Thursday, September 24, 2015

Ghana Cannot Produce 'Common' Matches – First female MP
As Ghana marks Founder’s Day Monday, the first female MP in the Convention People’s Party is accusing subsequent governments of wealth grabbing and running down the country.

“They have sold the country out....They are not learning anything from Nkrumah’s legacy,” Lucy Anning, the CPP woman whose party won Ghana’s independence in 1957, told Joy News Beatrice Adu.

In the early morning hours of 24 Feb, 1966, Ghana's armed forces, with the cooperation of the National Police, took over government in "Operation Cold Chop", a well-organized coup d'etat.

On the cover page of Africa Report magazine, 1966 was the title: The Ghana without Nkrumah

Decades since his overthrow, Ghana now celebrates 21st September as a public holiday to throw light on the life of Ghana’s founding president believed by many to be the most selfless leader the country has ever had.

A statement signed by the Minister for Communications, Dr Edward Omane Boamah encouraged Ghanaians to “....soberly reflect on the life and times of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the unique man of valour who led Ghana to independence, initiated and propelled Ghana on a path of socio-economic transformation and worked tirelessly to ensure freedom for the oppressed”.

But Lucy Anning is not enthused by what she believes is government’s lip-service to Nkrumah’s achievements and celebrations.

As founder of Ghana’s independence Dr Nkrumah built many factories, from food complexes to cold stores, to create an industrialized economy.

Factories were built to manufacture paints, steel, battery factory, shoe, sacks, salt, tyre and ceremics factories, she recalled. However, many of these industries have either collapsed or are struggling to function.

Ghana Film Industry she maintains is suffering because of the sale of the Ghana Films Corporation.

A member of Dr Nkrumah’s Convention People’s Party Lucy Anning accused post-Nkrumah governments of running down the industries for their selfish gains since the 1966 overthrow of Nkrumah’s government.

“Tarkwa gold refinery was 90% complete now we take gold here and refine in South Africa” she lamented.

“Common match factory is no more”, she expressed shock.

Lucy is questioning the sense of judgment of successive governments in selling off state enterprises they did not establish or build.

“All properties are in the hands of foreigners...can you have something to boost about?” she said.

She explained that the New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress diversified state enterprises not because of economic reasons but because of their shallow sense of patriotism.

The leaders in Ghana are not patriotic enough because they “love to enjoy the fruit of some peoples labour”. “Did they create Nsawam cannery? Did they create all these things they have sold?”

“It is not laziness it is wickedness,” she criticised.


I was imprisoned for supporting Nkrumah – Lucy Anning

The first female Member of Parliament, Lucy Anning says she was imprisoned for supporting the erstwhile Nkrumah administration.

According to her, she was pregnant with her first born when she together with other women were rounded up and sent to the James Fort prisons for no apparent reason.

Madam Anning was speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Monday, September, 21, 2015 as part of activities to mark the birthday of Ghana’s first president.

She noted that, through their selflessness and visionary abilities, they helped to transform Ghana in the way Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah had envisioned.

“Majority of us had not gone to school but Nkrumah had confidence in us and worked hard to ensure he achieved his goals”.

Madam Lucy Anning said the government at the time saw them as a threat thus put them behind bars to ensure the Nkrumah legacy dies.

She maintained that Ghana begun to deteriorate after the unfortunate overthrow of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

“Ghana is cursed because of what our leaders did to Nkrumah so if they don’t change certain things in the constitutions, we will continue to suffer” she stressed.

Madam Lucy Anning was hopeful the CPP with Nkrumah daughter, Samia as a likely flagbearer, the party will come alive.

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