The Gold Coast

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28155, 19 December 1956, Page 14

The Gold Coast

The bill before the House of Commons granting full independence to the Gold Coast (which is to assume the name of Ghana) is momentous, because its enactment will establish the first African State to achieve independence within the British Commonwealth. With the advantages of a careful apprenticeship in education and economic and social development, the Gold Coast has completed most of the customary steps from colonial dependence to independence. The penultimate step to full independence was taken in 1954, when a Constitution was granted which provided government by a Governor with a Cabinet of Ministers and a Legislative Assembly of 104 members elected by direct election. In response to pressure from the Government party (the Convention People’s Party, commonly known as C.P.P.) the British Government pledged itself to grant full independence to the Gold Coast in 1957, provided that the electors expressed themselves clearly in favour. At a General Election in July, the C.P.P. won 71 seats—a majority which met British

Government’s stipulation. The sequel is the bill to grant the Gold Coast independence within the Commonwealth on March 6, 1957. Both sides in the House of Commons are anxious to see Britain’s promise fulfilled. But recent; developments have caused misgivings. The reputation of the C.P.P. Government led by Dr. Nkrumah was damaged by the findings of the recent commission of inquiry into the affairs of the Cocoa Purchasing Company. A second development is possibly even more serious. A delegation, representing the Opposition in the Gold Coast Parliament (which is a set of regionally based parties) and led by Dr. Basia, who is the leader of the Opposition, recently visited Britain and urged the British Government to insert some constitutional checks in its independence bill. The bill leaves the question of an agreed Constitution completely out of account. The Constitution is for the Ghana singlechambered Parliament to enact Minorities which will be at its mercy have made it plain that they have no faith in the C.P.P. Dissension occurs particularly in three territories the Ashanti, the Northern Territories, and the trust territory of Togoland, in none of which did the C.P.P. get a majority of votes at the General Election. The Opposition claims that federalism enshrined in a Constitution is the only safeguard against dictatorship by the C P.P. The British Gover iment’s view is that the Gold Coast is too small for federalism. There are now ominous rumours that Ashanti and the Northern Territories are preparing to secede on March 6, the date for independence. They are even said to be organising a frontier guard. This may be a desperate bid to get the British Government to intervene at this late stage. But once the decision to grant independence had been made, there was no alternative for the British Government but to grant it in a manner desired by a majority-elected Government. Probably the best -hat can be done is for the Colonial Secretary to visit the Gold Coast and use his influence with both sides. Unless, something can .be done to reconcile the serious differences, Ghana will not have a propitious birth. Indeed, some observers in London are already drawing a parallel with the Sudan, where the withdrawal of British power allowed the different races of the North and South in that territory to come into violent conflict.