A former President of the African Development Bank, Kantinka Sir Dr K. Donkoh Fordjour, has called on Ghanaians to emulate the virtues of Dr J.B. Danquah by rejecting politics of tribalism, abuse, mud-slinging and vindictiveness.
“I wish to make a solemn appeal to all Ghanaians, no matter the ethnic group they belong, please, abandon the politics based on tribalism, please forego the politics of abuse and mud-slinging.
“Rather endeavour to mould your political philosophy and behaviour on the ideals and practices of Dr J.B. Danquah” Dr Fordjour appealed at the 49th J.B. Danquah Memorial Lecture, at the auditorium of the Ghana Academic of Arts and Sciences in Accra.
The lecture, which was the first of a series of three lectures, was on the topic, “The man Dr J.B. Danquah.”
It was attended by a cross-section of Ghanaians, including Members of Parliament, students and some top officials of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), including its flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Dr Fordjour described Dr J.B. Danquah as one who had no prejudice, no bigotry and did not believe in stereotype, “he was a man of genuine integrity and he loved his own culture while respecting the cultures of other people.”
He recalled the crucial role Dr Danquah played in uniting not only the Asantes and the Akyems, but a united Ghana, a role he said, deserved to be hailed and praised.
“The current good relations between the Asantes and Akyems are largely due to Dr J.B. Danquah. This is one of the reasons for the great regard and admiration that I have for the man,” he said.
He said there might have been a time of such antagonism in the past, “but thanks largely to the effort of Dr J.B. Danquah, the situation is much better than it was.”
Dr Fordjour said the ideas of Dr Danquah remained even more relevant today than they were during his days, explaining that “at that time, he was no more than a lone voice crying in the wilderness.”
He said in more than 60 years since the death of Dr Danquah, Ghana and many other African countries had witnessed upheavals and dissipation of governmental power by the military.
“But one has stood out everywhere throughout the period. Nowhere on the continent has it been possible to establish a form of democracy by the force of arms. Soldiers have never been able to establish democracy.
“Nor has it been possible to achieve such a system by the establishment of a monolithic political organisation based on the ideas of the personality of a leader whose wisdom is considered unchallengeable,” he said.
He said that was not what Dr Danquah sought to establish for the then Gold Coast and in deed, Africa, explaining that Dr Danquah wanted democratic governance, a nation and a continent in which people enjoyed the benefit of genuine economic development.
He called for an immediate stop to the use of macho men by political parties, describing it as an insult to democracy.
Dr Fordjour said the use of macho men was contrary to the whole idea of democracy, and added, “It gives credit to the notion that party politics is but a caricature of democracy.”
He further lashed at the use of foreign observers to validate the credibility of elections, adding, “The use of macho men and foreign election observers must be stopped,” describing the practice as dangerous.
<<Print>>