Persecution of political leadership is the bane of underdevelopment – Prince Mba

Mr Prince Bagnaba Mba, President of Forum for Equity, a  human rights organisation has stated that Ghana’s underdevelopment since independence could be attributed to the continuous persecution of leadership.

He therefore challenged all citizens to cultivate the habit of counting the blessings as a nation and avert parallel political engagements that could undermine the progress the country had made over the years.

“The truth of the matter is that, Ghana has been blessed with the best human resources you can ever find on the surface of the earth. We have made giant strides since independence. The best of our political class and professionals have taken our economy from primitive property possession to a modern industrializing and digital aspiring nation. We have every reason to be proud of this country despite the few challenges.”

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency on the progress of the country since independence in Accra, Mr Mba said, “We are what we are today because of the good leadership of the past and present governments. The founding fathers sounded the bell of re-awakening and all nations under the dominion of colonial responded. Visionary Nkrumah became the voice of Africa, calling for the total liberation and emancipation of the black race.”

He said the switch from political freedom to economic buoyancy had become the task to accomplish and Ghanaians had come a long way although others felt the country could have done better.

He said back home, Nkrumah was accused of every unimaginable, ‘from looting of national treasury to satisfy his ego trip ambition of a united Africa and his penchant for fair ladies. But in all these ungrateful tirades, he left Ghana a better country than he came to meet it. There was massive development in all spheres, education, health, industrial and good roads network throughout the country. “

He said while in Conakry, the late President lamented that, ‘ if he knew Ghanaians loved tinapa and corned beef more than industrialisation, he would have fixed milk flowing tapes at every corner of the country.’

He said after his demise, his soul went matching on and even generations that were unborn during his era, still enjoyed his legacies and, ‘the alleged dead dictator is now a darling of the progressives’.

On Professor Busia, Mr Mba said the late President also went through a baptism of fire and his posture as an apostle of democracy encouraged the culture of freedom of speech which gave his opponents the zeal to attack him wantonly.

He said Professor Busia was also accused of using government funds to upgrade his residence and his preference for Audi cars from Germany.

“Among other accusations was that his government was too elitist, but forgetting drastic rural developments programme throughout Ghana, he too died in exile only for his body to be brought home and given a belated national honour he rightly deserved.

Mr Mba said General Kutu Acheampong was not treated any different. “His entrance into the power arena was greeted with loud ovation. His Yen tua (we won’t pay) policy made him a darling of the old Nkrumah vanguard and the new socialist cadres in our tertiary institutions. OPERATION FEED YOURSELF, which he adopted from his predecessor and branded it as his, could not last long due to global oil crisis as a result of the Israeli Arab war and the escalation of oil prices.

“Cocoa and gold prices plummeted, and being the main source of Ghana’s income, economic conditions became increasingly difficult and therefore resulting into mass movements to Nigeria and other supposedly greener pastures.“

He said by the time Kutu Acheampong was butted out through a Palace coup, “Ghanaians only remembered him for his generosity of Golf cars in exchange for what you can guess rightly.

“His provision of infrastructure like stadia, Catering Rest Houses and Low cost Bungalows throughout the country and national re-construction corps to revamp food production and national orientation to eat what we produced were all sidelined as usual.”

He said J J Rawlings was hailed as a messiah and redeemer, Junior Jesus ready to take the country to the Eldorado, but pressure was put unto him to return the country to constitutional rule, because there was no difference between a military ruler and a civilian leader except the gun and dictatorship.

Mr Mba said reluctantly, Dr Limann, an unknown dark horse emerged winner of the 1979 Presidential elections, but failed to realise that he was on probation of his predecessor.

He said although he constructed the Kpong Dam and restructured vital economic and development areas, he was thrown out of the seat of power and painfully subjected to house arrest.

“We must learn to appreciate the performance of our leaders as some countries have over the years yearned for leaders like them.”

Source: GNA