Alexander Afenyo-Markin
Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has paid tribute to the late Dr. Joseph Boakye Danquah, one of Ghana’s patriots.
Speaking at the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Dr. J.B. Danquah’s passing, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said Dr. Danquah’s story is not one of mere remembrance but of responsibility.
He indicated that Dr. Danquah’s legacy is woven into the fabric of Ghana’s political, intellectual, and constitutional development, adding that he was more than a scholar, politician, statesman and advocate.
“He was a poet, a playwright and a chronicler of our history, customs and norms. He was a visionary who dedicated his life to laying the foundational principles of our democracy. Indeed, the principles of democratic accountability, free enterprise, free expression and the rule of law, which are all today enshrined in the 4th Republican Constitution, are the very ones he fought for from the 1920s and died for in 1965,” he stated.
He said it is a testament of Dr. J.B. Danquah’s foresight and that of the many others who shared those ideals, that the 1992 Constitution has given rise to the longest enduring democratic rule in Ghana’s history, adding that the best way to honour him is not with words alone, but with actions that protect the freedoms for which he lived and died.
“Let us commit ourselves to preserving justice, strengthening our institutions, and ensuring that no Ghanaian ever suffers the fate he endured,” Mr. Afenyo-Markin urged.
Dispelling Lies
The Leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Parliament however, raised concerns over the ‘evil lies’ that Dr. Danquah still endures, citing an incident in Parliament marking this 60th anniversary, “when a member of the Majority told a bold and naked lie that Dr. Danquah was a CIA spy and, to support this lie, referred falsely to a book that rather praises the Doyen of Ghanaian politics.”
He said Dr. J.B. Danquah in his lifetime lamented over these lies against his person from his political opponents.
“When he led efforts to raise money from Britain to build the Accra Sports Stadium, his opponents twisted it to say, apart from Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Danquah and the others in the UGCC had been bribed to abandon the independent struggle for sports! In the end, we got both, independence and the stadium, which still stands today,” he said.
Sadly, he said the old hate campaign is still on, being fed daily with oxygen by those who should know better.
“Indeed, I dare say that, perhaps since the 1940s, no group of people have suffered a hate campaign as enduring as that which Danquah and his people have had to go through. A people who have contributed so much to public service and the betterment of our nation and yet maligned beyond measure for sacrifices that are pure and patriotic,” he lamented.
He thus called on the public to have a renewed sense of purpose, knowing that democracy is not a gift handed down through history but a perpetual struggle, one that all must embrace with courage and resolve.
“Let us leave here, denouncing hate campaign, whoever and whichever group it may be directed at. Let us put the love and dignity of Ghana and Africa above our differences, because what unites us is far greater than the desire of those who seek to divide and weaken us,” he said.
A Daily Guide Report