Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has entreated Ghanaians to uphold the principles of the late Dr Joseph Boakye Danquah, a leading founder of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) for national unity and development.
At a church service to mark the 60th anniversary of Dr J.B Danquah’s passing at the Kyebi Presbyterian Church on Sunday, Mr Afenyo-Markin, NPP MP for Effutu, said the principles of the rule of law, judicial independence, tolerance, and the protection of individual freedoms, which the late statesman held dearly must never be taken for granted.
According to him, those principles for which J.B Danquah fought and suffered persecution at the hands of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, holds the country together today.
To this end, he noted that the recent rambo-style raid on the home of former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, were unfortunate and must not be allowed to fester in a democratic state like Ghana.
“We must never allow the machinery of state power to operate beyond the bounds of justice. The memory of Dr Danquah demands that we remain vigilant, ensuring that democracy in Ghana is not just a theoretical ideal but a lived reality,” he stated.
Dr J.B Danquah’s life, the Minority Leader mentioned, should be a guide that in a democracy, the opposition must be constructive, governance principled and leadership always in the service of the people.
Despite passing to eternity six decades ago, Mr Afenyo-Markin said Dr J.B Danquah remained a target of malicious hate speech and falsehoods intended to cause disaffection for his illustrious memory ad legacy.
This, he underlined, was evident by comments by a majority member of the current parliament who told a “naked lie” on the floor of Parliament that J.B Danquah was a spy of the CIA; narratives, he stated, the late statements lamented when he was alive.
“Sadly, this old hate campaign is still with us today, fed daily with oxygen by those who should know better. Indeed, I dare to 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,” he stated.
Having championed the building of the Accra Sports Stadium and his tireless advocacy which led to the establishment of the University of Ghana; Mr Afenyo-Markin said Dr J.B Danquah has not been honoured enough for his contribution to Ghana.
“Dr J.B Danquah’s story is not one of mere remembrance but of responsibility. 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,” he stated.
Dr Danquah died at the Nsawam Minimum Prison in 1965 having spent three years behind bars without trial under the Prevention Detention Act.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
