Annual report on the Gold Coast / Colonial Office.

  • Great Britain. Colonial Office.
Date:
[1951]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on the Gold Coast / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/130 (page 3)
    PART I Outstanding Events of the Year POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS The year 1951 was an important landmark in the political and consti¬ tutional development of the Gold Coast. The new constitution came into force and by the end of the year was seen to be working remarkably smoothly and effectively in spite of the contention of some politicians that it does not go far enough towards self-government. The new Executive Council which contains eight African Representative Ministers appointed from the Legislative Assembly is in effective control of the formulation of policy. The Ministers, shortly after taking over their portfolios, were presenting and defending their estimates in the Assembly and soon after that they proceeded to revise the draft development plan. A considerable measure of collective responsibility has been achieved within the Executive Council. The new members of the Assembly had by the end of the year become familiar with the Assembly’s procedure which largely follows British Parliamentary practice. One political party has built up an organis¬ ation and consequently attained an important position both in the country and in the Legislative Assembly ; from it most of the Repre¬ sentative Members of the Executive Council have been drawn. In the Assembly when divisions have been taken this party has been able to secure a sufficient measure of party discipline to ensure that major Government measures are carried. The Opposition has not yet organised itself on a regular footing but has shown itself capable on occasions of pressing the Government hard. The first step in introducing the new constitution was the publication in January of the Electoral Regulations. Then followed the various stages of the elections—which are described in some detail in Appendix I. These were completed in February. A number of representatives of the Press in the United Kingdom and elsewhere came to the Gold Coast to cover the elections and the introduction of the new constitu¬ tion received wide publicity throughout the world. Only one political party—the Convention People’s Party—had built up an effective party organisation, with the result that it won 34 of the 38 seats which were contested on a party basis. Another party won three seats and the other seats went to persons without party affilia¬ tions. The first problem which had to be faced was that of the Chair¬ man of the Convention People’s Party and a number of his followers who were at that time serving prison sentences. The Party’s Chairman —Dr. Kwame Nkrumah—who was returned in the elections as first municipal member for Accra, had been convicted of inciting an illegal strike and sedition and was then in Ussher Fort Prison in Accra. The