A Statesman In The Eyes of Professor Badu Akosa

By Kofi Akoto Yankey

It is an undeniable fact that partisan politics is on the rise in Ghana. It has spilled over so much that its tentacles are seen in our institutions. It is a worrying trend that if not curbed could slow our growth as a nation. We need strong political and economic institutions to develop our nation and this evil partisan approach by our political leadership is not in the interest of our dear country.

However, to bemoan former presidents Rawlings and Kuffour as being too “partisan” and therefore not statesmen is far-fetched from the truth; a below the belt blow.

A general understanding of a statesman is a government, political or social leader who is wise, skillful and respected, and who has contributed significantly in shaping government or public policies. No matter our disagreements with former presidents Rawlings and Kuffour on their policies and or decisions, we cannot discount the enormous contributions of the former president s to the growth of our country. It was therefore surprising to hear Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa not shortlist the two former presidents as statesmen.

Perhaps one can appreciate the point being stressed here by the honorable professor, that a statesman ought to have the interest of the nation at heart and not be too “partisan”. Regrettably, most of our leaders today, including Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, have fallen short of that standard.

The perception of many, including me, is that Prof. Akosa, President Kuffour, President Rawlings, K.B Asante and many of our leaders today are rightfully statesmen. They have contributed their quota to our national development. The current effort by Prof Akosa and the Vitamilk Foundation to fight malnutrition in the country should be applauded and supported. My beef with Prof. Badu Akosa is that he has been too “partisan” on some national issues; same fault he finds with the former presidents.

It is a flawed and partisan effort to name major state institutions after just one person that you consider as the founder of the country knowing very well that there are other contributors and statesmen equally deserving of such recognition. Any agenda that divides us rather than unite us should be avoided. Good leaders should resort to reasonable compromise; not my way or the highway attitude! My feeling is that most Ghanaians would appreciate a little more sensitivity from highly respected individuals like Prof. Akosa on such national issues. Unfortunately, leadership in that manner has not been the hallmark of Prof. Akosa.

One of the most divisive national issues of present day is the Founder’s day holiday, which centers on recognizing one single individual, Kwame Nkrumah, as the founder of Ghana as opposed to a Founders’ Day recognizing the contribution of everybody who fought for our independence. This very simple issue, cannot even be resolved by our political leadership (I recommend Ben Ephson take a survey of pre-kindergarten kids to make a determination. LOL! ). The much respected Prof. Akosa and some die-hard Nkrumahists have fought successfully to declare a national holiday in honor of Kwame Nkrumah as the only founder of Ghana and in so doing have “belittled” an otherwise “all inclusive” national holiday that would have duly remembered and celebrated the lives of every true hero who fought for our independence.

I say it is in our national interest to accept the bi-partisan prescription being recommended by Prof. Akosa. I also say that Prof. Akosa should prescribe to Ghanaians an all-inclusive Founders’ Day that recognizes the contribution of every person that helped found Ghana. Until a truly all-inclusive national Founders’ day is instituted, until every Ghanaian recognizes and appreciates the contributions of our founding fathers, our history would not be truly told, we will remain in denial and the Founder’s Day will lose its importance in the near future.

Long Live Ghana!

Kofi Akoto Yankey, New York

akotoyankey@hotmail.com