- By Samia Yaba Nkrumah, Chair Of CPP
Fellow citizens I write to you today on behalf of my Party, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) to share with you the position of the CPP on the National Economic Forum (NEF) called by the ruling National Democratic Congress.
The purpose and objective of the Forum according to the ruling government was to discuss and develop a national consensus on policy actions that will address the current economic and financial difficulties that threaten a social upheaval arising from widespread unemployment and financial hardships of our people.
Fellow citizens I am glad to say that our Party honoured the invitation because we deemed it an honourable duty to respond to the call of our nation and respect the constitutional institutions of the state including the Presidency.
The conception of the Forum as building consensus on economic development policy issues was however, not sufficiently indicative of an act in good faith. The invitation from the Government from the onset did not disclose the position of the Party on underlying pertinent issues that could possibly vitiate the purpose and usefulness of the forum.
The Government neither disclosed the status of its Manifesto and Better Ghana Agenda in relation to the National Economic Forum to give a firm assurance of a commitment to an implementation of its outcomes. Our option in the circumstances was to reduce the level of our participation in the forum to an observer status.
The concept note of the Forum was another disincentive to participate in the discussions of the Forum. It was our hope the forum will provide the opportunity to review the foundation and direction of our development policy over the last thirty (30) years which has resulted in jobless economic growth and massive youth unemployment.
The note however revealed a commitment to the same neo-liberal economic development policy framework that has imposed severe hardship on our people in pursuit of macroeconomic stability by severe austerity measures.
Our Party’s Nkrumaist economic development policy approach of the intervention of government to promote investments in the human and material resources of our nation for the production of goods and services to satisfy our needs and export is unalterably opposed to this neo-liberal economic development policy of wage freeze, retrenchment and redeployment of labour, heavy taxation and high interest rates.
These are irreconcilable economic development policy differences between our party and the direction of deliberations by the concept note of the National Economic Forum.
Indeed the conditions that necessitated the National Economic Forum after thirty two years of implementation of policies of structural adjustments and fiscal austerity vindicates the alternative Nkrumaist development policy that is informed by our history of slavery and colonialism and driven by a transformation of the colonial economy or decolonisation
We therefore renew our unwavering dedication and commitment to the responsibility of colonial freedom to demonstrate the capability of our people to develop and manage our economy for prosperity.
Fellow citizens, the path and solution to the economic difficulties of our country is the election of a CPP government for an implementation of an economic development programme that is inspired and defined by our struggle for political and economic freedom to fulfill our mission in history.
Samia Yaba Nkrumah
CPP National Chairperson and Leader
www.conventionpeoplesparty.org