China marries tattered old lady Africa
A GNA Feature by Rex Annan

Accra, March 25, Ghanadot/GNA – The adage that a man develops hatred for anyone, who marries his divorced wife, has relevance in respect to China’s partnership with Africa.

History has it that the Western world had an engagement with Africa with the view to assisting her to translate her advantage in resources into advantages in development as evidenced by the ‘Scramble for Africa’.

On the contrary the Western world used the Continent’s natural resource to develop their economies at the expense of Africa’s development. The relationship was characterized by economic exploitation, divide and rule tactics that set one ethnic group against the other; social injustice and imposition of alien political systems that continuously breed instability.

Following the achievement of the Colonial Powers’ development objective, which included the depletion of Africa’s natural resources and the discovery of synthetic materials as substitute for Africa’s resources, the Continent was discarded like garbage.

To them, Africa without her resources had become a tattered old lady and worth to be left to her fate to battle with the terminal disease – poverty.

The imperialists in their quest to ensure the demise of Africa strategise to gradually spread Western Democracy to Africa even though they were aware that Africa has no political structures but social structures.

They overlooked the fact that Africa is essentially tribal and political parties could become tribal.

It is therefore a truism that Western-style constitutionalism has led to bloodshed in Africa. For example Kenya’s general election in December 2007 was followed by ethnic killings and the same can be said of the war-torn Somalia. This development poses a threat to Ghana’s democracy and needs to be unfrozen because forces are striving to maintain the ethnic status-quo Multi-party activists accept that ethnicity plays a major role in African politics, but have overlooked this trend, emphasizing that the advantages of democracy over dictatorship are undeniable.

Mother Africa did not like this adversity. Yet, the best came out of this contrary situation as she found favour in the sight of the government of China. The Government of China assured Africa of hope and started to offer assistance to Africa in the form of aids, and trade deals

This sympathy marriage, however, metamorphosed into Sino-Africa partnership based on sincerity, friendship, equality, mutual support and common development.

To this end, China has this year increased the number of government scholarships to African students from the previous 2,000 per year to 4,000.

The Europe and especially America have now become jealous over the beauty of the Sino-Africa engagement with the result that they have developed strategies to truncate such partnership through Western-media propaganda.

To achieve the stated objective, the Western-media has reported less of China’s financial and logistic assistance to Africa and more of China’s alleged quest to colonize Africa because of her natural resources, especially oil.

The China People’s Congress (CPC) firm grip on the political and socio-economical development of the world’s most populous nation is something to be cherished.

But the Western-media sees nothing good about China’s development and had speculated that communism has characteristics of dictatorship. This according to western-media victimizes human rights, suppresses the truth and does not guarantee freedom of speech.

The Western-media had all the negatives about the Chinese weather, human right records among others prior to, during and even after the Olympics.

As if those were not enough, the Western-media has waged a relentless war on China in respect of her dealings with Tibet.
Tibetans are enjoying a dignified life under Chinese rule but the Western-media had made the outside world to believe that Tibetans are living in “hell” on earth.

The truth about the Tibetan situation is that the Dalai Lama and the aristocratic class reduced the majority of people into slaves under feudal system. These serfs are now free and enjoying the fruits of their labour with transformation of their society.

If West’s agitation for Tibet separation from China is premised on human right abuses, then the West must be told that it is equally guilty of such offence. Such stance gives credence to the adage that the greatest “tribute hypocrisy can pay virtues is vices”.

This is against the backdrop that, the Immediate-Past President of US, President George Bush masterminded the execution of Former Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, who also had the right to live because vengeance belongs to God.

What about the torture of prime suspects of the 9/11 attack on US at Guantanamo Bay, which by the Grace of God current President Barack Obama has found to be reprehensible and has, therefore ordered its closure?

It is also time for the West to realize that the Dalai Lama issue is not a religious or ethnic issue but one that impinges on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The writer expects the international bodies to condemn Dalai Lama’s mindless conspiracy with the West slice Tibet from China.
As it is usually said that “fear the Greeks even when they offer gifts” so should African Leaders be weary of the imaginations of the West in respect of its cooperation with China.

Africa must have the option of practicing communism if she so desired as against the imposition of Western-democracy and its attendant shady election results and bloodshed.

What is needed under communism, using China experience is for the socialist leader to advance democracy with African characteristics. The Leader, should also accept supervision from the people, strictly exercise self-discipline, and serve his or her country and the people in a cautious, conscientious and clean handed way.

Mother Africa, you must realise that your symbiotic relationship with China has reversed your menopausal status to that of a virgin and you must strive to sustain and prolong the honeymoon.

The West is trying to sow the seed of discord between Africa and China so that the Continent would relapse into its former tattered state after which the Continent would be discarded again.

Are African leaders listening? A word to a wise they often say is enough.

GNA