In the Shadows of Politics: Reflections from My Mirror

By Sylvester A. Mensah

A fifty year odyssey of a man who dared to venture aptly describes this book which recounts the life, loves, escapades and exploits of Sylvester A. Mensah, the man, scholar, technocrat, politician, and family man, raw and uncut
This engrossing narrative, which draws on autobiographical sketches, takes the reader on an exciting journey through the vicissitudes of life lived in familial and other settings, for the most part in Ghana. Like all life stories, it has the element of a roller-coaster of highs and lows; a story of fortitude in the face of difficulty and of triumph of the human spirit over adversity. In a sense it is everymans story, and yet unique, as it resonates with the human experience. The elevation of hope over despair, the realisation of more auspicious circumstances against the odds, spiced up with snippets of mischief and intrigue, make this a riveting read.
Refreshingly candid, this autobiography pulls the curtains back on untold gripping encounters of his life and intriguing accounts of chess-like manoeuvres in the corridors of politics which leave the reader spellbound, but also cheering for the underdog.
Sylvester leaves no stone unturned in this panoramic account of five decades of an eventful life of purposeful adventure. It is a must-read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Dec 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491886816

Sylvester A. Mensah

Sylvester A. Mensah holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom (UK), a BSc. in Administration from the University of Ghana and a Diploma in Political Economy from Cottbus Political College in Germany. A member of the Institute of Business Consulting - UK, he also serves on a number of public and private Boards in Ghana. Sylvester is an alumnus of the Harvard University School of Public Health, where he completed a number of competency courses. He is an honourary citizen of Kansas and New Orleans, cities in the USA. His competence as a lecturer, finance professional, banker, politician, strategic management expert, social worker and social health insurance technocrat, underscore his professional and occupational versatility, demonstrated throughout his working life. He served a full term as a Member of Parliament for the Dadekotopon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana from 1997 to 2001 He is the Chief Executive of Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and is credited with far-reaching organizational restructuring, innovations, and initiatives in reforming Ghana’s NHIS. Sylvester is a recipient of a number of awards including the West African Regional Magazine Achievers Award - 2012, the Africa Prize for Excellence and Leadership in Corporate Governance by the Global Centre for Transformational Leadership - 2013 and the Favourite Son of the Land award by the Abese Quarter of the La Traditional Council. He is married with four children. http://www.sylvestermensah.com

Book preview

AuthorHouse™ UK Ltd.

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403 USA

www.authorhouse.co.uk

Phone: [phone]

© 2013, 2014 Sylvester A. Mensah. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 03/25/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4918-8680-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-8679-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-8681-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013921888

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

I dedicate this book to the memory of my father, Lovelace P.C. Mensah,

who did not live long enough to see the fruits of his labour.

We shall always cherish the time we spent together.

Foreword

I n the Shadows of Politics: Reflections from my Mirror, by Sylvester Mensah, may aptly be described as a study in ‘biopolitics’. It is as much a biography of Sylvester Mensah as it is a book about the politics of Ghana’s revolutionary decade (1982-92) and the politics of the Fourth Republic of Ghana. It is also a story about the role that Sylvester himself played, as shadowy as that role may have been, in the politics of both eras.

Ghanaian politicians are not noted for writing their memoirs—not even the politician professor of sixty-two years who has authored this foreword has written his own story—so for a young man of fifty years to decide to document his life history, and the history of his life in Ghanaian politics, is a most welcome development and an effort worthy of praise and encouragement.

The author starts off with his father, the diplomat and the politician, and leaves no doubt that he has been greatly influenced by his father’s domestic Convention People’s Party (CPP) politics and left-wing global politics, as well as his belief in Pan-Africanism and the concept of African Personality. Perhaps the only other person who appears to have had a parallel effect on Sylvester’s life is his wife, Millicent.

The author describes the 1966 coup d’état that toppled the CPP and ousted his father’s government from power, and the effect this had on him, his siblings, and parents. Through that tale of vicissitudes, he deftly unravels the tales of human misery that coups d’état leave in their wake—sad but fascinating details of the human dimensions of coups d’état.

Clearly, Sylvester’s walking from the ‘O’ Level classrooms of the St Thomas Aquinas Secondary School straight into the hurly-burly of revolutionary politics of 1982 was itself not only a reaction to how the 1966 coup d’état had affected him but also an indicator of his yearning for a change; a change that would ensure that bright young men and women with a future did not suffer unnecessarily from the politics of vindictiveness that had seen his father plucked from a plush ambassadorial position in Rome, Italy, and given seventy-two hours to return and relocate at Djankrom, Nsawam, in the Eastern Region of Ghana after the 1966 coup d’état.

Sylvester, the Member of Parliament (MP) for La Dadekotopon Constituency (1997-2001) is another story altogether. It is significant that being an MP, even with his party in government, did not yield the ‘Golden Fleece’ that he may have dreamt of. Although he does not state that in explicit terms, one has the uncanny feeling that he must have thought that it may not have been worth it after all. But he clearly enjoyed the service to his La community that his MP status enabled him to perform.

The story of how the author travelled abroad after losing his seat in Parliament in 2001; his struggles in the United Kingdom; the influence of his wife in his life during his difficult sojourn in the United Kingdom working and schooling—is nothing but a story of the determined, the ambitious, and the optimistic, reminiscent of the 99 Days in Agege saga of a book in the 1980s, and of United States President Barack Obama’s Yes, We Can philosophy of political campaigning.

Sylvester’s story is also the story of overcoming all odds and believing in oneself. His insinuation that some of his greatest political difficulties came from inside his own party is an abject lesson for the youth in politics that political intrigues go with the political turf, and to bear in mind at all times that ‘se aboa bi beka woa, na ofiri wo ntoma mu’ (‘the insect that will bite you will come from inside your cloth’).

But the author also demonstrates that politics is not necessarily an ‘all die be die’ affair; that there is life outside politics. Back from the United Kingdom, having failed in his bid to be elected the General Secretary of the NDC, he settled down to become a full-time lecturer, a banker, and subsequently, the Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in Ghana.

In the Shadows of Politics has lessons for parents; it has lessons for siblings; it has lessons for spouses; it has lessons for relatives; it has lessons for the old; it has lessons for the young. But above all, the book has lessons for politicians, especially the political youth. It is only by possessing it and reading it that you will identify which lesson or lessons it has for you.

This book should encourage Ghanaian youth to write. It is only by writing that today’s youth will mentor the next generation of Ghanaian youth who will come after them. Sylvester’s book definitely succeeds in doing just that.

I wish you all happy reading.

Professor Kwamena Ahwoi

Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA)

November 2013

Preface

E veryone has a story—a tale which oftentimes presents vistas into worlds of unseen wonder and amazement. Many such stories remain untold. Yet, when such a story is as compelling as the one told in these pages, the individual who lived the story might well wish to share it with the world. Such is the course I have embarked upon.

In this book, I invite you to walk with me through my half century of life—a fifty-year journey into history as reflected in my mirror; a journey of social and political antecedents of untold history of current relevance, of the perpetual cyclical frowns and smiles that active life presents, of memories painstakingly gathered, falling and rising with hope into the unknown, into mishaps and even trauma, of experiences more worthy shared than not, of inexplicable divine grace and favour—a stock of life taken with unembellished truth and in absolute honesty.

Let us delve in!

Contents

Foreword

Preface

1.   Political Antecedents

2.   My Mum, My Dad

3.   Frowns and Smiles of Learning

4.   Millicent, My Queen

5.   La Dadekotopon—The Launch Pad

6.   Power Play behind the Scenes: Back-Door Politics

7.   Article 71 Office Holder

8.   How I Lost the Seat

9.   Melancholy of a Moment

10.   To London and Back

11.   The Race for the Top Job in the NDC

12.   Working to Build the NHIS

13.   Some Perspectives

14.   Light unto My Path

About the Book

About the Author

Chapter 1

Political Antecedents

Mules don’t boast of the pride of ancestry and the hope of posterity;

it is only the patriot politician.

—Benjamin Disraeli

M y father, Mr Lovelace P.C. Mensah, was a Convention People’s Party (CPP) man, a diplomat, and one of the ‘international foot soldiers’ of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President. My father said very little about his encounters with the great man, but I have since learnt that they shared a lot of precious moments in each other’s company over many years. My dad made himself available to him unreservedly, and what seems clear is that the great man invited my dad’s thoughts and opinions across a range of subjects during the time they spent together. Their encounters, which took different forms, occurred at different times and often in different locations. Sometimes they met in the President’s office, or somewhere else chosen by the President. Sometimes it was over a meal or a drink, and other times in a car driving back to the President’s home. Occasionally, it was a walk in a secluded part of the President’s office gardens; at other times, a stroll at the beach or a favourite retreat. Their exchanges were focused and purposeful, oftentimes resulting in my dad running errands, which took him to some far-flung parts of the country or the continent for a specially targeted outcome.

Papa, as we all affectionately called our father, loved his job. From all accounts, I have ascertained he was good at it. He was part of the group usually sent out on foreign missions to speak on critical issues to foreign heads of state and leaders of the African Liberation Movement, and to help forge consensus during the continent’s liberation struggles. The nature of tasks this group undertook was often highly sensitive and replete with danger. It is possible that most of Papa’s unknown fellow operatives might have paid the ultimate price with their lives in the struggle towards African liberation.

Unfortunately, these ‘warriors’, who were then highly appreciated for their courage, patriotism, and commitment to the cause of African liberation, are no longer acknowledged and celebrated today. Lovelace Mensah was one of the unknown heroes whose contributions have remained in the memories of only those who were part of the design and who have benefited from the oral tradition.

In his formative years, Papa attended the Dzelukope Roman Catholic School in the Volta Region and began his early working life as a teacher at the Adina Roman Catholic Middle School. (Perhaps my middle name, Adinam, which my father gave me but which I hardly ever write in full, was inspired by his years of teaching in Adina.) As was the trend at the time, Papa moved to Cameroon upon the invitation of his uncle, Mr Livingstone Akakpo Kesedovoh Jones-Mensah, to take up a job with the Cameroon Development Corporation. Papa was put in charge of general administration, an easy move because his uncle was then the manager of the corporation (the equivalent of today’s chief executive officer). But then again, Papa’s rise to the top of the corporation in a foreign country was hardly surprising. This is because in Cameroon at that time, being Ghanaian was equated to effectiveness and trustworthiness, which inevitably translated into occupying a high position in whatever job one found oneself. All this was thanks to Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, whose dynamism as a leader marketed Ghana as a sought-after ‘brand’ in the minds of millions on the continent of Africa.

When Ghana opened a foreign mission in the Congo, Papa, along with some of his colleagues, was drafted into service for this mission because he was fluent in French (from his time in Cameroon) and had a reputation as a fine clerk. It was during his service in the Ghana Mission in the Congo that he met Patrice Lumumba, an exciting budding freedom fighter who became his bosom friend. At the time of their meeting, Patrice Emery Lumumba was a post office clerk, but he later rose to become the Prime Minister of his country. Papa was older by three years, but that did not alter the warmth of their camaraderie in the least. Rather, their bond of friendship and camaraderie became even deeper when they discovered a mutual unyielding commitment to nationalist ideals and African liberation, as well as a common opposition to colonial and neocolonial domination and oppression on the continent. While Patrice had the gift of gab (he was a talented public speaker who hardly read from scripts on political platforms), Papa was a rather self-effacing but prolific speech writer. Besides that, the two of them had much in common: lifestyle, habits, and foibles.

The Belgians controlled the affairs of the Congo at the time. Ghana was still consolidating its independence, having gained political freedom from British colonial rule on 6 March 1957, the first black country south of the Sahara to gain independence. She was therefore a young country but quickly found itself in the storm of international crisis. Nationalist activities in the Belgian Congo had intensified as a result of the emergence of Patrice Lumumba as a nationalist. He was determined to extricate the Congo from the tentacles of Belgian control, and he had support from some of the progressive elements among the white settler community who opposed the policies of the colonial regime.

His international exposure during the All African Peoples Conference (AAPC) held in Accra, capital of Ghana, which was the torchbearer of Africa’s independence struggle, brought Lumumba to the attention of the Pan-African Movement. The conference was held in December 1958, under the direction of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah (President of Ghana) and the Bureau of African Affairs (headed by George Padmore). After the AAPC, nationalist agitations persisted in the Belgian Congo, culminating in a general election in May 1960.

On 30 June 1960, the Congo was granted independence under a coalition of Patrice Lumumba (Prime Minister), Joseph Kasa-Vubu (President), and Moise Tshombe (who was assigned three ministerial portfolios). One of the first things Prime Minister Lumumba did was to Africanise the Congolese military. As part of that policy, he promoted Joseph-Desiré Mobutu (Mobutu Sese Seko), a Sergeant in the Congolese Army, to the post of Colonel and Head of the Army.

Soon after this, things deteriorated very fast, as there was a breakdown of law and order following the partial withdrawal of officers of the Belgian colonial army. By 5 July 1960, there was general anarchy occasioned by mutinous soldiers who rampaged through town under no command or authority. Following that, the Belgians gave support to the secessionist moves of the province of Katanga (Shasha) under Tshombe, who was known to be close to the Belgian industrial companies engaged in the mining of copper, gold, and uranium in the mineral-rich province. On 14 July 1960, upon request by Lumumba, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 143, calling on Belgium to withdraw all its troops from the Congo and for the UN to provide military assistance to the new republic.

Inspired by Dr Nkrumah’s Pan-African ideals, the newly independent State of Ghana was among the first African countries to respond to the call of the UN when it launched its first African Peacekeeping Mission—the UN Operations in Congo (ONUC). This, in itself, tested the efficiency of the UN in addressing the challenges of international peace and security.

Seeing the power struggle among Lumumba, Tshombe, Kasa-Vubu, and Mobutu as a begging opportunity, the Belgians isolated Lumumba by tactfully manipulating the other three to their side. With the backing of the Belgians, the conspiracy succeeded.

On 12 September 1960, Col Joseph Mobutu announced the dismissal of Lumumba and Kasa-Vubu. He subsequently placed Lumumba under house arrest. Lumumba attempted an escape to join his loyal forces in Stanleyville but was recaptured.

On hearing the news of Lumumba’s arrest, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah became enraged over the possible loss of an ally in the fight against colonialism, neocolonialism, and imperialism. He thought of a plan to free Lumumba from house arrest in Léopoldville (Kinshasa), but he kept the details close to his chest. In the queue of who best suited Osagyefo in the implementation of his rescue plan was my dad, for reasons known only to Osagyefo. Lovelace Mensah, then the Second Secretary at the Ghana Embassy in the Congo, was invited to meet President Nkrumah at the Flagstaff House in Accra.

Ghanaian troops were serving in the Congo at the time, and the idea was for Papa to discuss a special plan with Lumumba so that in the event of a possible rescue mission, he could follow the plan and have the Ghanaian troops give him protection out of the Congo. Apart from the verbal brief, Papa also had a handwritten letter from President Nkrumah to be delivered to Patrice Lumumba in his barricaded residence.

The Ghana Embassy in the Congo was in Léopoldville, and so too was the residence of Prime Minister Lumumba. This enabled my dad to become quite a regular visitor to Patrice in his solitude. Papa, therefore, took up the challenge with the full understanding of the inherent risk to himself, as well as that of the liberation agenda, should the content of a note from Dr Nkrumah leak into the hands of the Congolese authorities and their Belgian allies.

Papa returned to Léopoldville and began executing his mission with zeal. As he had done several times before, he got to Patrice Lumumba’s residence, went through all the security checks, and finally arrived in the secured location where Patrice was being held. According to Papa, he had wrapped the two-page handwritten letter in rubber and hid it in a secure part of his body. After briefing Patrice about the plan, he carefully took out the letter from President Nkrumah and handed it over.

Apparently, they had pushed their luck too far; the security on guard was more professional and alert than they had imagined. Suddenly, they heard loud shouts followed by a mad rush of feet—one after the other—advancing towards where they were. Patrice may not have finished reading the letter, but Papa snatched the two-page document