STATEMENT BY THE NPP ON THE OCASSION OF THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF DR. K.A. BUSIA’S PASSING (AUGUST 28, 2018)
Read by John Boadu, General Secretary
Chairman of the occasion and former President of the Republic, Your Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, Your Excellency Mr. President and Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, Your Excellency Vice President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Spouse, Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament, Members of the Council of State, Elders of our great Party, Chief of Staff, Past and Present Ministers of State and other government officials, Members of Parliament, Colleague National Officers and other party executives across the various structures of our party, our venerable Chiefs and traditional leaders, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Invited Guests, the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am extremely honoured and gratified for the opportunity to address this important gathering on behalf of the NPP, on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary Lecture in honour of the celebrated nationalist and co-founder of the political tradition from which the NPP takes its root, Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia of blessed memory. Our very existence as a political party today, is as a result of the illustrious works and legendary sacrifices of the Busias. We have a rich and enviable political tradition today because of the Busias.
We are the pacesetters of rule of law and good governance today because of the Busias. We are the bastion of democracy in Africa today because of the Busias. We are able to win elections today because of the Busias. We are able to deliver prosperity to the Ghanaian people today because of the Busias. Ultimately, we are a formidable party today because of the Busias.
It is thus much evident that the man whose legacies we are celebrating today is one of the finest founding fathers of our political tradition. He is the foremost political leader of our tradition whose stupendous leadership brought our tradition to power for the first time. By reason of his staunch commitment to democracy, Busia was nicknamed ‘The Symbol of Democracy’ in Ghana. To Busia, the concept of Democracy meant, “a welfare state in which everyone was his brother’s keeper”. He always conveyed his ideas and sentiments in a language devoid of vulgarity.
Also, Dr. Busia’s unwavering commitment to serving country particularly ordinary members of the Ghanaian society is exceedingly remarkable and worth mentioning. This commitment, as most of you would recall, found expression in his famous inaugural address at the Independence Square on October 1, 1969 as Ghana’s Prime Minister in the Second Republic, which also had, His Excellency Edward Akufo-Addo, the father of our current President as the nation’s President.
Prime Minister Dr. Busia posited that, “We think the yardstick by which our success or failure should be judged must be the condition of the human being himself. We must judge our progress by the quality of the individual, by his knowledge, his skills, and his behaviour as a member of society, the standards of living he is able to enjoy and by the degree of co-operation, harmony and brotherliness in our community life as a nation. Our goal is to enable every man and woman in our country to live a life of dignity in freedom.”
The wellbeing of the ordinary Ghanaian was therefore at the heart of the Busia Administration, which did so much to provide decent livelihood to the citizens of our country particularly the rural folks. Indeed, one of the greatest achievements of Dr. Busia is in the area of Rural Development, which was his priority. He was humble, hardworking, disciplined, visionary and very passionate about the welfare of the ordinary people. In line with his commitment at raising the living standards of the rural dwellers, Dr. Busia established, for the first time in our history, the Ministry of Social and Rural Development which oversaw the provision of good drinking water, electricity and health facilities for rural communities in the country.
Under the Rural Electrification Scheme of Dr. Busia, hundreds of towns and villages were connected to the national grid. Also, the health needs of the rural folks were of prime importance to Busia. He therefore did so much to improve health delivery in the country including putting up the Danfa Project, which among other things, was to train traditional midwives.
Beyond Rural Development, which was the hallmark of Dr. Busia, he also acquitted himself very well in the area economic development with his outstanding relationship with a number of developed countries. He travelled to negotiate for more favourable terms of debt repayment with creditor nations in Europe and America, and to seek further aid to break the cycle of debt and deficit financing to surmount the balance of payments difficulties. His high powered international contacts also culminated in the signing of a joint Ghanaian-British enterprise to establish a lime factory at Anomabo which provided thousands of employment to our people.
The uniqueness of Dr. Busia in the scheme of things was also largely manifest in the field of academia and research where he displayed outstanding scholarship to the admiration of all. As an academic, Dr. Busia, being the first African to attain the position of a Professor in Ghana remains an inspiration and an icon in the field of academia. He mentored many people by way of teaching and highlighted Ghana and Africa on the academic map of the world through his scholarly write-ups and professorial engagements with many reputable universities and other institutions of high learning across the globe.
In St. Anthony’s College of the University of Oxford where he was the first person of African descent to study, he proved his mettle as a scholar and later returned to that institution as a senior member. At the University of Ghana, he set up the Department of Sociology, and also founded the Institute of African Studies as a way of preserving our cultural heritage. Beside his classic book, “The Position of the Chief in Modern Political System Of Ashanti” that remains a reference material for studies related to culture and development, he authored several valuable books and countless academic papers including “Education for Citizenship”, “Africa in Search of Democracy”, “A Social Survey of Sekondi-Takoradi”, “The Influence of Colonization and Radical Conflicts in the Development and Maintenance of Free Societies” among others.
It is also instructive to make the point that, perhaps, the aspect of history that is not told of Dr. Busia in the manner it ought to be told, has to do with the role he played in discovering some of Ghana’s distinguished personalities of today. Mention hasn’t really been made of the fact that Dr. Busia discovered one of Ghana’s finest international diplomat and Nobel Peace Laureate, Busumuru Kofi Annan who sadly passed away on the 18th of this month. Dr. Busia appointed Kofi Annan to head the Ghana Tourism Development Cooperation and also assisted him in diverse ways to excel internationally. Another foremost discovery that was made by Dr. Busia, I’m happy to say, is our own daddy and mentor, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, the former President of the Republic and chairman of this occasion. He was appointed by Dr. Busia to serve in his government as Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister at a relatively tender age of 31.
There is no denying the fact that Dr. Busia’s contribution not only to the founding of our political tradition but also in ensuring that it stood the test of time against all odds, is indispensable. It is not for nothing that his name is indelibly associated with our tradition, the Danquah-Busia-Dombo political tradition. He is therefore the undisputed co-founder of the very political tradition from which the NPP is rooted. He was the leader of Nkrumah’s main opposition at various times which made him Nkrumah’s primary target especially during his triumphant days at the Legislative Assembly.
Dr. Busia headed the Ghana Congress Party, which later merged with other parties to become the primary opposition party to Nkrumah’s Convention Peoples Party. This was due to rising concerns about Nkrumah’s dictatorial tendencies and growing unbridled absolute power, stemming from tribal discontent particularly in the late 1950s. Concerned about Busia’s increasing political popularity, Nkrumah passed a number of laws geared at stifling the Busia-led opposition.
For instance, sometime in November 1957, Nkrumah passed the Avoidance of Discrimination Law under the pretext of banning political parties with sectional, ethnic or religious traces and which did not have national character. However, the true intent of Dr. Nkrumah was essentially to collapse all political parties in the country with the exception of his CPP. This was indeed confirmed when Nkrumah prevailed on Parliament to pass a law on 31st January, 1964 making Ghana a One-Party State, with his CPP, the only legitimate political party in the country and himself, [Dr. Kwame Nkrumah] the President of Ghana for life.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, following Nkrumah’s passage of the Avoidance of Discrimination Law in 1957, the Ghana Congress Party (which was founded by the celebrated J.B Danquah, Nii Armah Ollenu, Saki Schek and A.A Chambas) had to merge with a number of other like-minded smaller parties to form the United Party (UP), on November 3, 1957 at Ga Mashie.
The parties that came together to the form the UP along with the Ghana Congress Party, were the Northern Peoples Party (founded by Simon Diedong Dombo, popularly known as S.D Dombo, Mumuni Bawumia [the father of our current Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Abayifa Karbo [the grandfather of the current deputy Roads Minister and Lawra MP], J.A Braimah, Mumuni Dumbie, Yakubu Tale [the late Tolon Naa, and Mumuni Kore), the National Liberation Movement (founded by Baffour Akoto, together with Sir Edward Asafo Adjei of Yaanom Chambas in Kumasi, Victor Owusu and NYB Adade), the Ga Shifimokpe (founded by Nii Nartey, Ackah Nettey, Nii Ashie and Nii Bonie Osu Alata Mantse) and the Togoland Congress Party (founded by Senyo Gatro Anto, otherwise known as SG Anto and Kojo Ayeke).
The Unity Party (UP), as we all know, later transmogrified into Progress Party (PP) after Busia’s return from exile following Nkrumah’s overthrow and the return of Civilian Rule in 1969. It was the Progress Party, under the distinguished leadership of Dr. Busia that led our tradition to taste political power for the first time in history. Other notable personalities that are deserving of special mention for the instrumental roles they played in the formation of Progress Party are Victor Owusu, R.R Amponsah, N.Y.B Adade and Yaw Manu.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, as we pay homage to the memory of Dr. Busia, the NPP wishes to use this occasion to also pay glowing tribute to the founding fathers of our political tradition who sacrificed all they had in order to ensure that this tradition survived even the most tumultuous moments before and after independence. We make special mention of J.B Danquah, Paa Grant, Dombo, R.S Blay, Hon. Obetsebi Lamptey, William Ofori-Atta, Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, Hon. Edward Akufo-Addo, Dr. J.E Armah, Oheneba Sakyi Djan, Councilor E.A. Bossman, K.B. Teko, Quist Therson, E.C.A Quarshie, Dr. F.V Nanka Bruce, Councilor G.N. Alema, Hon. N.A Ollenu, Councilor Richard Akwei, Ben A. Tamakloe, V.B Annan, Hon. Akilakpa Sawyer, Solomon Odamtten, Victor Owusu, N.Y.B Adade, R.R Amponsah, Prof Albert Adu Boahen, J.H Mensah, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor among several others.
Also worthy of mention are some gallant women who played significant roles in the formative years of our political establishment. We salute, in this regard, Madam Dorothy Afia Kani (a native of Kibi who chose the colours of Busia’s Progress Party), Hon. Catherine Tedem (who was the only woman in the Progress Party bench in the Parliament of the Second Republic. She also happens to be a younger sister to our current national council of elders’ chairman, the venerable C.K. Tedem), Madam Ama Serwaa Tonatuo and Maame Nyameba among other unsung heroines.
These gallant founding fathers of our political tradition stood for the principle of rule of law, good governance, free market and property owning democracy, freedom and liberty of the Ghanaian, accountability, sacrifice for the collective good, nobility, humility, dedication to duty, social justice, abhorrence for corruption, patriotism, love for country, among other centre-right philosophies which underpin the political tradition from which the NPP is rooted. As much as we the current generation of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition have strived to maintain these principle, there is nonetheless a growing phenomenon of departure from our founding principles by some of our compatriots.
I wish to for the avoidance of doubt emphasize that the culture of hooliganism as means of seeking redress is ALIEN to our political tradition. It was not what Dr. Busia stood for. It was not what J.B Danquah stood for. It was not what S.D Dombo stood for. It was not what our founding fathers stood for. And certainly, it cannot be what our political tradition stands for. Our tradition stands for the rule of law and civil liberty at all times. This is what we must religiously uphold; else the sacrifices of our forefathers shall be in vain and posterity will not forgive us.
Today, I am able to say with certainty and pride that the NPP is the only political party in the country with rich tradition which has stood the test of time. We did not build our tradition around individuals. Our tradition does not believe in individualism and hero worshipping. That is why you will see clearly that, even after the passing of the JB Danquahs, the Busias and the Dombos who were the lead-founding fathers of our tradition, the NPP remained and still remains vibrant and unshaken. It is therefore glaring that, instead of individualism, our political party was founded on rich tradition anchored on shared values and strong ideology.
We are not persuaded or cajoled by materialism; neither are we guided by the whims and caprices of individuals. We are guided by principles; strong principles. The principle of collectivism; the principle of capitalism; the principle of private property; the principle of civil liberty; the principle of democracy; the principle of accountability; the principle of conservatism; the principle of liberalism and the principle of rule of law among others. These are the principles that underpin the founding of the NPP tradition which have made her the all-time most endearing political party in Ghana’s history.
It is thus important we do not depart from these enviable founding principles of ours. We must endeavor to uphold the vision of J.B Danquah; the vision of Dr. Busia; the vision of S.D Dombo; the vision of John Agyekum Kufour; and the vision of President Nana Akufo-Addo. Let us uphold our founding principles at all times and commit ourselves to serving our party and government with the necessary diligence and aptness for love of God and country.
Our success or otherwise depends largely on the extent at which we respect and uphold our founding principles. Our founding fathers were successful because they never compromised on these principles. I am also confident that just like the Kufuor government, the government of His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will also be successful so long as we all commit ourselves to upholding our founding principles.
Let it forever be said that it is the Danquah-Busia-Dombo political tradition that holds the key to Ghana’s development and prosperity.
Thank you and God bless us all.
Long live the NPP
Long live the Danquah-Busia-Dombo Tradition
Long live our beautiful Mother Ghana!!!
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