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21.12.2007 CPP

CPP Damns Enemies

21.12.2007 LISTEN
By Daily Guide

The Convention People's Party (CPP) has observed that the absence of cohesion among followers of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, 41 years after his overthrow, was basically due to the handiwork of some imperialist governments and some political parties in the country.

The party blamed some of its followers, who for the sake of bread and butter, openly denied their association with the first president, saying those people had set a bad precedent by failing to resist the oppressors' rule as indicated in the national anthem of Ghana.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra yesterday on the occasion of the overthrow of Dr. Nkrumah, the CPP National Chairman, Dr. Edmund Delle said soon after the February 24, 1966 coup, merely mentioning the Osagyefo's name, or hanging his photograph in one's room was considered a criminal act.
This, in his opinion, largely contributed to demonizing the man who laid down his life for the continent.

“The forces of reaction that collaborated with imperialist agents to overthrow Nkrumah are alive and active, some operating within various levels of our movement.

If the Nkrumaist front is weak and divided, it is no accident of history. The imperative by imperialist forces to destabilize the CPP is as old as the party itself,” he said.

According to Dr. Delle, many books written by the first president were refused publication after his overthrow, while the ones that had already seen the light of day were banned.

He also mentioned the destruction of Nkrumah's statues at the time and reminded members to be wary of the works of what he called, 'some powerful political forces'.

“Comrades and friends, as we defend our heritage, we should not forget that there are powerful political forces who have never hidden their ambition to try and control or direct what happens in the CPP, regardless of whether or not the CPP is in power,” he cautioned.

The chairman also identified the absence of solidarity among the comrades and lamented the way some insiders betrayed the founder and virtually sold him to the opposition.

On the party's vision for Ghana, Delle noted that despite Nkrumah's efforts at transforming the economy, nothing dramatic had happened in the last 41 years because the state had not been allowed to play its expected role within the mainstream of directing the economy.

“Our conviction”, he said, “is that the state should be at the forefront of creating jobs, promoting technological advancement, alleviating poverty, fighting ignorance, and promoting the general and material welfare of the people.”

He called on all to help the nation rediscover its national pride, appealing to Ghanaians to celebrate the Golden Jubilee in a climate of peace and tolerance.

Contributing, the CPP general-secretary, Professor Nii Noi Dowuona said history had not dealt fairly with the party, stressing that the real danger period was between 1982 and 2000.

He however expressed optimism that the time had come for the party to take its rightful role as 'Traditional Rulers' in the country.

On his part, Mr. Kwesi Pratt, a spokesperson of the CPP, apologized on behalf of the party to anyone who might have been wrongfully detained under the draconian Preventive Detention Act (PDA).

He however explained that the use of emergency powers to protect lives and property was not new in governance, saying even America resorted to detention without trial soon after the September 11, 2001 attack on New York.

In a related development, the University of Ghana chapter of the Tertiary Students Charter (TESCHAT), in a release, called on all Ghanaians to put petty squabbles behind them and help rebuild the nation.

By Bennett Akuaku

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