South Africas 50 Year Tradition of Heavy-handed State Intervention Continues by Neil Emerick

As the cry goes out for Economic freedom in our lifetime, it is crucially important we share a common understanding of the idea. This is not an easy task. Commentators across the ideological spectrum claim the term as their own, or attribute different meanings to the words. Isaiah Berlin, for example, framed the debate in terms of positive and negative freedoms. Positive liberty expressed the idea of being free to accomplish the goals one sets for oneself, or the degree to which that is possible. Negative liberty, on the other hand, he defined as freedom from restriction or coercion by other people. It is a more restricted form of freedom, and includes dont steal, dont commit fraud, dont harm others and so on. Positive liberty can lead to claims for social rights such as housing, education and health care, social rights that a government can provide only because they are paid for by other members of society. If you have the right to a house, someone has to pay to provide the materials and time required to build that house. Similarly, with health-care, education, or the growing number of other claims laid against the state. If you believe that these claims are valid, its difficult to know how far government would go before there would be no more taxes it could impose. The classical liberal view of economic freedom is narrower. It takes the long-standing human tradition of private property and argues for its incorporation in political institutions. Under the classical view, individuals are free to trade their private resources with other similarly free agents, without restriction from third-parties. These two definitions of economic freedom are miles apart, and are the two extremes that fuel contemporary political debate. To inform this debate, its important to understand what each definition of economic freedom would have as its result. It was this question that inspired the development and continued publication of the Economic Freedom of the World report. It is two decades since Michael Walker of the Fraser Institute in Vancouver debated this idea with the great economist Milton Friedman and agreed that a formal definition suitable for academic analyses was required. Today this definition finds expression in a report that draws its data from credible and public reports such as the World Bank Development Indicators and the Global Competitiveness Report and incorporates this data into a useable index with five important categories. The categories answer a simple question: To what degree does the individual decide (or to put it another way, to what degree does the state intervene) in certain economic decisions? The category headings are (a) Size of Government (b) Judicial Systems (c) Sound Money (d) Freedom to Trade with Foreigners, and (e) Regulation of Credit, Labour and Business. All these categories analyse, from slightly different angles, the degree to which we are allowed to hold property and trade it with others. In 2011, South Africa continues its trend toward higher levels of government intervention and slips four places further down the Economic Freedom rankings to 87th. Top of the freedom list is Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland and Australia. Significantly, the United States drops two places to 10th. At the bottom of the list we find Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Venezuela, Myanmar and Zimbabwe. The 2008/2009 period was particularly dramatic in economic terms as governments transferred massive financial debts to their own books and attempted interventions on an unprecedented scale. These actions may be viewed harshly by future generations as the sovereign debt crisis plays itself out. The increased level of intervention shows up in lower scores across the board in this years report. The World score for Size of Government has fallen from 6.4 to 6.3. More importantly, Freedom to Trade with Foreigners fell

from 6.7 to 6.5 a portent of protectionism, tried and failed during the last great depression. Unfortunately, South Africa continues its 50 year-old tradition of heavy-handed state intervention. We rank 113th in terms of Size of Government. The large involvement in the economy by our parastatals and relatively high tax rates contribute to our poor ranking in this category. South Africa drops an incredible 55 places to 107th in the regulation of private credit a function of our National Credit Act. We also remain poor performers relative to the rest of the world in terms of labour law. In the Hiring and Firing category, we rank 123rd. For Collective Bargaining, were 119th, and Bureacracy Costs leaves us at 103rd. If nothing else, these results show that the entire country is being harmed by the amount of red-tape imposed on its entrepreneurs. All the data available from the report is present in a software version that includes the entire set of data from the World Bank Development Indicators. This software makes it easy for researchers to test the economic freedom variables against real-life outcomes. For example: Does more economic freedom create longer, healthier lives and higher levels of income? (The answer by the way is yes to both.) Using statistical correlation, we can learn from those countries that have implemented successful policies, rather than those that continue to increase the role of their governments to the detriment of their citizens. The Economic Freedom of the World report plays an important part in the on-going debate about our political institutions and the role government should play in our economic lives. South Africa should carefully monitor its policy options in light of the devastating poverty and unemployment so prevalent in our society. Though history plays a role, it cannot be perpetually blamed for disappointing policy. AUTHOR Neil Emerick is a Council Member of the Free Market Foundation. This syndicated article by AfricanLiberty.org , is adapted from his foreword to the South African edition of the Economic Freedom of the World: 2011 Annual Report.

NATO's War on Libya is Directed against China: AFRICOM and the Threat to China's National Energy Security
by F. William Engdahl

MAP above. Africom's regional interests. Copyright Stratcom 2011 The Washington-led decision by NATO to bomb Gaddafi's Libya into submission over recent months, at an estimated cost to US taxpayers of at least $1 billion, has little if anything to do with what the Obama Administration claims was a mission to "protect innocent civilians." In reality it is part of a larger strategic assault by NATO and by the Pentagon in particular to entirely control China's economic achilles heel, namely China's strategic dependence on large volumes of imported crude oil and gas. Today China is the world's second largest imported of oil after the United States and the gap is rapidly closing. If we take a careful look at a map of Africa and also look at the African organization of the new Pentagon Africa CommandAFRICOMthe pattern that emerges is a careful strategy of controlling one of China's most strategically important oil and raw materials sources. NATO's Libya campaign was and is all about oil. But not about simply controlling Libyan high-grade crude because the USA is nervous about reliable foreign supplies. It rather is about controlling China's free access to long-term oil imports from Africa and from the Middle East. In other words, it is about controlling China itself. Libya geographically is bounded to its north by the Mediterranean directly across from Italy, where Italian ENI oil company has been the largest foreign operator in Libya for years. To its west it is bounded by Tunisia and by Algeria. To its south it is bounded by Chad. To its east it is bounded by both Sudan (today Sudan and Southern Sudan) and by Egypt. That should tell something about the strategic importance of Libya from the standpoint of the Pentagon's AFRICOM long-term strategy for controlling Africa and its resources and which country is able to get those resources. Gaddafi's Libya had maintained strict national state control over the rich reserves of high quality "light, sweet" Libyan crude oil. As of 2006 data Libya had the largest proven oil reserves in Africa, some 35%, larger even than Nigeria. Oil consessions had been extended to Chinese state oil companies as well as Russian and others in recent years. Not surprisingly a spokesman from the so-called opposition claiming victory over Gaddafi, Abdeljalil Mayouf, information manager at Libyan rebel oil firm AGOCO, told Reuters, "We don't have a problem with Western countries like the Italians, French and UK companies. But we may have some political issues with Russia, China and Brazil." China and Russia and Brazil either opposed UN sanctions on Libya or pressed for a negotiated settlement of the internal conflict and an end to NATO bombing.

As I have detailed elsewhere,1 Gaddafi, an old adherent of Arab socialism on the line of Egypt's Gamal Nasser, used the oil revenues to improve the lot of his people. Health care was free as was education. Each Libyan family was given a state grant of $50000 towards buying a new house and all bank loans were according to Islamic anti-usury laws, interest free. The state was also free of debt. Only by bribery and massive infiltration into the tribal opposition areas of the eastern part of the country could the CIA, MI6 and other NATO intelligence operatives, at an estimated cost of $1 billion, and massive NATO bombing of civilians, destabilize the strong ties between Gaddafi and his people. Why then did NATO and the Pentagon lead such a mad and destructive assault on a peaceful sovereign country? Clear is that one of the prime reasons was to complete the encirclement of China's oil and vital raw material sources across northern Africa. Pentagon alarm over China Step-by-step in the past several years Washington had begun to create the perception that China, which was the "dear friend and ally of America" less than a decade ago, was becoming the greatest threat to world peace because of China's enormous economic expansion. The painting of China as a new "enemy" has been complex as Washington is dependent on China to buy the lion's share of the US Government debt in the form of Treasury paper. In August the Pentagon released its annual report to Congress on China's military status. 2 This year the report sent alarm bells ringing across China for a strident new tone. The report stated among other things, Over the past decade, Chinas military has benefited from robust investment in modern hardware and technology. Many modern systems have reached maturity and others will become operational in the next few years, the Pentagon said in the report. It added that there remains uncertainty about how China will use its growing capabilities... Chinas rise as a major international actor is likely to stand out as a defining feature of the strategic landscape of the early 21st century.3 In a matter of perhaps two to five years, depending on how the rest of the world reacts or plays their cards, the Peoples' Republic of China will emerge in the controlled Western media painted as the new "Hitler Germany." If that seems hard to believe today, just reflect on how that was done with former Washington allies such as Egypt's Mubarak or even Saddam Hussein. In June this year, former US Secretary of the Navy and now US Senator from Virginia, James Webb, startled many in Beijing when he told press that China was fast approaching what he called a Munich moment, when Washington must decide how to maintain a strategic balance, a reference to the 1938 crisis over Czechoslovakia when Chamberlain opted for appeasement with Hitler over Czechoslovakia. Webb added, If you look at the last 10 years, the strategic winner has been China. 4 The same massively effective propaganda machine of the Pentagon, led by CNN, BBC, the New York Times or London Guardian will get the subtle command from Washington to "paint China and its leaders black." China is becoming far too strong and far too independent for many in Washington and in Wall Street. To control that, above all China's oil import dependency has been identified as her Achilles Heel. Libya is a move to strike directly at that vulnerable Achilles heel.

China moves into Africa The involvement of Chinese energy and raw materials companies across Africa had become a major cause of alarm in Washington where an attitude of malign neglect had dominated Washington Africa policy since the Cold War era. As its future energy needs became obvious several years ago China began a major African economic diplomacy which reached a crescendo in 2006 when Beijing literally rolled out the red carpet to heads of more than forty African states and discussed a broad range of economic issues. None were more important for Beijing than securing future African oil resources for China's robust industrialization. China moved into countries which had been virtually abandoned by former European colonial powers like France or Britain or Portugal. Chad is a case in point. The poorest and most geographically isolated African countries, Chad was courted by Beijing which resumed diplomatic ties in 2006.

In October 2007 China's state oil giant CNPC signed a contract to build a refinery jointly with Chad's government. Two years later they began construction of an oil pipeline to carry oil from a new Chinese field in the south some 300 kilometers to the refinery. Western-supported NGO's predictably began howling about environmental impacts of the Chinese oil pipeline. The same NGOs were curiously silent when Chevron struck oil in 2003 in Chad. In July 2011 the two countries, Chad and China

celebrated opening of the joint venture oil refinery near Chad's capital of Ndjamena. 5 Chad's Chinese oil activities are strikingly close to another major Chinese oil project in what then was Sudan's Darfur region bordering Chad. Sudan had been a growing source of oil flows to China since cooperation began in the late 1990s after Chevron abandoned its stake there. By 1998 CNPC was building a 1500 km long oil pipeline from southern Sudan oilfields to Port Sudan on the Red Sea as well as building a major oil refinery near Khartoum. Sudan was the first large overseas oilfield project operated by China. By the beginning of 2011 Sudan oil, most all from the conflict-torn south, provided some 10% of China's oil imports from taking more than 60% of Sudan's daily oil production of 490,000 barrels. Sudan had become a point of vital Chinese national energy security. According to geological estimates, the subsurface running from Darfur in what was southern Sudan through Chad into Cameroon is one giagantic oil field in extent perhaps equivalent to a new Saudi Arabia. Controlling southern Sudan as well as Chad and Cameroon is vital to the Pentagon strategy of "strategic denial" to China of their future oil flows. So long as a stable and robust Ghaddafi regime remained in power in Tripoli that control remained a major problem. The simultaneous splitting off of the Republic of South Sudan from Khartoum and the toppling of Ghaddafi in favor of weak rebel bands beholden to Pentagon support was for the Pentagon Full Spectrum Dominance of strategic priority.

AFRICOM responds The key force behind the recent wave of Western military attacks against Libya or more covert regime changes such as those in Tunisia, Egypt and the fateful referendum in southern Sudan which has now made that oil-rich region "independent" has been AFRICOM, the special US military command established by the Bush Administration in 2008 explicitly to counter the growing Chinese influence over Africa's vast oil and mineral wealth. In late 2007, Dr. J. Peter Pham, a Washington insider who advises the US State and Defense Departments, stated openly that among the aims of the new AFRICOM, is the objective of "protecting access to hydrocarbons and other strategic resources which Africa has in abundance ... a task which includes ensuring against the vulnerability of those natural riches and ensuring that no other interested third parties, such as China, India, Japan, or Russia, obtain monopolies or preferential treatment." 6 In testimony before the US Congress supporting creation of AFRICOM in 2007, Pham, who is associated with the neo-conservative Foundation for Defense of Democracies, stated: "This natural wealth makes Africa an inviting target for the attentions of the Peoples Republic of China, whose dynamic economy...has an almost insatiable thirst for oil as well as a need for other natural resources to sustain it...China is currently

importing approximately 2.6 million barrels of crude per day, about half of its consumption; more than 765,000 of those barrelsroughly a third of its imports come from African sources, especially Sudan, Angola, and Congo (Brazzaville). Is it any wonder, then, thatperhaps no other foreign region rivals Africa as the object of Beijings sustained strategic interest in recent years...

Intentionally or not, many analysts expect that Africaespecially the states along its oil-rich western coastlinewill increasingly becoming a theatre for strategic competition between the United States and its only real near-peer competitor on the global stage, China, as both countries seek to expand their influence and secure access to resources."7
It is useful to briefly recall the sequence of Washington-sponsored "Twitter" revolutions in the ongoing so-called Arab Spring. The first was Tunisia, an apparently insignificant land on north Africa's Mediterranean. However Tunisia is on the western border of Libya. The second domino to fall in the process was Mubarak's Egypt. That created major instability across the Middle East into north Africa as Mubarak for all his flaws had fiercely resisted Washington Middle East pollicy. Israel also lost a secure ally when Mubarak fell. Then in July 2011 Southern Sudan declared itself the independent Republic of South Sudan, breaking away from Sudan after years of US-backed insurgency against Khartoum rule. The new Republic takes with it the bulk of Sudan's known oil riches, something clearly not causing joy in Beijing. US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, led the US delegation to the independence celebrations, calling it "a testament to the Southern Sudanese people." She added, in terms of making the secssion happen, "the US has been as active as anyone." US President Obama openly supported seccession of the south. The breakaway was a project guided and financed from Washington since the Bush Administration decided to make it a priority in 2004. 8 Now Sudan has suddenly lost its main source of hard currency oil revenue. The secession of the south, where three-quarters of Sudans 490 000 barrels a day of oil is produced, has aggravated economic difficulties in Khartoum cutting some 37% off its total revenues. Sudans only oil refineries and the only export route run north from oilfields to Port Sudan on the Red Sea in northern Sudan. South Sudan is now being encouraged by Washington to build a new export pipeline independent of Khartoum via Kenya. Kenya is one of the areas of strongest US military influence in Africa.9 The aim of the US-led regime change in Libya as well as the entire Greater Middle East Project which lies behind the Arab Spring is to secure absolute control over the world's largest known oil fields to control future policies in especially countries like China. As then US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is reported to have said during the 1970's when he was arguably more powerful than the President of the United States, "If you control the oil you control entire nations or groups of nations." For the future national energy security of China the ultimate answer lies in finding secure domestic energy reserves. Fortunately there are revolutionary new methods to detect and map presence of oil and gas where even the best current geology says

oil is not to be found. Perhaps therein lies a way out of the oil trap that has been laid for China. In my newest book, The Energy Wars I detail such new methods for those interested.

F. William Engdahl is author of Full Spectrum Dominance: Totalitarian Democracy in the New World Order Notes
1 F. William Engdahl, Creative Destruction: Libya in Washington's Greater Middle East Project--Part II, March 26, 2011, accessed inhttp://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=23961 2 Office of the Secretary of Defense, ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS: Military and Security Developments Involving the Peoples Republic of China 2011, August 25, 2011, accessed in www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/2011_cmpr_final.pdf. 3 Ibid. 4 Charles Hoskinson, DOD report outlines China concerns, August 25, 2011, accessed inhttp://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/62027.htmlhttp://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/620 27.html 5 Xinhua, China-Chad joint oil refinery starts operating, July 1, 2011, acessed inhttp://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/7426213.html. BBC News, Chad pipeline threatens villages, 9 October 2009, accessed in http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8298525.stm. 6 F. William Engdahl, China and the Congo Wars: AFRICOM. America's New Military Command, November 26, 2008, accessed inhttp://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=11173 7 Ibid. 8 Rebecca Hamilton, US Played Key Role in Southern Sudan's Long Journey to Independence, July 9, 2011, accessed inhttp://pulitzercenter.org/articles/south-sudan-independence-khartoum-southernkordofan-us-administration-role 9 Maram Mazen, South Sudan studies new export routes to bypass the north, March 12, 2011, accessed inhttp://www.gasandoil.com/news/2011/03/south-sudan-studies-routes-other-than-north-

for-oil-exports

Kwesi Pratt On President Mills' Poor Performance At the UN

Feature Article, by Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro.

I was shocked and very angry to hear the speech of the President of Ghana at the 66th session of the UN General assembly the other day! Don't get me wrong. This is no criticism the NPP can even pretend to take advantage of because, it is obvious from the WikiLeaks revelation, that as Nana Akufo-Addo secretly put it to the US Ambassador, the NPP and the US are natural allies of the United States", they would have rubber-stamped all the whims and caprices of US imperialism. "Ye nim NPP firi tete!" We all know how they were described by the CIA as being "pathetically Pro-Western"! Thus we know the NPP is incapable of doing better than President Mills on this issue. Even before the mass killings in the Ivory Coast and Libya began, Kwesi Pratt,Jnr., had already warned that the US was ready to kill Africans in its quest for oil, and the NPP is supporting them! See: "Kwesi Pratt Causes Fear And Panic In The NPP!" Part One: What Exactly Did Kwesi Say?, Feature Article | by Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro, Tuesday, November 30, 2010. Thanks to the WikiLeaks revelations, we also know who are "the natural allies" of US imperialism in Ghana, and from the horse's own mouth: "2.(C) A casually dressed Akufo-Addo met the Ambassador and POLOFF at the door of his well appointed Accra residence, on the edge of Accra's sprawling Nima neighborhood. Ambassador Teitelbaum said that the U.S. valued its relationship with the NPP, which he believed would someday return to power, and that the Embassy remained open to him. Akufo-Addo replied that the NPP was a natural ally of the U.S." See: Reference ID: 09ACCRA55, SUBJECT: AKUFO-ADDO SHARES POSTELECTION THOUGHTS WITH AMBASSADOR TEITELBAUM. And from the position of the NPP on the Ivorian crisis, on Libya, on Palestine etc., we know that Akufo-Addo's opinions are determined by the imperialists who pay this suspected wee-smoker. So this is clearly a criticism that only the CPP can take advantage of! And the NDC needs to get its act together, if they want us to see any difference between them and the NPP! I wanted to attack the President's speech, but when I heard Kwesi Pratt on the air, I realized he had done all the job I wanted to do so the only thing left for me was a simple transcription. See: Mills free school uniforms speech to UN disappointing - Pratt, From: Myjoyonline.com/Ghana, September 26, 2011. And here is Mr. Pratt's take on the President's speech which so eloquently speaks my own mind and sense of disappointment: Begin quote: "To be very very honest with you, I am not impressed by the President's address at the United Nations. I am not impressed at all. This is the kind of speech you make to your national assembly, not at the UN General Assembly.

There is no global context of this speech. The United Nations is a world platform where you go and mobilize the world, you understand, on issues and so on. What are we saying at the United Nations? "We have eliminated schools under trees. We are distributing free exercise books. We are distributing free school uniforms, and so on." What has this got to do with the United Nations? So, to be honest with you, even though the issues the President raised are critical to the development of Ghana, they are issues not worth the attention they received at the UN General Assembly. And indeed, just when we were coming, you were playing Nkrumah's speeches and so on, look at the difference! So something is wrong with the speech writers of the President, something is wrong with our Foreign Ministry, and something is wrong with developing a global perspective. And I think we should say it as it is. I am not impressed by this speech at all! And yesterday, when I listened to the speech, I felt very uncomfortable you understand? Now, you compare the speech that our President gave, to speeches delivered by people like Evo Morales, and see the world attention, see how they grabbed the world attention and so on. Because they are discussing the world! They are discussing the problems of the world and how they see the world. We didn't! We went there we were talking about distribution of free text books, free exercise book, free school uniforms, schools under trees and so on! I was not impressed at all! Look, the organization of free and fair elections in Ghana is important. It is important for us, because if we do not organize free and fair elections in Ghana, we risk pushing our country to catastrophe and so on. So it it is absolutely important, but why the UN? Of course, the supply of free school uniforms is very important. It is a major social intervention and so on. But why the UN? You know, all my other colleagues have spoken about key issues confronting the world today. Today the world is confronted with the bellicosity of imperialism. Today, the United Nations has become something which is in the back pockets of the United States of America. Today, on the basis of things which were found in the WikiLeaks and so on, the United States is killing hundreds of thousands of people across the globe! What is the stand of Ghana? Do we mean that we have no stand? Are we afraid of the United States of America? Are we afraid of the imperialist powers? What is wrong with us? Look at the bellicosity of imperialism! Look at the ravaging recklessness of imperialism and so on! And we go and talk about free school uniforms! It's incredible. I must say with all honesty that I was not impressed with this speech. One of the key issues being decided at the United Nations is whether or not the Palestinians are entitled and should be given a seat at the UN. This is a crucial issue. And it is an issue of national liberation! Why? You declare Founder's Day in Ghana. What is Founder's Day? What makes Founder's Day so relevant if it is not our commitment to national liberation, our commitment for the struggle against colonialism?

And yet what is happening in Palestine is that there is harsh colonial occupation, colonial occupation of Palestinian land! It is about racism and so on. Indeed the Organization of African Unity in the 1970s equated Zionism with Apartheid. you understand, equated Zionism with Apartheid! So why can't we be bold enough to join the worldwide movement against Zionism? Why can't we? In any case, I find that a bit strange, why because, long ago in the 1980s, under the PNDC, Ghana recognized the State of Palestine. In those days, Ghana was one of the few countries which recognized the State of Palestine. And that is why Palestine has a diplomatic mission in Accra, a full diplomatic mission in Accra! So we took the lead in recognizing the State of Palestine. How come that at this juncture, we are all running away and why? We are afraid of United States of America! And if we are afraid of the United States of America, where can we go? So it is important to bring this matter to the fore. It is absolutely important! Now, look at what is happening around the world. Look at the thrust that is being directed at countries like Iran and so on, and we are silent on it!" End quote. Surely, our President could have done far better than this! I promised I would be joining the NDC just before the Sunyani Congress. I put that on hold. I can see some action at the CPP front. Even though it is a lot of hot air and no substance, I am eager to give them a second chance. But for the CPP to become relevant, it is the CPP that ought to be making statements of the nature Kwesi just made. So far, it is still very silent, as imperialism becomes more aggressive, more deadly, and far more arrogant than it has ever been even during the period of slavery and colonialism! Where is the CPP? Forward Ever! Backwards Never!!! Cheers! Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheOdikro Feature Articles: http://nanaakyeamensah.blogspot.com/ Comments: http://theodikro.blogspot.com/

Waiting To Analyse The Economy By Sydney Casely-Hayford, Sydney@bizghana.com Should we follow in Nigerias wake and hold part of our reserves currency in Chinese Yuan? The question has come up in business news more than once in recent weeks. I first commented on this on a Joy Business Trends program and I said an emphatic yes! Not just because Nigeria has done so, but also because they are ahead of us in analyzing and making the decision. Deciding what currency to hold in foreign reserves is not a very complicated analysis when you have all the data. When asked, other analysts and ministers in Government cautioned that we should take our time, tread gently and make the decision hesitatingly. As they claim, we are a small country with too much to lose, we must take care and ensure that we make the right decision. Then one day this week on BBC World Service the African proverb was, people who have nothing, fight over nothing. Last month the World Bank released project evolution figures on Ghanas portfolio. A clear representation of where we are. $1.5 billion in awarded contracts and we have only performed 23% of the work required to release funds. Facilities are about to run out for key interventions, which we are complaining about. Roads, water, education, sanitation. Overall, contracts have been awarded since 2004, some ending this year, some still running to 2017. Of the $1.5billion committed, we have disbursed $350million leaving $1.188billion yet to be awarded. Let me use just 3 examples. Education sector project started March/9/2004 has been running for 7.5 years, total awarded $71million. This project run out of time on October/31/2011. We left $8.7million on the table undisbursed. We say we have an education infrastructure problem? Urban water project, started July/27/2004, expires December/31/2012. Total sum awarded $103million. Total disbursed to date $57.7 million, with 1 year and 3 months to go we still have $52.6million to disburse. This project has been running for 7.1 years. Urban Environmental Sanitation 2, started April/29/2004 has been going for 7.3 years. Total committed is $62million, we have disbursed $41.9million, we still have $23.6million and the facility runs out on December/31/2012. I have heard many people say that at the core of our problems is the lack of political will, or cynically and conspiratorially, the deliberate un-will of politicians to follow predecessor initiatives. I say it is more than that. What we are facing is monumental procrastination spiced with an unyielding colonial legacy and our main ingredient is the decision maker. In my opinion that is the very reason why Ghana is still so under-developed. We have many qualified persons who advise on such matters. They are educated and trained (with the taxpayers money) in just about every discipline required and they do a good job. The politicians are not making the decisions.

But back to the case study on foreign reserves currency where I started. The principles of managing regular foreign reserves are demand driven. The currency of regular reserves is based on the currency of our imports, the currency structure of foreign debt, FDI, grants and aid money, the currency structure used by intervening in foreign exchange markets and remittances from Ghanaians in the Diaspora. Depending on the source of other available reserves, these can be factored in. This currency structure needed for imports depends on the currency structure of imports. Our main import origins in the past have been UK, Europe, USA and Nigeria, and in the case of say China, whose major trading partners are Japan, The Republic of Korea, The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Taiwan, the EU and the USA. However in recent times, the RMB (Yuan) has become more important among the traders in Eastern Asia and has actually become the main currency in the settlement of trades between ASEAN and China. Using the IMF Currency Composition of Official Foreign Exchange Reserves (COFER) database, it is clear that currency composition of Emerging and Developing Economies has changed significantly since 2001 when 41% of all reported currencies was in US$ and unallocated (which included China currency) was 44%. Holdings in Euros was 11%. At the end of June 2011, US$ held was 23%, Euros is still 11%, but Unallocated reserves is now 61%. This shift reflects the changed pattern. The other change in our trade is seen in our imports and the trade and travel volume between Ghana and China and the ASEAN. Our own Government is leaning more to China and ASEAN for development loans. It makes a lot of sense to hold currency in the trade pattern, especially when the volume is so significant. Clearly, this is the way we are leaning. The technical calculation is easier for us to make now because we have more historic data available. Once we decide to hold a certain proportion of the currency according to trade direction, step two to decide how much we need is easy. Unfortunately we hardly ever get past the first stage. We continue to look and examine until suddenly the need for a post mortem rears its head and we need a World Bank loan for a monitoring and evaluation exercise. And when that is granted, we have to make decisions about how to start the paperwork for disbursing the funds (as above). This is not political Un-will, even though there is a measure of that as well, but sheer inability to determine what is timely to do and the thinking skills to make the decisions. I would think that if you have so many children sitting under trees with no classrooms, you set up a special task force, especially when the money is already in place and solve that problem as a major priority. To leave funds undisbursed for whatever reason is criminal and disrespectful of the governed who are prevailed upon to be patient with every change of government. Every time a trader undertakes a transaction in a particular currency, there is a fee for conversion. Every time we transact business through a bank it costs us money. I expect that policy makers will think about all the costs the private sector has to bear and address them urgently. We need a mechanism for redress.

Stop These Counterfeit And Fake Drugs On The Market Now !!!
One of the major public health scares in Ghana today is the flooding of the pharmaceutical market with fake medicine which the Food and Drugs Board seems to have no answer. In Ghana today simply taking a pill to cure an illness can be suicidal. Will the medication be what it says it is, made by a reputable company? Or will it be a clever copy that looks virtually indistinguishable, but contains a sugar pill at best - or, at worst, something like the tainted teething syrup that killed at least 80 babies in 2009? I got sickened by popping an anti malaria drug in Ghana last year after visiting and didnt want to catch malaria so I decided to go to a drug store on Spintex Road (name withheld) to buy an anti malaria dug for preventive purposes. After taking the drug, I developed high fever with my body temperature soaring to 40 degrees, sweating profusely and started to vomit. Further tests revealed that the anti malaria drug was fake! I wonder if a child had taken it what would have happened. The scope of the of the problem is huge in Ghana as well as the rest of Africa where studies suggest that as much as about 40% of all malaria drugs are fake, and other counterfeit drugs are rampant on the market. It is in the light of this that I read with delight the news that a new company formed by one of our own, a Ghanaian doctor by name Ashifi Gogo is on the rescue. His company Sproxil Inc. based in Cambridge is helping customers in these countries distinguish genuine medicines from fakes. Using a system it calls mobile product authentication, Sproxil allows customers to text a number on the package to confirm or refute the drugs authenticity. The process is designed to use the abundance of cellphones to empower the consumers to avoid purchasing fake products, said company founder Ashifi Gogo. This way, they can reestablish trust between the consumer and the pharmacy. This is a hugely innovative idea that we think could be a real game changer in terms of how pharmaceuticals are delivered, said one investor involved with this project. Given the seemingly inaction of governments in Africa to protect its citizens and the network of corruption in government and government agencies that are supposed to monitor that fake drugs dont come in entering into deals to fill their pockets at the expense of the safety of their fellow citizens, such initiative from private business helps a lot. I have written on the danger that such fake drugs pose to public health and the risk it further poses in sinking our fragile health care system if we dont act quickly and decisively against it. Every year in the developing world alone over 700,000 deaths are reported from fake drugs and this is equivalent to a jumbo jet full of people going down every day. We need to wage a global war on his senseless greed. I am reproducing an article I wrote on the same subject a few years ago here for the benefit of readers because the situation hasnt changed since then: came across this exchange on a very important national issue which I have written on before and which is still dear to my heart on ghanaweb's Say It Loud

Forum and I like bringing it here for the attention of all. Indeed it is the nation's health which is at stake here. The Issue of fake and counterfeit drugs on the market is impacting negatively on the health of our nation and bringing the health services into disrepute. It is absolutely disgusting to learn that those who are entrusted with protecting our health are rather condoning and conniving with fake drug manufacturers, importers and exporters to kill us. Now read on: Author: Dr. Red Hot (210.253.212.74) Date: 03-28-2007 12:57

Where is the Ghana Standards Board? Do we have a National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration in Ghana? Does the Ministry of Health care? Please, this is a serious public health issue. Somebody must act NOW to protect the nation's health. There are too many fake drugs and counterfeit medicine on the market now and it is killing thousands of people on daily basis. It takes courage and determination to fight corruption but it looks like the present administration has none of these. The corrupt practices in the manufacturing , import and export of drugs, cosmetics and food products need to be tackled with all seriousness now. Counterfeit drugs is a leading cost of death by stroke and heart failure in Ghana. The government needs to prosecute illegal drug traders and impose strict standards on multinationals companies and their local collaborators. Currently, an ampicillin anti-biotic on the market purportedly made by Ipca Laboratories Limited for Phyto Riker (GIHOC) Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. HO 45, Wall Street, New York, USA is fake and does not contain enough ampicillin genules . Its safety is suspect and I wonder who approved it for sale in Ghana. What tests were conducted and what are the test results. I sent some for analysis and it is completely fake and outright dangerous to the public health but they are being offered for sale in the open market in all drug stores in the country. The Ministry of Health and the government must declare war on this fake drugs manufacturers , importers and exporters and their local agents. Even Nigeria of all places is clamping down on fake and counterfeit drugs and as a result , these importers and exporters and fake drug manufacturers are dumping their products in Ghana. A classical case is ROBB made by PZ Nigeria Limited, 33 Planning Office Way, ILUPEJU which is currently available in Ghana on the market in large quanties. Get one of these and compare it with the ROBB made in Ghana, and immediately you will see the difference. The Nigerian ROBB does not contain the right amount of Menthol, Methyl sal, and Camphor. It is basically grease put in a Robb container and being sold as Robb to unsuspecting Ghanaians. It is dangerous. Yet we have a government that is supposed to check on the safety of drugs, cosmetics and food products on the market to save and protect its citizens and the national health.

Ben Ofosu-Appiah, Tokyo Japan.

The author is a political and social analyst based in Tokyo, Japan. He welcomes your comments and contributions in the fight against social injustice and political corruption.

Expanding horizons Renaissance Capital survey highlights growth, opportunity and optimism in Nigerians middle class

Lagos, 26 September 2011 A groundbreaking survey and report on Nigerias expanding middle class, issued by Renaissance Capital, the leading emerging markets investment bank, reveals a nation that is optimistic about economic growth, values entrepreneurship and is positioned to capitalise on a boom in consumption. The survey and accompanying report, authored by Renaissance Capitals Global Chief Economist Charles Robertson; Head of Sub-Saharan Research Nothando Ndebele and Sub-Saharan Economist Yvonne Mhango, turn the spotlight on the wealth of opportunity presented by one of the worlds fastest-growing economies, as an expanding middle class fuels GDP growth in Africas most populous country.

The report draws out the investment opportunities and implications presented by Nigerias rapidly growing middle class, against a highly favourable macroeconomic backdrop. It notes that GDP rose fivefold from $46bn in 2000 to $247bn in 2011, according to IMF estimates, while the population increased by more than one-third over the same period, from 119mn to 160mn. Nigerias middle class accounts for about 23% of the Nigerian population, according to African Development Bank data. Renaissance economists add that, The magnitude of the increase in Nigerias population between now and 2016 is the equivalent of adding another Romania; while, based on cautious IMF forecasts, the increase in Nigerias GDP in five years will be equivalent to the addition of another Vietnam or Bangladesh. Nigerias per capita GDP at market exchange rates has already increased from $390 in 2001 to $1,541 in 2011 based on IMF figures, and will reach nearly $2,000 in 2016 if the pessimistic IMF forecasts are accurate, or $2,500 in our more benign scenario.

The Renaissance Capital survey was conducted with 1,004 middle-class Nigerians, residing in the cities of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, 70% of whom were aged 40 or younger. The Nigerian middle class we surveyed has a monthly income of some $500-600 and nearly half will be buying fridges, freezers and other white goods, suggesting a consumer boom is under way, says Charles Robertson. We cite the upside for consumer lending retail, white-goods retail, lifestyle and leisure, housing development and home improvement.

The survey makes the following findings on Nigerias middle class:

Average monthly income is in the range of NGN75,000-100,000 ($480-645, or roughly $6,000-7,000 pa).

They are well educated: 92% have obtained post-secondary education or have studied at an institution of higher learning. Educating their children well is a top priority, and over half send their children abroad to complete their education.

A sizeable 76% of Renaissances sample works in the public sector; of those working in the private sector, 38% run their own businesses.

 Most live in leased/rented accommodation (68%) with an average household size of 3.7 people. The average number of children in each household is 1.6 (excluding those away at school) vs a national average that is closer to 3; larger families are more common in rural areas.

Nearly half have no immediate plan to move house, 18% are planning to move to a newly completed selfowned apartment and 8% are planning to move to another rented apartment.

The average number of cars per middle-class household is 0.8 (around one third of middle-class Nigerians have a car that is less than five years old); 5% of homes have two cars. Car ownership remains well below levels seen in Zimbabwe, among others.

The Nigerian middle class has a culture of saving: they care little about the deposit rate and do not expect to borrow from a bank. If they had the funds, they would rather invest in land/property than shares or bonds. Most do not have mortgages (which represent approximately 1% of GDP) or credit cards, although many expect to apply for the latter. As in many emerging markets, the consumer lending sector is woefully underdeveloped.

Their principal sources of information are TV and radio. Forty-eight percent have internet access, but only 2% shop online at least once a month. There is huge scope for internet shopping, if logistics allow.

The majority shop at open-air markets (73%), as well as use convenience stores (62%). Twenty percent dine out at least once a week.

Only 15% have travelled abroad; 35% of households have at least one person with an international passport. The UK is the most favoured travel destination.

Their key areas of concern over the next 12 months are the supply of electricity and unemployment, with between 19-23% citing these as concerns; while crime (5%) and corruption (3.5%) are seen as far less concerning.

Three-quarters are optimistic about the future of Nigeria.

About Renaissance Capital (www.rencap.com):

Renaissance Capital is a leading investment bank focused on the emerging markets of Russia, the CIS, Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. The Firm also offers its clients access to these markets through financial centres such as London, New York and Hong Kong. Renaissance Capital has market-leading positions in each of its core businesses - M&A, equity and debt capital markets, securities sales and trading, research and derivatives. The Firm is building market-leading practices across EMs globally in metals & mining, oil & gas and agriculture. Renaissance Capital is part of the Renaissance Group.

For more information: Solomon Mahinda

Vice President Group Marketing and Communications Manager, Africa

Renaissance Capital
6th floor, Purshottam Place Westlands Road, Westlands P.O. Box 40560-00100 Nairobi Kenya Tel +254 (020) 368 2300 ext. 2328 Mobile +254 721 263 420 SMahinda@rencap.com www.rencap.com

PRESS RELEASE

JAPANESE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SYSTEM EXPERT ADVISES GHANA

Professor Yasuhiro Yamamoto, a medical doctor, advisor to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and Ambassador for African continent and emergency medicine for the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has delivered a public lecture at the conference hall of the University of Ghanas Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital. He thanked Ghana for volunteering humanitarian support to Japan when the disaster occurred.

Prof. Yamamoto presented two papers under the theme; Present situation and future of emergency medical system and disaster medical care- the Japanese example. One hundred and forty (140) participants attended the lecture at the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, whilst one hundred and twenty (120) participants at NMIMR.

In his expository delivery, Prof. Yamamoto revealed the state of the Japanese emergency medical system during the recent natural disaster and highlighted the plan to combat future earthquakes and natural disasters. When natural disasters occur too frequently, they cause monumental damages and often lead to environmental change, outbreak of chronic diseases, pollution and toxication. Japan has a state-of-the-art National Medical Control Council which regulates the medical control system for pre-hospital care, emergency medicine and paramedics. But, due to the fact that ambulance service is free, there is high demand for it, even when there are no major disasters. Prof. explained.

He continued; Japan is regarded as the number one country against natural disasters, so it has the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), a trained medical team which has mobility to act in the acute stage of disasters. DMAT consists of about 703 teams and 4,300 paramedics. At any disaster site, children, women, physically challenged people and foreigners are rescued first.

He added that Japan has learnt from the recent disaster and has committed to a more stringent approach to medical management for disasters which include Command and coordination, Safety, Communication, Assessment, Triage, Treatment and Transportation (CSCATTT).

Prof. Yamamoto, who is also on several international boards such as World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine and the International Society for Burn Injuries, said; We are implementing plans to combat or minimize the impact of disasters by strengthening, resourcing and populating DMAT, build a multi-purpose hospital ship for disaster relief, construct a rescue train and a jumbo jet aircraft for emergency service.

He mentioned that Ghana is in the Silent Phase of the Disaster Cycle and therefore advised government to plan, train and prepare against any natural disaster.

Both Deputy Director of NMIMR, Prof. Kwadwo Koram and Chief Executive of Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, Prof. Nii Out Nartey thanked him for the insightful lecture and wished Japan well on its recovery plans and activities.

Let Us Celebrate Wangari for Her Great Impact on the Landscapes of Humanity Written by Prosper Yao Tsikata When the Jamaican reggae maestro, Jimmy Cliff sung Many Rivers to Cross in far-flung Jamaica in 1972, the philosophical thread was certainly universal binding all struggling people who may or may not have envisioned the connection. But pores over the life story of the Noble Peace Laureate, Wangari Maathai , in her memoir: Unbowed , there is no doubt that she has wandered across many riversthe pain, the frustration, the persecution and the humiliations finally gave way to the authentic and infectious smile on the back page of her book. Setting out early in her agrarian community, Wangari illustrates the socio-economic, political, cultural, and religious life of her society. On the religious and cultural front, the anthropomorphic and the extended kinship beliefs and ties are brought home to the reader, all within the wider socio-economic and political context of colonial rule. There is, then, a clear delineation of society in a stratified hierarchy, with not just men, but the colonists at the top of the hierarchy and followed by the individuals of mixed race, and then finally the native at the bottom of this strata. This placed women in an unequal footing with men, with female highbrowism and extraordinary capabilities considered as explicit disregard for the strictures that uphold male hegemony. This and other prejudices were the targets of Wangaris lifelong crusade.

Her beginnings resonate with World War II and the postwar disorders that characterized scores of colonized societies on the African continent, especially south of the Sahara. Her memoir exposes the reader to the fundamental reasons for resistance that permeates the colonial struggle in many African countriesland, freedom, and self-governance; the main issues or Maunu ni mau for Kenyans. Hers was not a planned life beyond the quest for academic pursuit; she only kept going and making the best of every situation and becoming everythingan academic, political activist and an environmentalist, among others. But it is undisputable that education played a pivotal role in making her meet the situations that confronted her without crashing her willpower. It is important to note that the tremendous transformations which were taking place globally in her timethe civil rights movement in the United States, the feminist awakening, decolonization, and efforts to draw attention to environmental degradation, among otherscoupled with her exposure through education in the United States prepared her for the task ahead. The question of labeling of individuals, groups and organization comes to the fore when the colonist labeled the Mau Mau as a terrorist group. Parallels abound; for example, when the ANC in South Africa was declared by the apartheid state as a terrorist group, and its leader, Nelson Mandela placed on a terrorist list even in the US and elsewhere until recently. Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Afghanistan are some of the places where the labels are still controversial.

Her religious experience with the nation of Islam while in the United States as a student depicts the controversial nature of religion. But it is suggestive that liberal cultures tend to adopt more liberal attitudes towards religion, and vice-versa. Other important themes that run through her memoir which connect with the rest of the continent are the issues of ethnocentrism, favoritism, cronyism and political patronage. Indeed, in hindsight, her memoir could be regarded as a well-timed precursor or wake-up call to Kenya which was ignored, and the corollary was the ethnic postelection violence in December 2007. Kenya is not alone. We have seen how the issue of ethnocentrism has frustrated the dreams of many newly independent African states, for example, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and an avalanche of others. Blatant disregard for the electoral process and the usurping of the electoral will of the people is becoming a patent occurrence. The introduction of queue voting in Kenya in 1992 whereby voters lined up behind their candidate, and election officials announced the winner, demonstrates how far an incumbent government could go to retain power. From the prison accounts of some of her contemporary political activists like Kofi Awoonor (Ghana) and Wole Soyinka (Nigeria), one gets a clear portrait of how prison and incarceration on the continent have been turned into political tools to dehumanize and break the spirit of political opponents. Even private initiatives must be frustrated and you must lose it all, once you voice dissent or dare challenge the powers that be. It is simply unthinkable to demand justice from the state. The powers of the state are so entrenched in individual presidents to the extent that, not the laws of the state, the powers of the individual determines the course of action. It reflects the paradox of human existence in the fact that politicians who once opposed the draconian colonial laws upheld the same laws used them against their opponents, instead of reforming them. This has made the struggle for reforms in some African countries more dangerous than the independence struggle. Many African countries have failed to reform their police forces bequeathed to them by the colonial powers. They have been turned into brutalizing forces on the continent and used to repress dissent in even the most democratic country on the continent. Her triumphs, for example, preventing the government from selling Karura Forest, frustrating plans to build the Times Complex in Uhuru Park, fighting for the release of political prisoners, making multiparty democracy a reality in Kenya, crossing the political threshold into parliament, and becoming an assistant minister of environment, among others, are all victories for not only the people of Kenya but humanity at large. They dwarf the failures of Envirocare, the disruption of her academic life by events beyond her control, and paramount, the failure of her marriage, which in African societies is more important to a woman than anything else in this world. Finally humanity acknowledged her contribution with an honor unparalleled in the history of gender activism on the African continent, if not the worlda Noble Peace Prize for her lifelong fight for freedom, justice, equity, the protection of the environment, etc. It is a long walk to freedom and never an easy one to paradise. She has been able to deconstruct and reconstructed the concept of gender in Africa, showing that what men can do, maybe women can do it and so it better. The true measure of a man is not his/her standing in the present; we must consider his/her actions in their totality, especially from the depths from which he/she has risen to appreciate

his/her worth. In the Unbowed Wangari provides a wide range of political lessons for social and political activism, especially for young activists in undemocratic, pseudo-democratic, and other repressive societies or regimes.

PS: I revisit this review in honor of the fallen Wangari. May her soul find peace with the Lord in Eternity.

ASHANTI REGIONAL NDC CRIES FOR UNITY The need for unity within the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC)was the central theme permeating the speeches of all party executives at a forum held at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital under the auspices of the Nurses and Midwifery Training Centre branch of the Tertiary Education Institutions Network(TEIN) last Saturday. The Ashanti regional Secretary of the ruling party, Joseph Yammin, after further mentioning the importance of unity at this point in the life of the NDC, urged the members of the party to endeavour to help consolidate the power bestowed on the party by Ghanaians. He said the consequences of not safe guarding the power given to the NDC by the people of Ghana would be too great for the party to bear, hence the need for the young men and women of the party to remain committed to ensuring victory for the party in the 2012 elections. He opined that the NDC would win the forthcoming elections with ease if members of the NDC put aside all factionalism and raised high the flag of the party, adding that Nana Akuffo Addo and the New Patriotic Party have no message with which to convince Ghanaians beside their infamous all die be die message. Mumuni Believer Likpalimor, the TEIN- KATH president for his part praised government for her performance in the health sector. He says the National Health Insurance Scheme has been extended to cover more people and diseases since the NDC took over power. He also cited the newly introduced capitation module of Health insurance as an effective way of preventing dalliance of claims and unnecessary debt. He commended governments effort at integrating traditional medicine into mainstream health care system.

Other NDC functionaries at the well patronized forum were Hon. Raymond Tandoh, Deputy Ashanti regional secretary who also chaired the forum and Hon. Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, Deputy National Youth Organiser of the NDC well as Hon. Akwesi Abeyie, a regional vice chairman.

-Bernard Buachi Focus FM, Kumasi.

Moving CPP Forward PRAGMATISM or IDEALISM?

As I begin to highlight on these salient issues, I thank God for giving me courage to do so, as many people have run away from them for far too long. Now you, the reader of this article, should make a careful study of it and digest it very well. I have witnessed the unsightly nature of political leanings in Convention Peoples Party; I have analyzed the comparative attitude of members of the party; what I know for certain is that many things ought to be put right.

Though the present as we see may look dark but it doesnt also give force to the fact that tomorrow cannot be bright if things are properly handled in the party. We have heard on several levels from different quarters that the CPP today is a weak political force that cannot make any outright incursion in the political spheres of this nation. But I sincerely opt to take the position that the Convention Peoples Party is the most probable political party that is likely to win the general election come 2012, considering its recent display of robustness on the Ghanaian political podium and the other genuine outlook which suggest that the current NDC government and the erstwhile NPP administration have done or did very little to bring economic relief to the masses of the people. That notwithstanding, there are other relevant complex predicaments which I personally call KOKODILOS that need to be tackled squarely to ensure its elimination or augmentation. This Kokodilos subject is what we are going to dissect utterly on this platform.

One of the kokodilos things which is gradually succeeding in hampering the sure progress on the seemingly smooth path of the Convention Peoples Party is, the deliberate attempt by some few individuals to derail the progress of the party with their backward thinking. In fact,

these individuals by nature are not interested in CPP winning power. Theirs is to maintain the status quo of dormancy and abate, just to satisfy their parochial whims and caprices. Primarily, the CPP today has in its set-up very dominant forces; prominent amongst them are two unparallel elements, one that is positive and the other being negative. I will not dwell much on the positives but rather, shift my attention to the negatives, since it forms part of my reason for putting up this short note.

The very quandary contributing to the current inertia status of the party stems from the fact some party folks who constitute the minority are peculiarly characterized by tendencies to use their antiquated theories to disrupt the guaranteed progress of the party. These people are by nature TALKERTIVES and thus, maintain their act of using the media and other platforms to pass their cheap talks, hoping that their talking will organize for them in the various constituencies. The fact is, they believe in theoretical, as opposed to functionalism. In modesty, these individuals are particularly fond of chanting all sorts of slogans and ideals which do not necessarily translate into votes. Most often, you hear them chant Nkrumaism, Sarcasm, Imperialism and all sorts of SMS, thinking that, that is going to resurrect the ghost of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to come and salvage the dwindling fortunes of the party.

We must stop talking and organize.

Organisation decides everything as Dr. Nkrumah said, but these people have deliberately refused to pay heed to that aspect and rather shifted the focus to idealism. These people apart from talking, have done very very little in their own backyard. They are nothing but people who do not practically work in the interest of the party. Their contributions to the statutory progress of the party have been very negligible, not even ideas. The acumen that best fits their description is a bunch of insignificant party members, whose actions and inactions tend to SUBTRACT and not to ADD. For me, I call them MINUSES. I will try to name and explain further in my subsequent write up.

Again, looming over our heads as a party, is the attitude of persons who continuously parade themselves as CPP members, yet do nothing for the party. Such are the people who see everything wrong with the CPP, but never raise a finger or make any consequential proposition to support the party. The absurdity in the attitude of these individuals which will risible anyone is that they dont even belong to any constituency, neither do they have party cards, pay dues nor make any significant contribution to help in the creation of a healthy political climate for the Conventiona Peoples Party. Now, the question I ask is, so where at all do they get the voice and the moral right to question the actions and behavior of those who have been toiling to hold the party up? Im in awe.

Another Canker: In my view, there is nothing more vicious and outrageous than monarchical syndrome of natural tenure, where some people consider themselves more important and more Nkrumaist than others, just by the mere fact that they were part of Nkrumahs Young Pioneer, OR trace the historical association of their families with the CPP, OR have

developed some wild ideas as a result of the little knowledge they have acquired from reading Nkrumahs books. They determine who is more Nkrumaist or Socialist than the other, based on how wealthy one is. The unfortunate thing is, they consider the supposed RICH people as ANTI-NKRUMAIST, yet, they themselves dont want to be Poor. Funny - how paradoxical this may seem.

It is by this extension that they consider themselves prima donnas of the party. The only safe success stories that can be attributed to these KOKODILOUS people, has been and still remains the fact that they are good at fabricating injurious tactics that seeks to always subvert the progress of the party, as long as they are not the ones in charge or remain outside the leading frontiers. These people are used to the act of complaining. But they forget that if a person tends to complain rather than solve problems or resolve issues, they soon become an unattractive. We tend to avoid or reject such people. We are waiting to see what they do this time around too, now that.

Another mishap which is gradually creeping into the ranks of the CPP is the situation where by some few people whose political persuasions are unclear, sit somewhere in a foreign land and make it appear as if they are more intelligent than those of us here. It is hard to figure out what exactly their interest is, but one thing that is becoming glaring is the fact that they supposedly want to use blurred schemes to direct the path of the party for their interest. These classes of people appear not to be prepared to make gross sacrifices to bring about change and differentiation in the old and the new CPP. They remain in their dogmatic outlays and want the majority of the party folks to play according their rhythm. That shant happen. We need to act collectively in the interest of the party and stop the agenda of our preconceived notions.

I prefer to leave it hear and continue later in my next article with the exact description, elaboration and emphasis. The chronicle has just begun! Aluta Continua!!

Worried CPP Man pipiromedia@yahoo.com 020-0529563