Ghana was recently in the news – sadly because one ethnically hypersensitive Trade Union Leader (TUL) accused the PPP govt of treating Indian PM Modi like royalty but Ghanian VP Mahamudu Bawumia – who visited four years ago – like a peon. But that reaction’s typical in our country where everything’s processed through an ethnic lens!! But interestingly, both Africa and India are similarly fractured, the first along tribal lines and the latter, along caste and region.
So when your Eyewitness wants to take a comparative look at our fractured politics he merely looks across the Atlantic to Ghana – which we were confused with for the longest while! How many of us haven’t had to explain that we’re in South America while Ghana’s in Africa? Intriguingly, quite a lot of our people came from Ghana when they were dragged across the Atlantic by Europeans and enslaved on our plantations. Even more fascinating is that when Africa and South America split apart some 140 million years ago – before humans evolved! – The landmass now called Ghana was joined by our Guyana!! How about that for being connected!! One consequence is that since oil is formed when organic materials like forests are geologically buried and crushed, we and Ghana have discovered oil off-shore!!
Anyhow, another commonality – this time in the modern era – is that free and fair elections for choosing leaders were returned in 1992 to both countries. So how have they fared in comparison to us?? Well, even though they constitutionally mandated that political parties cannot identify with ethnic groups – they’ve been unable to break voting along that identifier. Just like us. But religion has also now become a powerful cleavage with their country now 71% Christian – like our 61%! Muslims are their second largest block while ours is Hindu.
Ghana’s populace of 30 million, are 47% Akan (Cuffy’s tribe) along with the Mole-Dagbani, Ewe and Ga-Dangbe being 16.6%, 13.9%, and 7.4% respectively. The two parties – the NPP and NDC that have won elections in Ghana since 1992 are mainly built around these ethnic groups from which four of the last five heads of state and their vice presidents have come. The parties make sure the two top candidates are from different tribes!!
They just held their general elections and the Akan-dominated NPP was ousted even though VP Bawumia had replaced incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo as candidate. The Akan youths felt NPP hadn’t dealt with the severe economic crisis that had gripped them in spite of oil revenues!! The NDC’s John Dramani Mahama – who’d been president before – is now back in the saddle!!
Does this mean economics will also trump ethnicity in OUR 2025 elections with Indians 35%; Africans/Mixed at 48% and Amerindians at 11%??
…the Corentyne River
Your Eyewitness notes Min Edghill announcing that the US$236 million, long-announced Corentyne River Bridge to Suriname was awarded to a Chinese company “China Road and Bridge Corp” (CRBC). He took pains to emphasise that no contract has been signed but “we have the money” for our 50% share of the construction costs. When the bridge was agreed on by Pres Ali and Santoki back in 2020, they’d spoken about “concessional financing” by China.
Earlier this year, a Surinamese newspaper had quoted the Chinese: “China supports the intentions of both governments to promote regional connectivity through a fixed river crossing, which is fully in the spirit of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative,” So maybe this is in the works and was a factor in the award to a Chinese Company??
Now apart from Suriname being in the clutches of the IMF – which prohibits it from undertaking new loans – isn’t this gonna raise Trump’s eyebrows on Chinese ascendancy??
…to Syria
Back in 2007, US General (Rtd.) Wesley Clark discussed US military strategy after 9/11: “We’re going to take out 7 countries in 5 years: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and finishing it off with Iran”. Now only Iran remains!! But note that all are still in turmoil.
