A Call for Unity Among Nkrumaists

31st January 2006

We have noted recent developments in the Nkrumaist fam! ily and are now ever more convinced a unified Nkrumaist party in Ghana is the only way to power in the foreseeable future.

We recognise there are several people out there who like us have been calling for unity amongst Nkrumaists. But the mechanism for achieving this unity has been put under undue bureaucratic stress and therefore the merger of the front has still not materialised.

We of the Nkrumaist forum believe the time is now ripe for our proposed mechanism for achieving unity to be implemented (see attached below) and therefore call on all factions to seriously consider our proposals.

We further believe that with the failure of the NPP to deliver for the common masses who earn less than one dollar a day in this global world economy, the people of Ghana are looking for a real alternative. We do not think that alternative is the NDC.

The NDC in the past lavishly followed the dictates of the WB/IMF and the wishes of foreign donors, be! nt on seeing Ghana and Africa remain third world neo-colonies of their capitalist exploitative practices. The NDC is a rudderless party with no underpinning ideology and is only intent on seeking power for the sake of power.

Come electioneering for power in the next elections, we believe the NDC and NPP would be outdoing each other on who would better follow the dictates of the the Bretton Woods institutions of the WB/IMF, or worse still who would better mortgage the future of Ghana. The NkrumaistForum in partnership with the wider Nkrumaist family stand ready to protect the Ghanaian interest.

We of the NkrumaistForum believe that the people of Ghana are disappointed. After several years of waiting for the "matemeho" and "gboi ngbe wo" gangs of the Busia-Danquah tradition, the people of Ghana and the masses are being subjected to harsh individualistic policies that is in effect crushing the spirit of the masses, their co! mmunities continue to be underdeveloped and the economy is still stagnating.

We therefore call on all Nkrumaists everywhere to join us in this move towards unity. We recognise we have not articulated our identity and policies the people of Ghana can warm up to. So to Nkrumaists and pro-Nkrumaists supporting the NDC and the NPP, our proposal is to call all these people to come back to the fold.

We propose a convention in Ghana for all Nkrumaists at home or abroad, to include non Ghanaian Nkrumaists as observers. We call on all to join us in this convention, from which will emerge an understanding of what we need to do to win power again in Ghana.

We believe that debates about leadership of the front are not the issue at present but that unity and identity and the way to form an election winning organisation with credible leadership is the way forward.

We ask all who wish to be part of this movement and convention to register their interest at: http://www.thenkrumaistforum.org

We append below the letter we sent to Nkrumaist party leaders in Ghana last year.

Issued by:

Kofi Nani Current Chair, Coordinating Committee, NkrumaistForum

Kosi Dedey Current Secretary, Coordinating Committee, NkrumaistForum ===============

LETTER TO NKRUMAIST PARTIES

Dear Party Leader,

On behalf of the NkrumaistForum, we would like to share with you the outcome of an initiative we embarked on as part of our contribution to the debate on reviving the political and electoral fortunes of the Nkrumaist family, home and abroad. A unity Committee we set up for the purpose reported on the 4th of April 2005, as attached. This communication is to invite you to support and co-sponsor our key proposal of a pro-Nkrumah Homecoming Conference later in 2005.

Background

Following the 2004 presidential and parliamentary elections, the NkrumaistForum devoted a significant amount of time reflecting on how best we could contribute to the recovery of the pro-Nkrumah political movement in Ghana. We agreed that lack of unity and existence of multiple pro-Nkrumah parties competing for the same pool of votes were an obvious and principal drawback to electoral success that reinforced doubts about our ability to undertake the demanding task of government. We concluded therefore that any long-term recovery will have to be predicated on unity and proceeded to work out how we could help bring this about.

Given the failed attempts of preceding years, we settled on an all-party Unity Conference of pro-Nkrumaists, home and abroad, regardless of current/previous party affiliations and without preconditions, as the vehicle for resolving, once ! and for all, the issue of unity or lack thereof. The objective would be to use the conferen ce to establish an enabling framework to bring together all existing parties and grassroots movement with the ultimate view of creating a single pro-Nkrumah party based on a common constitution and an agreed political platform through:

. Reconciliation – to initiate dialogue at different levels: between representatives of existing pro-Nkrumah parties; the party leaderships and our grassroots; and, between our movement and the wider Ghanaian public;

· Reconstruction: define the outlines of a united party organisation with a new constitution at its core; and,

· Revival – to agree and articulate a common political platform that gives _expression to our movement's progressive ideals and is distinct in purpos! e and content from the NPP and the NDC.

Recent Developments and 'Homecoming' conference

Since the publication of our Unity Committee Report, as attached, news of a PNC /CPP merger has reached us. We welcome indeed the merger and sincerely applaud and congratulate the architects and all those who helped achieve this important milestone.

The challenge remains, as the PNC/CPP press statement on unity indicates, to agree on a political platform and common constitution, and to reach out to other pro-Nkrumah parties and political groups.

In the context of our proposals, the PNC/CPP merger marks the beginning of the reconciliation process and we will encourage its extension to other parties that are not yet in the fold, in parallel with discussions on the constitution and political platform.

We are sure you will agree with us that, ultimately, our viability as a leading player on the Ghanaian political sc! ene will depend on our ability to reach beyond our current electoral base as measured by our share of votes at the last presidential and parliamentary elections and subsequent bye-elections since 2004.

Whilst we acknowledge that the contents of our proposed conference will need adjusting, at the margins at least, to reflect the current developments between the PNC and CPP, we also believe that the conference will enable us extend our reach to other constituencies in the country , including many on the progressive Left who are not yet part of the process. It will also afford us the opportunity to make a publicly binding commitment to a united broad-based party and to ratify a common constitution and a progressive political platform that embodies the aspirations of the Ghanaian population.

Such public declarations would serve other purposes: i.e. signal to our opponents and to the country that! we are determined to put our previous divisions behind us and to focus on the real task of lifting our people out of poverty and giving them better opportunities in life. For many years, we have appeared a shadow of ourselves; we have lacked confidence and self-belief which itself has reinforced the perception among the wider electorate that we are not ready to govern. The conference should therefore not only be about canvassing details of a common constitution and political platform; it must also imbue our supporters and sympathisers with a renewed sense of confidence to go out there and make the case for an alternative to both the NPP and the NDC.

Initial implementation steps As you can see from the report's main recommendations, the next first steps are to set-up two cross-movement committees to carry out the hard task of execution:

A Conference Implementation Committee (IC): to implement our recommendat! ions, adjusted as necessary, to take account of recent developments on unity.

A Steering Committee (SC): to provide overall, direction, guidance and accountability for the work of the Implementation Committee.

What we need from you The success of the conference depends on the participation of parties and groups such as yours. To this end, we hereby kindly request your kind and immediate response as follows:

1. Endorsement of our proposals for a homecoming conference subject modifications to be agreed by the implementation and steering committees;

2. Agreement to fully participate in the conference; and

3. Commitment to appoint two members of your party, one to serve on the proposed implementation committee and the second on the proposed steering committees. With regard to the latter, preferably a high-ranking executive with the authority to r! epresent your views and to make decisions on your behalf as necessary.

We would appreciate if you could send us your nominations by close of business on May 31st 2005.

Our commitment to you

We on the NkrumaistForum, are committed to

· Putting forward our best available talent, home and abroad, to serve on both implementation and steering committees and in whatever capacities you consider necessary or appropriate.

· Leading the organisation of the conference if you so desire.

· Providing financial resources and assisting with fund-raising home and abroad for the conference and beyond.

Concluding Remarks

We believe that recent developments appear to bode well for the restoration of our electoral and political fortunes but we also recognise that there is much wo! rk to be done. We would like to affirm our unqualified support and commitment in this endeavour and our readiness to assist in whatever ways necessary to help chart our path back to success and government.

We hope you will look favourably on our proposals and notify us of your proposed candidates for the implementation and steering committees as soon as you have identified them.

Forward Ever!

Yours truly

Nii Armah Kweifio-Okai Chair, Coordinating Committee, The NkrumaistForum

John Jara Secretary, Coordinating Committee, The NkrumaistForum

DELIVERED TO RECIPIENT BY PROF NANA AYISI AND SELECT MEMBERS OF THE NKRUMAISTFORUM IN GHANA ON BEHALF OF THE NKRUMAISTFORUM.