world is becoming a
smaller place - Cuba, Libya and North Korea will be your only refuge, and I
am
not sure how much longer.

For my very well educated - Ph.D MBA, MSC MWWW EWWW KZOW - and well paid
Ghanaians: no private, corporal or Lt. of the Ghana Armed Forces is ever
going
to over throw Rawlings and then hand over power to any of you. It appears
the
more educated we get, the less risk we want to take. While I am not
suggesting
a violent overthrow of this government, I am suggesting that people,
especially those of you who are so well educated that you can only talk to
God, should be willing to die for something.

He/she that is down need fear no fall.

Ghana is at its lowest ebb since it became independent on March 6, 1957.  We
have gone from an independent nation to a dependent fourth world country
that
likes to hobnob with a more powerful friend. So Clinton and his wife visit
Ghana - big deal! Ghana can only get better, but we all must contribute to
its
resurrection, or else we all must take blame for its demise and destruction.

I bid you all a great week. Long live Ghana.


CHRISTOPHER ASUMADU
May 1, 2000:

Folks, can we detach or un-cloth ourselves from the entangled web of
colonialism?  It's time to end the politics of divide and conquer.  Instead
of
pointing fingers at the government, we should come with ideas to help our
ailing Ghana. I came back from Ghana after attending my father's funeral
about
a year ago and still going through shock of what I saw. Ghana is gradually,
becoming a theocratic nation, churches everywhere. In KUMASI everyone is a
trader.  The beautiful African bungalow has become the extension of Kejetia.
Subin Valley, where we used to play soccer has also falling victim to the
same
disease.  Please some help before it is too late.


Yaw Owusu, Global Coordinator, Ghana Cyber Group
New York, New York, May 3, 2000:

Thanks for your contribution, Chris.


****************************************************************************
********************
Christopher Asumadu: Folks, can we detach or uncloth ourselves from the
entangled web of colonialism?

Yaw Owusu: Yes, we can.

Christopher Asumadu: I mean it's time to end the politics of divide and
conquer.

Yaw Owusu: The best way of dividing a nation is to kill former leaders,
abduct
and murder supreme court judges (Amartey-Tsikata gate), harass businessmen
and
women, shoot at unarmed demonstrators (Kume Preko), destroy opponents
businesses (5-Billion-Cedi-Hotel gate) and lash naked women in public
(Stupid-gate).  You can then "conquer" by using "transition provisions" to
cover your crimes against the state and steal elections.  Let's talk about
irresponsible leadership. Eric Y. Bonso, Director of Public Relations of the
Ghana Investment Promotion Centre: "The confiscation of fifty cedi notes and
the freezing of some accounts during the June 4 era is still having a
boomerang effect on investment in the country, to the extent that many
Ghanaians are still keeping a large chunk of money outside the banking
system."

Christopher Asumadu: Instead of pointing fingers at the government, we
should
come up with ideas to help our ailing Ghana.

Yaw Owusu: Translation: no matter what the government does - corrupt,
criminal, or otherwise - don't point fingers.  Keep quiet.  We only need
"ideas" to build Ghana. In the last 20 years, what ideas has the government
listened to?  Prof. Ayittey asserts: "The secrets of economic growth are
known: rule of law, private property rights, pro-market, pro-trade,
investment
in human capital, mobilization of savings, creating a conducive environment
for investment, etc. But they are anathema to the ruling bandits. If
pressured, they would adopt only the cosmetic "reforms" that ensure
continued
flow of Western aid or simply sabotage them."

The National Council of Churches, Teachers' Union, Ghana Bar Association and
the National Union of Ghana Students, all warned the P/NDC to stop the
killing, torture of innocent Ghanaians and other unwarranted human rights
abuses.  Did they listen?  Have you heard of Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addo?
Do you know former Justice Agyepong?  What is Kume Preko and how many people
died on that occasion?  Did the victims attack anyone? Do you know Sani
Abacha?  Who imposed sanctions on Burkina Faso in 1987 when Campoare's men
gunned down Sankara?  Eight years later what happened?  Sani Abacha killed
over a hundred times as many citizens of his country as the number of
Burkinabe annihilated by Campoare.  Who, as reported by the Nigeria Post
Express, received $5 million of the billions of dollars Abacha stole from
Nigeria's treasury?  Why did the former PNDC chairman called Abacha, the
most
corrupt leader in Nigeria's history as a man of integrity?  What ails Ghana?
As recently as last year, what happened to the 5-billion-cedi hotel built by
a
former NDC associate? Every 6 months for almost 20 years, the government
officially commemorates June 4 and December 31, events that led to the
murder
of scores of business and political leaders and stealing of property from
thousands of Ghanaians.  Have you ever complained about the celebration of
coups in Ghana twice a year for two decades? Can we build a better education
system, more efficient health institutions and a stronger economy with a
governing team that presided over a 20-year record of proliferating death
camps at our hospitals, below-standard schools with crumbling infrastructure
and a chronically donor-dependent economy?

Christopher Asumadu: I came back from Ghana after attending my father's
funeral about a year ago and I'm still going through the shock of what I
saw.
Ghana is gradually becoming a theocratic nation - there are churches
everywhere. In KUMASI everyone is a trader.  The beautiful African bungalow
has become the extension of Kejetia.  Subin valley, where we used to play
soccer has also fallen victim to the same disease.  Please some help before
it
is too late.

Yaw Owusu: You're right. Ghana needs our immediate assistance.  But it takes
enormous financial and organizational resources to achieve the changes we
humbly but desperately seek. The New Ghana must start with rooting out
irresponsible leadership.  The road to Osu, where the I-leadership has taken
a
refuge, is darker than it has ever been.  Light a candle Asumadu - So Kanea
Preko!

Please send your donations to:

Dr. Arthur Kennedy
790 Partridge Road
Orangeburg, SC 29118
(803) 531-3456

OR

Victory 2000, Inc.
BOX 23434
Alexandria, VA 22304

http://ghanacybergroup.com/

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