Extreme partisanship bane of honouring heroes — Majority Leader

The Majority Leader in Parliament and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has stated that extreme partisanship and political polarisation hamper the celebration of the country national heroes.

In his observation, attempts had been made to obliterate the contribution of many notable Ghanaians and, to some extent, the distortion of the country’s history.

It is my humble plea that, as a people, we honour the men and women who blaze trails regardless of tribe or tongue or political affiliation. According to Cicero, “Poor is the nation that has no heroes, but poorer still is the nation that, having heroes, fails to remember and honour them,’ he appealed.

Immortalise

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu made the observation at a lecture held at the Wesley College in Kumasi to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the passing of Dr K. A. Busia, Ghana’s Prime Minister of the Second Republic (1969 - 1972), organised by the Busia Institute for Rural and Democratic Development (BIRDD) in collaboration with the Wesley College.

He applauded what he termed as the tenacious efforts and dogged determination of the Busia Institute to immortalise the life of Prime Minister Busia and called for support to the institute to enable it to realise its mission.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also made many suggestions, including the establishment of an award to be named Best University Student in Africa (BUSIA) in honour of the late Ghanaian Prime Minister who became the first African professor in Ghana and who unfurled the flag of Africa as a scholar.

The chief of Nkontomponiafere in Kumasi, Nana Kwasi Awua Apinkra, who represented the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, as the Special Guest of Honour, expressed delight for the opportunity to commemorate the legacy of Prime Minister K. A. Busia, who he described as ‘a visionary leader whose influence continues to inspire generations,’ and called on Ghanaians to remember the remarkable contributions of the Prime Minister to Ghana’s progress.

Nana Apinkra was optimistic that the ceremony would serve not only as a tribute to the past but also as a beacon for guiding the nation towards a future of unity, progress, and prosperity, noting that the initiative undertaken by the Busia Institute in partnership with Wesley College in Kumasi resonated deeply to the enduring impact of Busia’s principles and ideals.

“Let us remember and honour the legacy of Prime Minister Busia today by rededicating ourselves to the principles he held dear and by nurturing the potential of the students who will benefit from the materials generously provided,” he stressed.

Statesmen

For his part, the past Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church and former chairman of the National Peace Council, Most Reverend Emmanuel Kwaku Asante, noted that the country was blessed with so many personalities, past and present, whose ideas and vision were indispensable for national development but until they were viewed as statesmen and women, and not through partisan political lenses, their relevance would remain unnoticed and unused, a phenomenon which he said would be at the expense of the country.

The Executive Director of the Busia Institute, Anane Agyei, said the continuing relevance of Dr Busia finds expression in the ideas he espoused, and it remains relevant and crucial for national development.

That, he said accounted for the Institute’s commitment to exposing Busia’s vision to the youth.