That all may be one
The above phrase is the motto of my Alma Mater, Achimota School. In latin, it is ut omnes unum sint and its emblem is the black and white keys of the piano. We are informed that one of the school’s founders, Dr Kwegyir Aggrey, affirmed that neither the black nor white keys of the piano could make melodious music when played separately. The best music can only be produced when the black and white keys are played together.
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Though the interpretation was that all races, including Blacks and Whites, needed to work together to achieve global development, my personal interpretation was that Achimota School, being a co-sex secondary educational institute, represented the practicalities of both boys and girls trained and given equal opportunities to contribute their talents and expertise to family, national and global development.
I loved Dr Aggrey’s phrase that “when you educate a boy, you educate an individual but if you educate a girl, you educate a nation”. This article of few words will not enable me to further elucidate on that phrase.
The phrase and politics
On the political scene, with respect to Ghana, I believe the phrase “that all may be one “ can be applicable to our country Ghana, irrespective of inter-party and intra-party concerns. It also shows that despite the beauty and diversity of our ethnicity, languages, positive customs and cultural practices, we are all citizens belonging to one country, Ghana and our diversity should be a source of our country’s strength and not division.
Prior to independence from the British Colony, which was only 59 years ago and less than the compulsory retirement age in Ghana, we sought through our regional and ethnic based political groupings to advocate either a unitary or federal government.
This was reflected after the 1954 elections in the 104-member Gold-Coast Legislative Assembly. In addition to 16 independent candidates, the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) held 71 seats with a nationwide representation. The Northern Peoples Party (NPP) , with 12 seats, was regional-based and formed to protect the interests of the Northern regions and prevent southern domination.
The Togoland Congress Party (TCP), with two seats, was formed to demand an Ewe homeland under Ewe control. The TCP opposed the integration of the British Togoland with the Gold Coast and instead wanted to be united with Togo.
Moslem Association Party
There was also the religious based Moslem Association Party with one seat which was formed to protect the interests and trading rights of immigrant Moslems in the Zongos. The Anlo Youth Association had one seat . The Ghana Congress Party (GCP), with one seat, was formed by Dr K. A. Busia in 1952.
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In 1954, two ethnic based parties namely the National Liberation Movement (NLM) and the Ga Shifimo Kpee were formed. The later was born in reaction to socio-economic developments occasioned by the status of Accra as the capital of the Gold Coast. As quoted by Asante Fordjour of JusticeGhana Group, UK, “As a result of the effect of rapid urbanisation and the need to provide social services in the national capital of Accra, large tracts of Ga land were acquired by the government for public purposes. The people rendered homeless by the 1939 earthquake in Accra had still not been properly resettled.
The sentiments of the Ga people
In addition, there was an influx of people from other parts of the country into Accra. That created a measure of landlessness among the Ga people. They also felt that in consequence of too many “foreigners” in Accra, they were being swamped as their cultural influence was being diminished as a people. With the slogans Ga mei shikpon, Ga mei anoni (Ga lands are for Ga people) and Gboi mli ngbe wo (Foreigners are killing us), they sought to draw attention to their plight.”
The NLM, on the other hand, rallied around Ashanti cocoa farmers and Ashanti chiefs to demand a fair share from government in the sale of their cocoa and was led by Baffour Osei Akoto. The membership was also made up of CPP defectors, prominent among whom were Messrs Joe Appiah, Victor Owusu and R. R. Amponsah. The NLM was able to rally together a lot of the opposition parties and together agitated for a federal constitution for Ghana, to provide large regional autonomy to the regions instead of centralising the country’s governance in one authority, based in Accra.
The NLM proposed that “ There is not enough consciousness of national identity to make possible easy and, at the same time, democratic unitary government. In the absence of this consciousness, the safest course is to ensure that not all the powers of government are concentrated at the centre but that a substantial part of them is retained in the component territories where people have to learn the habits and attitudes of living together for some time”.
Over 59 years after independence, Ghana appears to be still challenged as a country made up of different ethnic groupings and political interests who “are still learning the habits and attitudes of living together.”
Promoting nationwood
A lot has been done by our constitutions over the years to ban political parties formed around ethnic and regional groupings and provision has been made for reasonable ethnic and gender balance in recruitment and appointments to public offices. Inter-tribal marriages and other developments have encouraged us not only to think nationally but globally.
Unfortunately, we still need to do more to promote a sense of nationhood. We can develop a convention where a political party, that wins elections, appoints non-party members to cabinet and other public offices, particularly based on a percentage of parliamentary seats won. Nominations of DCEs can be done in consultation with local chiefs and other interest groups who can be encouraged to nominate citizens irrespective of their political background. Political inclusivity is important to promote peace and stability in the country and prevent suspicions of voter rigging and attendant electoral violence among parties and internally within parties.
“God, bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong.”
The writer is a Lawyer, Political Scientist and a Lecturer.