At a time when life is distressingly difficult, for the many it is natural to talk a lot about those who ‘by their corrupt and selfish deeds have made living so unnecessarily unpleasant for many’.
But this is however the time to focus on the great and famous who have helped fashion purpose and values in our society.
We should shed light on the notable men and women of the past so that we realise that we belong to a proud tradition which imposes on us an obligation to uphold values and to maintain and strengthen the virtue of service to fellow creatures and to nation.
The 50th anniversary of the death of J.B. Danquah is a suitable opportunity to focus on the life of one of our illustrious forebears so that we may be inspired to strive and achieve in spite of the problems of today. It is unfortunate that accounts of the life of this great Ghanaian are dominated by the unfortunate political circumstances of his death.
Fortunately, the recent accounts of commemoration by Dr S.K.B. Asante and Mr. Akufo Addo have tried to contain the political passions aroused by his death in prison to allow a dispassionate focus and assessment of Dr. Danquah’s contribution to the intellectual, social and political life of the nation. The last months of Dr Danquah’s life however deserve more critical attention than empty polemics and I will deal with this period later. I will begin my recollections of this role model of a man as I knew him at school.
In my youth, men of learning were held in high esteem and we strived to be like them. At school we learnt of Dr. Danquah as a scholar who worked hard to achieve the coveted PhD degree.
He did not have the advantage of a secondary school which we enjoyed. Yet he achieved so much. After his elementary school at a proverbial disciplined Presbyterian school, he worked as a law clerk before going to London to study.
In those days the London Matriculation (LM) Certificate was a coveted qualification. Dr Danquah sat for it twice in London before passing to be allowed to enrol for university studies.
He not only worked hard to obtain his degree but also achieved the distinction of becoming a John Stuart Mill scholar. He went on to write learned dissertations in philosophy to obtain his PhD after which he qualified as a lawyer.
On his return to the Gold Coast, he could have obtained a comfortable position at Achimota College but he decided to practice law and assist in the emancipation of the minds of his compatriots.
He had been President of the West African Students Union in London and was politically alive to the needs of his countrymen and women in self-esteem and self-reliance. He became a prolific writer and commentator of social, economic and political issues. Many of us were inspired to be like him. I read his books and attended his lectures. Frankly, I did not understand all he said and wrote. But he was still a role model.
My classmate at the Middle School at Achimota College, Kofi Antubam, the artist, became a friend of Dr Danquah. African culture, art and ancient history were their topics of conversation. Kofi Antubam would call on me on his way to see Dr Danquah at Adabraka. I would leave him to discuss his dry art and Akan doctrine of God with my father before I accompanied him to Dr Danquah’s residence.
The great philosopher would receive us with courtesy and warmth and fly into exposition about culture, art and the African idea of God. I found excuse to leave early to allow the two to continue their learned dry discussion.
The work and influence of Dr. Danquah before and after the formation of the United Gold Coast Convention is fairly well recorded. It should be general knowledge of all students.
Dr Danquah not only formed youth organisations but discussed issues and philosophy with them as equals as my encounters with him and Kofi Antubam revealed. True nationalists like Dr. Danquah should make us contemptuous of politicians bereft of ideas and purpose who stoop low to grab for self.
And why should such a great Ghanaian like Dr. Danquah die in prison? Was it the fault of Kwame Nkrumah or an exposure of the bad side of the Ghanaian character? Did not some Ministers in Nkrumah’s cabinet oppose the Preventive Detention Act? And why did they not resign on principle as my former student, of whom I am singularly proud, Osei Bonsu did from Dr Busia’s government? And why did Parliament pass the Preventive Detention Law (PDL) after warnings from colleagues and a great lawyer like da Rocha? And so far as the PDL was concerned did it achieve any useful purpose? Did the bombings stop or were they contained? And as a people have we stopped fabricating evidence in court to get friends off the hook which practice was said to justify PLC in time of crisis? Was J.B. Danquah caught with an after-coup speech? And how many people were imprisoned without a PD order signed by Nkrumah? Should prisoners not have access to doctors? Have we modified the system so that prisoners do not die because of lack of medical attention? Did my good friend Tsatsu Tsikata nearly die in prison because of the lack of access to medical attention at night?
Kwame Nkrumah’s government bears heavy responsibility for Dr. Danquah’s death in prison. But thoughtless approach on party political lines to issues would not avoid repetition of such tragedies. The questions raised if dispassionately addressed would assist in preventing future incidents.
We should address past institutional, personal and policy failures so that there is progress.
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was greatly upset when Dr. Danquah died. In my view he should have freed him when Mrs. Ayensu (Dr. Danquah’s Mother-In-Law) called and pleaded for his release. Knowing his views and disposition, I joined my two senior colleagues in his office to ask him to send Dr. Danquah to New York as Ghana’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN. The President did not dismiss the idea but agreed that a post be given to Dr. Danquah in Ghana as a first step. CPP activists were strongly against the appointment which was withdrawn. How different would the history of Ghana have been if Dr. Nkrumah had insisted on his decisions!
We should certainly shed light on the great and famous like Danquah. But there are others who though not so great served the country with singular devotion and should be numbered among the illustrious. I was glad President Mahama attended the funeral of Mr. Kwaku Amoa Awuah on February 6. Mr. Awuah, a devoted teacher became Principal of Trinity College, Suhum. This school was founded by his father and it shows that we have had public-spirited nationalists in the country.
Mr. Amoa Awuah, like Dr. Danquah formed a youth organisation to focus on social and economic issues. He therefore had great experience in working with the people to achieve defined objectives. This experience was most useful when he served as Deputy Minister in many Ministries. I believe politicians should prove themselves at the local level before being catapulted to the national level as Ministers. As Minister of Labour Mr. Awuah guided the enactment of the Industrial Relations Act and instituted Meetings of the Trades Union Congress and the Employers Association. He actively promoted cooperation between labour and employers for the public good. He continued his public service when political parties were banned and showed the youth the way to nation-building through entrepreneurship. He returned to his old party when the political ban was lifted and played a most useful role as an elder statesman without seeking exalted positions.
This is the time to let the nation know that we do have men and women who have made their mark and greatly helped to build our nation. There are still many of such people in our midst and we should proudly acknowledge their good works while we show contempt for the corrupt who impede the forward-march of the nation.
