What Really Happened?

Generally in Ghana we try to bury the past so that we may have peace. To find out what really happened is to unearth unpleasant events, which are best forgotten. Thus when a dispute or “quarrel” is brought before the elders the aim is not primarily to identify the guilty party but to restore peace.

A successful resolution of the matter is marked by the slaughtering of sheep to provide a meal which the contestants partake of. What happened is forgotten and peace is restored.

At the family or community level, embarrassing events are not recalled. Mentioning of calamities or shameful events in the past attracts serious censure such as heavy fines. “Great oaths” which compel immediate attention to the matter at issue are in this category.

This character of ours makes it difficult to know what really happened even in the recent past. We do not for example know what happened at Kulungugu, which perhaps changed the march of events in Ghana more than we realise.

There was a court case, which did not do justice to justice in Ghana. But there was no official enquiry which would have thrown light on the attempt on President Nkrumah's life at Kulungugu and who might have been responsible.
 
There was no real learning from the incident. The shortcomings of our behaviour are compounded by our attitude to politics. Our party can do no wrong and never did any wrong in the past.
 
Worse still, our leaders do no wrong and the behaviour of the party great personalities of old was and is sacrosanct.
 
 It is therefore difficult to assess the past objectively and profit from our mistakes and shortcomings.

Carlyle has observed that the history of the world is the biography of great men and women. Our history is therefore moulded by the lives of our great men and women.
 
 We would therefore not know what really happened in the past and interrogate history to our benefit if we do not have accurate unbiased biographies of our leaders.

It is amusing, as it is also sad to read and listen to ideologies, theories and principles propounded by followers of J. B. Danquah and Kwame Nkrumah and yet ascribed to these great men.
 
Perhaps we cannot blame these party enthusiasts, because I do not believe we have authentic biographies of these eminent leaders.

I believe that Disraeli, the British reformist Prime Minister who bought controlling interest in the Suez Canal in 1875, was right when he advised: “Read no history; nothing but biography, for that is life without theory”.

We do need to know how our successful leaders dealt with the problems which confronted them. We would find that, although they had philosophies to guide them, they acted in the light of realities on the ground and took advantage of the prevailing circumstances.

It has been suggested that I write biographies of the leaders I knew. Some have asked me to write my own biography. In fact, a friend has offered to finance such an undertaking.
 
But as Carlyle has stated, history is but the biography of great men. And I am no great man. I suppose what my friends believe is that in writing such a biography I will throw some light on the lives of the truly great men with whom I was fortunate to associate.

As a matter of fact I have been throwing some light on the aims and ideals of these men especially Kwame Nkrumah whose overthrow 42 years ago was marked on February 24.
 
Perhaps it is better to start the ball rolling by taking advantage of this column to portray my views to assist scholars and competent historians to lighten our path by analysis and surveys of the lives of our illustrious leaders.

I will therefore begin a serialisation of my memoirs next week. It will not be in chronological order. In fact, I will begin with “My Last Years With Kwame Nkrumah” I left Flagstaff House three weeks before the coup d'etat which overthrew him. And since the anniversary of his overthrow was marked recently, this chapter should be found topical.

I will of course intersperse these memories with issues of current interest. Indeed this week I think we should reflect on the “future with oil” President Kufuor has taken the right step in supporting a consultative forum on the issue and he sounded the right note by advising that the oil and gas industry should “become a blessing rather than a curse”

Extensive consultations and elaboration of fine policies should lead quickly to in-depth formulation of strategies and institutions, which will make oil a blessing to all Ghanaians.

Oil need not always lead to riches for a few and grinding poverty for the many. It did produce problems recently in Russia but the national interest has prevailed and oil today drives the Russian economy to the prosperity of the country and the satisfaction of many citizens.

Our institutional memory is inadequate and we are bad in keeping records. But we have dealt with some of the issues before. During the Busia regime we had hopes of finding oil.
 
As ambassador to Austria I accompanied my good friend Mr R. R. Amponsah, then a Minister to the Secretary-General of OPEC, who remarked that we were well briefed on the oil industry.
 
Things have changed but we did study the matter and today we have more Ghanaian experts to analyse the issues involved.

We should certainly take advantage of foreign expertise and advice but the ultimate decision should be our own and in the national interest.
 
The fine directives of probity, accountability and the like will be implemented by Ghanaians and in our present circumstances, there will be some corruption.
 
Our aim should be to reduce corruption by politicians and officials by the enforcement of procedures, rules and regulations and openness.

Already, I am sure people are joggling for lucrative positions. Various contracts will be awarded and ships will be engaged to convey the oil and so on. The party in power will try to put its people in key positions and strengthen its finances.
 
No amount of procurement law and regulations can rule out the human influence and personal decision.
 
Perhaps we should elect the chief executive or executives of the institutions to be established by an electoral college of members of parliament and chairmen of the Regional Houses of Chiefs voting in secret.

We have done well in governance but we are not looking well after our wasting assets.

For example, we need answers to the questions I posed about gold last week.
 
Does the gold we produce help our balance of payments? How much tax is paid by the gold companies and the expatriate staff?
 
What plans do we have for refining some of the gold and reviving the local industry in trinkets, etc.?

We have to come down to earth after the big talks and seminars. We will not feel helpless and overdependent on foreigners if we know what happened in the past.
 
Article by S.K.Asante
 

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