President Bush is greeted by Ghana President John Kufuor,

as he arrived in Accra Wednesday evening.

Ghanaian Chronicle, Ghana

Bush is No 'Father

Christmas of Africa';

It is He Who Needs Us!

"In all of Bush's life, he has represented the American ruling and rich business elite. He only became president because they needed him to get there and guarantee their interests. … it is this hegemony that Bush seeks to further perpetrate in his new-found role as Father Christmas of Africa … The gullible may believe this PR stunt - but not the majority of people around the world who will take to the streets in wild jubilation the day President Bush steps down, not only as President of America, but as tormentor-in-chief of our world."

By Samuel Okudzeto Ablawa*

February 19, 2008

Ghana - Ghanaian Chronicle - Original Article (English)

As President Bush of the United States of America arrives in Ghana on Tuesday in his on-going tour of Africa, it's important for the Ghanaian people to be told the pure and simple truth.

Contrary to the propaganda from the White House, their embassy in Accra and their surrogates in the Osu Castle - that President Bush is here as the benevolent father who cares about us and to show concern for malaria, HIV/Aids and his Millennium Challenge Account - all of these are but a smoke screen. Another interesting angle pushed in President Kufuor's State of the Nation address last week was that President Bush's intention to visit is a manifestation of how well we are doing as a country.

Even the reasons coming from White House and Osu Castle officialdom have begun to laughably contradict themselves. If President Bush is coming here to check up on malaria and HIV/Aids interventions, then how can these officials tell us in the same breath that President Bush is here as proof of how well we are doing? Funny, isn't it? But you see, when I was a little child it was my mum who told me that I should never take to lying, because when you tell one lie you must tell several lies to cover your tracks - and that soon leaves you miserably exposed.

First of all, our people must be told that America's foreign policy is and has always been this - “permanent interests and no permanent friends.” Before President Bush's visit to Africa was endorsed by those really in charge of the American system, they would have had to convince themselves beyond doubt that it was is their interests for him to go. President Bush is here for our oil, nothing more nothing less!

At this very moment, President Bush is the singular most unpopular American citizen - both in the world and in his own country. Aside from the low approval ratings he suffers in America, the current political season in his country has emphasized one important point - the farther your policies and philosophies are from Bush, the better are your chances. This is why even in Bush's Republican Party, the two remaining aspirants have distanced themselves from him. As for the Democratic Party nomination, both aspirants preach change, and it has been observed that because Barrack Obama represents a more sincere change because he voted against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, that is why he is doing better than Hillary Clinton.                                 WORLDMEETS.US

In all of Bush's life, he has represented the American ruling and rich business elite. He only became president because they needed him to get there and guarantee their interests. (Michael Moore has provided substantial evidence of this). So it is this hegemony that Bush seeks to further perpetrate in his new-found role as Father Christmas of Africa. Americans themselves are suffering under Bush. Over two million Americans are about to lose their entire life's savings due to the mortgage crisis. The American economy is on the brink of recession. Americans both home and abroad no longer feel safe because of Bush's recklessness. I recall as a summer visitor to the States, how Bush exploited 9/11 to instill fear in the American people to secure his second term in office.                          WORLDMEETS.US

If President Bush wasn't American President, he would be standing trial in The Hague for crimes against humanity. Under his supervision as Commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Forces, in Iraq and Afghanistan hundreds of women have been raped, thousands of children and innocent civilians have lost their lives and many have been buried in mass graves - including those who couldn’t be identified because American bombs tore them to pieces. Young soldiers who are the children of ordinary Americans continue to die in the senseless Iraq War, where Bush's so-called weapons of mass destruction still haven’t been found, although these false charges paved the way for establishing a U.S. military base to protect Dick Cheney's oil company interests and other U.S. business interests.. And all the while they milk Iraq dry, despite the exposure of repeated cases of torture, including "water-boarding" in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay.

As Bush comes for our oil, he is utilizing the added PR advantage of having the giant CNN and Fox networks behind him. As he attempts this last-minute face saving, the networks portray him as a man with a human side who cares about victims of malaria and HIV/Aids. The gullible may believe this PR stunt - but not the majority of people around the world, who can now read between the lines of America's selfish foreign policy; and who will take to the streets in wild jubilation the day President Bush steps down not only as President of America, but as tormentor-in-chief of our world.     WORLDMEETS.US

As for those groups in Ghana who have organized special prayer services for an incident-free Bush arrival in Ghana, I remind them that Ghanaians are being killed in the Gambia, Libya and other parts of this world as they travel in search for greener pastures. Perhaps they too deserve prayers, even if to these groups Bush has special blood running in his veins. For at least in the Bible, God is rather sympathetic to the poor, the vulnerable and the wretched of the earth. If Bush couldn't save his own people, let my folks know, he can't save Ghanaians. Under the circumstances, it is he who needs us badly. Help will only come from within when we take the right decisions, break off our present neo-colonial mentality and demand that our leaders not sell us to the highest bidder.

*Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is author of, A State of Coma; he has several other publications to his name. He was President of the National Union of Ghana Students and is a leading member of the Committee for Joint Action.

[WORLDMEETS.US Posted February 20, 4:00am]