House Commemorates the Fifty-Fifth Anniversary of Dr. JB Danquah’s Death.
05-02-2020Parliament on Tuesday morning eulogized Dr. JB Danquah, one of the Big Six and founder-member of the pre-independent United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), for his immense contribution towards the development of Ghana.
The Member for Abuakwa South Hon. Samuel Atta Akyea read a Statement on the floor of the House on the occasion of the fifty fifth anniversary of his death.
The Works and Housing Minister disclosed that Dr. Danquah was one of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s political detainees and was arrested and imprisoned without trial under the Preventive Detention Act (PDA) of 1958 and 1961.
Hon. Atta Akyea further declared that Dr. J.B. Danquah died of heart attack at the age of sixty nine while in detention at Nsawam Medium Prison on 4 February 1965
The MPs from both side of the House hailed the late lawmaker, nationalist and freedom fighter for dedicating his life to the course of the country and credited him for helping in rechristening the then Gold Coast, Ghana and fighting for Ghanaian farmers.
The MPs made these remarks in their contributions to the statement on the floor by the Abuakwa South Member of Parliament.
Tempers flared in Parliament as legislators debated the statement when Hon. KT Hammond began to project JB Danquah over Nkrumah and portrayed him as a despotic tyrant in an attempt to denigrate him.
The Minority kicked against what they say is the overt attempt to rewrite the history of Ghana by the Adansi Asokwa MP but rested their guns when the unfortunate statement received a sharp rebuke and warning from the Speaker for the dangerous path on which he was treading.
MP for Tamale South Haruna Iddrisu contributing to the statement believed that political polarisation is the bane of Ghana’s democracy.
He said people are tearing each other apart because of their political differences and wondered why this should be so.
Using the rift between Nkrumah’s Convention People’s Party and the UGCC to buttress his point, the Minority Leader pronounced that the only way that they can learn lessons from the past is to learn to agree to disagree.
The Majority leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, however, insisted nobody is rewriting history and argued that the country should recognise the role of all the founding members of Ghana who played key roles in the independence struggle.
Hon. Governs Governs Agbodza MP for Adaklu noted that the PDA was meant to emasculate terrorists who attempted assassinating and sabotaging Nkrumah’s Government.
He explained that the law was passed by a constitutionally elected Parliament and therefore bewailed that members of the House should understand the concept of multiparty democracy.
Explaining his point, the vociferous MP expounded that if all members accept that multiparty democracy is built on the principle of agreeing to disagree, there should therefore be no need for bitterness since they are created differently and share different political opinions.
He was resolute that it is because of the collective good that they need to bring everybody on board to make life more beautiful, complete, and fulfilling.
The Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central Hon. Patrick Yaw Boamah, Minister of State, at the Office of the President and MP for Evalue Ajomoro Gwira Constituency Hon Catherine Afeku and the Member for Keta Hon. Richard Quarshigah also took turns to contribute to this important statement.
