SOCIALIST MOVEMENT OF GHANA
FIRST NATIONAL DELEGATES CONGRESS
JULY 30—AUGUST 1, 2021
THE FIRST NATIONAL DELEGATES CONGRESS of the Socialist Movement of Ghana met in Winneba, from July 30 to August 2, 2021.
DELEGATES DELIBERATED, in 5 themed Commissions, and in Plenary, on the struggle in Ghana , Africa and across the world for a rational, fair, and prosperous future for all people – and how to take this struggle forward.
1. Global Situation
1.1. Congress reaffirms that Imperialism – the globalized phase of capitalist exploitative commodity production – is responsible for the tragic state of society today. Capitalism continues to increase human productivity rapidly but does so within a structure of property relations that ensures that an ever-increasing proportion of the wealth generated ends up in the hands of a tiny global capitalist class while the rest of humanity is condemned to poverty, oppression, diseases, hunger, homelessness, and insecurity.
1.2. Congress observes that in the last 40 years capitalism has imposed several existential crises on the world.
1.2.1. Capitalist hoarding of global wealth means that Society cannot mobilise the resources required to shift from hydrocarbon based production to clean energy
or halt the destruction of natural carbon sinks so that humankind can reverse the global warming threatening human extinction in just a few short decades.
1.2.2. Capitalist hoarding obstructs an effective global vaccine response to COVID-19 which means that the virus will survive, mutate and kill millions.
1.2.3. The insane rush to maximise profits by commodifying even food production means replacing natural organic food with chemically engineered commodities, driving a global nutrition crisis that leaves humankind under-nourished, and immuno-compromised and that threatens the livelihood of billions of peasants.
1.2.4. Capitalists reflex to militarise any challenges whether commercial or political has unleashed a worldwide assault on democracy. It has brought the world to the brink of nuclear holocaust by reckless provocations against China, Russia, and Democratic Republic of Korea.
1.3. Congress notes that Imperialism’s aggression has been most unrestrained in former colonies that have sought to assert economic, political, or even cultural independence from imperialism. Since World War II US troops have invaded 17 developing countries (Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, Dominican Republic, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Kuwait, Iraq, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq (again), Libya, and Syria) and sponsored countless attacks on other countries to make them “safe” for transnational capital – including the 1966 coup that destroyed Ghana’s First Republic. The US and its allies continue to resource Israel to occupy Palestine and terrorise Western Asia and undermine progressive development in other countries.
The US has blockaded, isolated, sabotaged, invaded, and plotted murder to achieve regime change and strangle Cuba’s socialism. It has applied similar tactics to gain control of Venezuelan and Iranian oil resources.
2. Africa
Congress notes the contrast between Africa’s assets – a young and fast growing population; precious, industrial, and strategic minerals; hydrocarbons; arable lands, forests, water bodies, and biodiversity and her pain – crumbling economic, political, social, and cultural systems which cannot withstand climate change, pandemics, or the nutrition crisis.
Four (4) centuries of direct Imperialist attacks, interventions and weaponization of every possible identity – race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, and age to facilitate divide-and-rule tactics have left African states vulnerable to pressure from “non-state” actors like hijackers, kidnappers, and drug cartels and ensured that civil and social contests in Africa neo-colonies easily degenerate into intractable violence.
3. West Africa
Congress notes that West Africa typifies Africa’s turmoil. Its people face balkanisation; foreign domination of our natural resource, infrastructure, finance, trade, and service industries. We face exploding unemployment, terrible gender discrimination. We face growing elites authoritarianism and intolerance. We face collapse and societal disintegration. Pirates and narcotics cartels threaten Atlantic oil and gas and shipping operations as brigands and kidnappers threaten the Sahara-Sahel area. Increasing Chinese trade and investment penetration threatens Western hegemony. NATO’s 2011 destruction of
the Libyan state unleashed radical Islamic forces across Mauritania, Niger, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, and Northern Nigeria who have allied variously with tribal and criminal organizations to challenge corrupt and unpopular political establishments and establish a Caliphate which has in turn given imperialism a pretext for military intervention, seize control of natural resources there by heightening tensions and endangering West Africa citizens.
4. Ghana
4.1. Congress notes the Ghana state’s retreat from development leadership parroting the World Bank mantra that “the private sector (i.e. the transnational sector) is the engine of growth” and driving disinvestment and deregulation of production. Our food, shelter, petroleum, gold, cocoa, and timber and related infrastructure, trade facilitation, finance, and technical services remain dominated by TNCs. Domestic manufacturing and food production are shrinking, and import dependence is growing. Structural unemployment and public indebtedness are exploding. The State cannot repay its debts and there is compelled to resort to regressive taxes and further borrow to service debts at increasing higher costs. A crash is almost inevitable.
4.2. Congress notes that education, healthcare, housing, transportation, and nutrition are increasingly inaccessible for many Ghanaians. Sale of lands for large scale farming, estate development and galamsey have led to Rapid youth flight from farming areas to cities that swells already high unemployment rates. Public safety is declining with increased petty and organised crime in both city and countryside.
Confidence in the integrity or capacity of public sector agencies is at rock bottom. Social relations are increasingly hierarchical and backward as traditional and religious “authorities” sensing the growing power vacuum have begun to assert political authority and to strengthen their positions by driving social division along religious, ethnic, gender, and sexual orientation lines.
4.3. Congress notes that Ghana’s political party establishment offers no alternative to neoliberal neo-colonialism or alternative clear development options for the poor. National political discourse focuses on which Party is more corrupt and inept. National political campaigns consist mostly of unwholesome personality attacks, degrading propaganda, identity struggles, and intensifying violence – trends set to escalate and destabilise the system.
5. SMG ORGANISATION
5.1. Congress affirms that:
5.1.1. THE FUTURE depends on the triumph of Scientific socialism and the equitable and scientific reorganisation of production, distribution and exchange to meet the needs of all society and fulfil humankind’s true potential;
5.1.2. SOCIALISM will require coordinated national, continental, and global struggles to mobilise the working class and all marginalised social groups against capitalism.
5.1.3. SOCIALIST STRUGGLE will require advanced political organization – in size, breadth, networks, mobilizing power, and strategic and tactical capacity. SFG provided a starting point for the struggle.
5.2. ACCORDINGLY CONGRESS HEREBY ADOPTS the Constitution recommended by its Constitutional Affairs Commission as amended in Plenary as the Constitution of SMG and as a framework within which our militants can build the kind of organisation and networks for advanced struggle. SFG can now work towards the return of power to the people.
5.3. CONGRESS FURTHER ADOPTS the recommendations submitted to it by the Central Committee regarding the membership of the Standing Committee that will provide day to day leadership of the SMG until Congress reconvenes as follows:
a. Convenor
b. General Secretary
c. International Affairs Secretary
d. Treasurer
6. STRUGGLE
6.1. Congress commits to gender equality in SMG work. Congress hereby tasks the Central Committee and the leadership of the Women’s Wing to develop a strategic framework for pursuing gender equality within SMG and increasing the numbers of women leading organised struggles for social transformation and develop policies and strategies on campaign issues on reproduction and role of women that will place responsibilities on society to protect the reproductive rights and the development of social support for all women.
6.2. Congress declares its commitment to defend and promote the rights of the Youth and to develop their leadership of society. Congress hereby directs the Central Committee working with the Youth League to develop a strategic framework for promoting Youth leadership in the struggle for socialism at all levels.
6.3. CONGRESS DECLARES that the pursuing unity amongst progressive social movements is an ethical and a strategic responsibility. Congress directs the Central Committee to develop strategies for working with socialist and progressive political and social organizations in Ghana struggling against Imperialist efforts to divide and distract ordinary people.
7. INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY
7.1. CONGRESS REAFFIRMS SMG internationalism and SMG participation in the Pan Africanism Today project and SMG’s membership of the International People’s Assembly as vehicles for realising this internationalism. Congress tasks the Central Committee to develop a strategic framework for the realisation of SMG internationalism.
7.2. CONGRESS DECLARES THAT there are no fundamental contradictions amongst the ordinary people of West Africa. Growing conflict reflects a Western agenda to break indigenous resistance to neo-colonial exploitation; and halt the growing influence of China. Imperialism is the cause and not the cure of WA instability. Congress calls on Regional social leadership to demand a peaceful human-security approach to the Region’s conflicts including withdrawal of all foreign forces from the Region and greater resourcing of approaches based on dialogue and inclusion. Congress calls on the social forces to lead the peace process free from the control of imperialist forces especially from France and US and their militaries.
7.3. CONGRESS DECLARES SOLIDARITY with the People, Government, and Communist Party of Cuba whose own internationalist example remains unparalleled in world history. Cuba today faces renewed attempts by US imperialism to destabilise and overthrow the revolution using the crisis caused by US aggression and economic blockade over 60 years and the disruptions caused over the last 18 months by the pandemic. We denounce this renewed US aggression which exposes the vicious consistency of Republican and Democratic Party agendas. We call on the Government of Ghana to join in the condemnation of US aggression and to take practical steps to alleviate the suffering of the Cuban people by challenging the illegal US blockade of Cuba.
7.4. CONGRESS DECLARES SOLIDARITY with the People of Palestine and the PLO in the face of increasingly vicious attack by Israel which remains in illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and operates a system of Apartheid there. We deplore the support that the US and other capitalist states continue to provide to Israel’s crimes against humanity. We call on all African states to reaffirm Israel’s pariah status and murderous activities. SMG rejects completely any notion of Israeli participation in the work of the AU in any capacity including observer status and calls for her ejection from AU.
7.5. CONGRESS DECLARES SOLIDARITY with the People of Venezuela facing sustained US aggression who not only seek to control Venezuela’s vast energy resources but also to stop its support to progressive causes around the World. The US has not only disrupted Venezuela’s international trade and seized it assets in America. It has for decades interfered shamefully in Venezuela’s internal politics and sought to impose a puppet regime on that country.
7.6. CONGRESS DECLARES SOLIDARITY with the Saharawi Peoples Democratic Republic and the Polisario Front. Western Sahara remains the only colony on the African continent. It has been forcibly colonised by Morocco a fellow African country which itself has experienced the humiliation of direct foreign domination but now works as an agent of US and Israeli penetration of the Region. Morocco acts a proxy for European interests. We call for greater pressure from the Government of Ghana, ECOWAS, AU, UN and all progressive organizations to compel Morocco to recognise Saharawi right to self-
determination and to respect the decisions of the International Court in this regard and calls for withdrawal of Moroccan occupation forces from SADR.
7.7. CONGRESS SALUTES THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA on its first centenary and DECLARES SOLIDARITY with the people of China in the face of renewed US aggression in a futile effort to rollback China’s unprecedented development achievements of the last 40 years and the demonstration of the power and benefits of socialism over capitalism. Congress directs the Central Committee to study China’s transformation and especially its eradication of extreme poverty to understand how much of China’s strategy and organisation may serve as an example.
7.8. CONGRESS DECLARES SOLIDARITY WITH the people of the Indian Ocean Islands whose land has been arrogantly seized by Imperialist powers and converted to military infrastructure facilities ….
SMG_CONGRESS_WORKING_PAPERS_DRAFT_RESOLUTIN_VER01
