Doors to Diplomacy 2006 Project 4234,
Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast, Ghana
UNIQUENESS OF THE GAME
FOUL PLAY IN THE GAME
It is right that the government of the president J.A Kuffour and his New Patriotic Party have decided to rebury the three former Heads of States and five top ranking of the Ghana Armed Forces murdered by the AFRC 22 years ago. The mass executions without proper trial was the first time in our short history as a nation that a government, elected or not had behaved like criminals and treated the bodies of those it had killed with utmost inhuman contempt. This, of course this is not to say that violence is one type or another is new to this country. The slave trade was a very violent and disgraceful episode in our history.
Jerry Rawlings is the first leader of the military putsch in this country who introduce an element of share vindictiveness, wickedness and blood shed into the body politics of this country(Ghana).On May, 1979 Jerry Rawlings tried to destabilize the Supreme Military Council government of Gen. Acheampong When he realized he has failed , Jerry took some soldiers and civilians hostage and told them there was going to be a lot of bloodshed to ‘clean the country of it mess’ and that ‘it will be a broad based dirge’.
He was arrested with and brought before a proper court where he claimed the coup was intent on ending the widespread corruption in high places. Rawlings’ populist language at the tribunal seized the imagination of the populace so much so that he became a household name overnight. People thought that at last here was somebody who was going to correct the ills in the society.On June 4, 1979 Jerry was freed from detention in cell by his friends and announced that he Jerry has seized the reins of power Because such cowardly behavior of personnel’s to stop Jerry it sparked of similar bloody groups in west African states: in Liberia, then Sierra Leone, then the Gambia, and partly in Nigeria where the late Gen. Abacha even named his coup government A.F.R.C. In the kangaroo trials that followed before the handing over to civilian government, huge stiff sentences were imposed on many high ranking military officers. Imagine the Kuffour government deciding to shoot N.D.C. members who have alleged to have stolen millions of state or give them stiff prison terms because there is evidence of wrong doing in the books against them. All the eight murdered officers must have been shocked to relies that they were to be shot. If they had known this could be the fate awaiting them, most of them would have never answered the radio call to report to Accra but rather leave the country.General Afrifa was campaigning in northern when he heard he was wanted. Brigadier R E A Katie was said to have returned from Great Britain a few days earlier and must have regretted his timing. General Acheampong was in his Trabuom village in asante when he heard he was wanted. He could gave slipped away through the Ivory coast boarder but he was not worried unduly general Acheampong returned to Accra determined to tell on his fellow officers in custody. General Afrifa was said to have written a confidential letter to General Acheampong imploring him to be wary of the utterances of JJ Rawlings else “He will come and kill us one day”. On Acheampong’s arrival in Accra, the AFRC arranged two press conferences for him to sing on his fellow officers. He told them of the letter. Acheampong at another press conference told them about how corrupt and fraudulent some of these officers were if he taught currying favor with the new leaders to save his life. He was in for the last shock of his life. General Akuffo wanted to heed the call, but also wanted to make sure that his life will be safe. After much negotiation with the government he was given an assurance that he would be safe. He gave himself up. General Acheampong and General Utuka were the first to be executed after a week later the six others were also executed. The execution of the eight high ranking officers including three heads of states was pre meditated murder because Rawlings had bayed for blood and he shed it. They were not tried or no reason was given for their execution and their bodies were thrown into common graves like the bodies of some common criminal. Some people still why Afrifa was executed, the man had left public office way back in 1969 after handing over to Dr. Busia. Some suggested that he was responsible for the death of General Kotoka. None of the above atrocities shocked Ghanaian society more than the murder of the three high court judges and the retire army officer. Right from the beginning it was clear that the abductions murders and attempted immolation of the bodies of Mrs. Cecilia Koranteng- Addow, Mr. Justice Sarkodee and Mr. Justice. K. Agyapong and Major Acquah. What the three judges had in common was that at one time during and after the AFRC era they had questioned decisions taken by the AFRC. THE THREE JUDGES WHO WERE MURDERED
INFLUENCE OF POLITICS
Strategic Oil Sale Driven By Politics, Not Policy On September 22, President Clinton announced plans to sell a small amount of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help elect Al Gore. He didn't put it that way, according to the NCPA's Bruce Bartlett, but the move will do nothing to relieve the shortage of home heating oil in the Northeast and establishes a dangerous precedent of using the petroleum reserve to manipulate prices.
The target voters are those in the Northeast, which is heavily dependent on home heating oil.
The problem is that 85 percent to 90 percent of the oil being released from the SPR will not be converted to heating oil, but to gasoline, kerosene and a variety of other products that are refined from crude oil because only so much heating oil can be refined from a barrel of crude.
Since U.S. refineries across the country are already operating at peak capacity, their ability to produce heating oil isn't limited by a lack of crude oil, but by refining capacity.
Finally, because of the heavily liberal orientation of most Northeast politicians, there are neither refineries in that region nor pipelines to carry heating oil there if it were available, thanks to state environmental laws and regulations. Politicians from these states have also been in the forefront of national environmental laws that have closed most of the nation's prime oil-bearing land to drilling and exploration.
Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers strenuously opposed releasing oil from the SPR, saying in an internal memo reported by the Wall Street Journal on Sept. 21 that such action would "set a dangerous precedent" by using the SPR to "manipulate prices" rather than adhering to its original purpose of alleviating an oil cutoff. Since every person who joins the Clinton Administration checks his principles at the door, Mr. Summers quickly reversed himself and praised using the SPR to drive down the price of oil between now and the election.