The West And The Rest Of Us

Back in the late 1980s, early 90s, a conspiracy was hatched by the nuclear powers of the world to dump their nuclear waste on Africa. These were highly toxic by-products of the nuclear industry with half-lives of hundreds of thousands of years. Their originators had been overwhelmed by the waste and the voice of the anti-nuclear movement in Europe had become too shrill for their various countries. Under the programme, poverty-stricken Black African countries were to be persuaded to take shiploads of these dangerous waste materials for storage, in exchange for some annual pittance.

Ghana was one of the countries that were seriously considering taking up the bait. A ship with a consignment of these dangerous materials had already set sail for Sierra Leone when some radical scientists in the West began a protest movement that was taken up by some scientists in Africa which eventually led to the demise of that plan.

That was a racist insult to Black Africa because Egypt that receives five billion free green bucks every year from Uncle Sam, was not even approached in that toxic deal. And Egypt has more mountains, caves and desert lands than most African countries, for storing nuclear waste materials. The obvious inference was that Black African leaders are cheap, corrupt and can be more easily manipulated.

Now the shipment of Guantanamo Bay detainees (or terrorist instructors?), to Ghana? Why on earth would the president of the Republic of Ghana, a country that is much older than the last three American presidents, while in office, take toxic goods that nobody wants in their backyard? What exactly was the inducement - grants in aid or investment—much of which would be stolen before they hit the shores of Ghana?

Let me see, America would not take the duo because they find them too dangerous, neither would Britain, France nor Germany, nor would any of the European powers with much more sophisticated surveillance equipment and fire power, if it comes to it. Britain has its own jihadist schools and crèches. France has obviously bitten more than it can chew, in terms of taking in “refugees.” It seems more like poetic justice. The knives their forebears swallowed during the war of independence are now flowing freely down there! So it must be a Black African country led by one of those gullible leaders! Post World War II Germany likes to take refugees on humanitarian grounds, but not tainted cargo. So to Africa they must go.

Contradictions

President Mahama says “there were extensive consultations and background checks before the two were accepted.” However, Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Hannah Tetteh now says she was excluded from some of the discussions. That is what the Interior Minister is also saying.

The Foreign Minister is the President’s chief adviser on all foreign matters, while the Minister of Interior advises the president on internal security matters. According to the President, heads of the security services and the Ambassador in Washington DC travelled to Guantanamo on several occasions over a period of more than one year, to check on the backgrounds of the two terror suspects. If these two key ministers were excluded from these discussions, to whom were those officials reporting, the President? If so why was that arrangement put in place? Was it because there was some detail the President could not trust his own top advisers with? Was it about money or some spurious promises from Obama?

The heads of the security services report to the Minister of Interior, while the Ambassador to Washington DC reports to the Foreign Minister. If there was something that was so sensitive that those individuals and organisations had to report directly to the President; is it any wonder that there is speculation that money could have changed hands in that dubious transaction? Why has the Sister Hanna Tetteh, in particular, not resigned her position?

In his speech in Accra in 2013, President Obama referred to Africa’s need of “strong institutions and not strong men.” But that is exactly what he has encouraged in this case, the creation of a “strong man” in Ghana, a president who belittles his Parliament and other state institutions and uses the people’s money to buy them snake oil and a toxic mixture of potential suicide bombers and jihadist instructors!

The title of this article has been borrowed from the title of a book I read a long time ago by the Nigerian author, Chiwezu. Clearly, this Guantanamo case is one of the instances of overt racism that is practised on African leaders, this time by one of its own. That should not be surprising because Barack Obama did not believe that he is Black until his white grandmother gave him a clear demonstration of it. Perhaps now that he has used the ‘Black card’ to win himself two terms for the Oval Office, he is returning to his old Barry self? Otherwise why would he treat the president of one of Africa’s supposedly most enlightened countries this way?

Shoddy work

A recent Fox News programme demonstrated that at least Muhammad Bin Atef, and possibly both Guantanamo detainees dumped on poor Ghana, are very dangerous individuals, considering the fact Ghana as a country is cursed with a totally corrupt police service and porous national security system that cannot even deal with local armed robbers and does not trust its own ministers with sensitive matters!

A leaked US classified document shows that the American authorities have known since 2007 that Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby is equally dangerous. In other words, President Mahama was briefed confidentially about the two detainees and still foolishly decided to dump them on Ghanaians because according to him Ghanaians have such short memories and would soon forget about it all or else was cheaply lied to by the American authorities. Either way, President Mahama and his advisers, whoever they are, have done a very shoddy job in accepting the two former detainees! Whatever it is, what business has Ghana in dabbling in Middle East terrorist matters? Does the president not have enough corruption and incompetently managed social and economic problems on his plate as it is?

Clearly, in spite of all the phoney protestations, this president does not care about the people of Ghana and he must go! Resignation is not of the African political lexicon, but he is definitely one of those one-term African presidents that I have been campaigning for. For his record and his unwillingness to seek the country’s best interest, Mr Mahama does not deserve one day longer in the Executive House!

I shall return with my beaded gourd, God willing.