Ghana has been “absolutely unfair” to late President Hilla Limann, the Peoples’ National Convention’s General Secretary, Bernard Mornah has told Radio XYZ.
Dr Limann was President of Ghana from September 24, 1979 to December 31, 1981.
He was overthrown by Flt Lt Jerry Rawlings, whose Provincial National Defence Council (PNDC) regime ruled for eleven years before allowing multi-party democracy in the fourth republic to take roots in 1992.
According to Mornah, the failure by the governments of the current main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the now governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), to erect national monuments in honour of Dr Limann smacks of gross discrimination.
He said it appears the nation is not recognising Dr Limann’s contribution to Ghana’s democracy and development “…because it is Limann and sometimes it hurts”.
“Limann served the same 27 months that Busia served in this country, haven’t we recognised Busia? Go to the 37 roundabout and see the statue that is there”.
He said: “If you go around the country, even people that came as Military [Leaders] have been given some monuments that are named after them, what is our government waiting for? And we started talking about this long ago, I recall that as a party, we even entered into an agreement with the NDC under Atta Mills” over the matter.
He wondered why even individuals who were not Presidents, such as Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, whose son, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, is the current Chairman of the NPP; a progeny of the UP tradition - whose forebears were founders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) - have been given national recognition by naming streets after them, whereas Dr Limann has not been accorded any such honours.
On the part of the NDC, Mr Mornah says he suspect the Government is reluctant to honour Dr Limann because the party does not want to offend former President Jerry Rawlings, Founder of the NDC who also toppled Limann’s government.
“…I am tempted to say that probably because Rawlings overthrew Limann, the NDC doesn’t feel committed to do anything to eulogise Limann”, Mornah said.
“It’s not about Rawlings as a person; it is about our nation and I feel totally hurt”, he confessed.
He wondered: “Are you saying that when PNC takes over, we should not recognise the contribution of Atta-Mills and John Mahama? That should not be the way we should run our nation”.
“It must take all of us to see the level of ingratitude that we have shown to other people of this nation”.
Mr Mornah told the XYZ Breakfast Show Wednesday that: “Honestly I think that as a nation, we have to rise up. It must not take PNC members to be talking about these things”.
