It's time to forgive - Presby Moderator urges family of Dr J.B. Danquah

Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Most Rev. Dr. Abraham Opare Kwakye is urging the family of the late Dr. J. B. Danquah to let go of any pains suffered as a result of the circumstances leading to the death of Dr. J B Danquah.

According to him, the family should instead live the J.B. Danquah ideals of promoting freedom and justice for all and respect for traditional institutions.

Preaching at the remembrance service held at the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church of Ghana in Kyebi, Dr. Opare Kwakye indicated it was time for the family to forgive.

He advised Ghanaians to emulate the J.B. Danquah spirit in speaking truth to power without fear.

In his tribute, the Okyehene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori narrated that the whole nation stood in grieve and shock at the untimely demise of Dr. J. B. Danquah in the Nsawam Medium Security Prison where he had been detained on the orders of the Kwame Nkrumah led Convention Peoples Party (CPP), under horrendous circumstances.

He said JB's contribution to the consolidation of Okyeman, Akan cultural heritage, the independence struggle of Ghana, the defence of democracy, and the struggle against authoritarianism and arbitrariness has a unique place in the history of Ghana.

According to Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori, Dr. Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah was with Nananom at the Conference of Paramount Chiefs of the Eastern Province of the Gold Coast at the early age of 21 years, serving as State Secretary of Akyem Abuakwa where the foundation was laid for the establishment of the Joint Provincial Council where he led in the formulation of the Native Administration Ordinance of 1927.

He said the impact J. B. Danquah made on the understanding and preservation of Akan culture, heritage, and tradition can be seen in his cogitative rendition of a theoretic and scientific treatise of the customary institutions of the Akan people in his celebrated work, “Akan Laws and customs- And the Akyem Abuakwa Constitution", published in London in 1928.

"Dr. J. B. Danquah was imprisoned under the Preventive Detention Act, an obnoxious law which anticipates and punishes your future actions. Under the imprimatur orders of the CPP leadership, Dr. Danquah was arrested on the 8th of January, 1964, and admitted to the Nsawam prison condemned cells, a cell which was not suitable for a man of his condition and age. The man who had high blood pressure and suffered from asthma was put in a cell where he could neither stand nor walk, fed on gari, salt, and water, and endured other forms of inhuman treatment till the day he collapsed and died on 4th February 1965" Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panie recounted.

He added that, even in his death, Danquah was punished.

He explained that by saying the Nkrumah-led CPP government decreed that the burial was to be held within 12 hours. His body was not to be publicly laid in state and there was to be no public mourning and crying.

"The District Commissioner received orders from Accra and a team of Officers and men from the Army and the Police were dispatched to Kyebi to ensure compliance. For 59 years, Dr. Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah was denied a funeral rite, the most sacred of all rites of passage", he said.

He was quick to add that; "As TIME IS the great healer of wounds, the functionaries of the Nkrumah-led CPP and their assigns can and should be forgiven".

Okyehene mentioned the need to look into a brighter future guided by a vision of hope, tolerance, and reverence for the opinions, lives, and dignity of all persons irrespective of their political views.

Osagyefo described Dr. Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah as the epitome and embodiment of respect for human dignity, the culture and traditions of all peoples, and the love for the freedom of all men.

"May the vision of Dr. J. B. Danquah and the challenges of his times guide us all towards this goal of preserving and entrenching the culture of peacefulness, respect for personal freedom, and political pluralism enjoyed by the people of Ghana", Okyehene said.