MPs pay tribute to Mohammed Ali
Members of Parliament (MPs) have paid glowing tribute to the late former heavyweight boxing champion, Muhammad Ali, describing him as a legend, great civil rights activist and the greatest boxer the world will ever know.
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Contributing to a statement by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, which was read on his behalf by the Majority Chief Whip, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, the MPs said Ali was great, yet humble and principled and was a man who dedicated a greater part of his life fighting poverty and injustice.
Mr Iddrisu said Ali, apart from being a boxing legend, believed in fairness and inclusiveness and also stuck to his beliefs even when those views were unpopular at the time he expressed them.
He said Ali was, indeed "the greatest" who spoke out against racism, war and religious intolerance.
"Ali was a silent messenger of peace. He is described as a selfless stranger to fame. He broke our hearts, souls and conscience with his death. He never shied away from any fight.
He led battles on behalf of his faith and religious beliefs, he said.
"Never in the field of fisticuffs was so much owed by so many to one man," he added.
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The MP for Adansi Asokwa, Mr K.T. Hammond, said Ali was a great boxer who could accurately predict when to knock down an opponent.
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"There will never be a great boxer like Ali," he said.
The MP for Wa Central, Dr Rashid Pelpuo, described Ali as a "a committed boxer who represented the truth.
"He demonstrated the fact that a man can be strong and humble."
The MP for Subin, Mr Isaac Osei, said Ali transcended boxing.
He recalled the visit of the former heavyweight champion to Ghana in 1964 when he (Osei) was a student in Achimota School and said as one of the children who were lined up to greet the legendary boxer, he refused to wash his hands after he had shaken Ali’s hands.
The MP for Zebilla, Mr Cletus Avoka, described Ali as a strategist and humble person.
The Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said Ali was a principled boxer from whom sportsmen/women could learn.