Busia stirs controversy in Parliament

Accra, March 16, GNA - A statement by Prof George Gyan-Baffour on the contribution of the late Prof Kofi Abrefa Busia to the development of democracy in Ghana stirred a controversy in Parliament on Friday as the Majority praised Prof Busia against criticisms from the Minority.

Prof Gyan-Baffour's statement titled: "K. A Busia the Doyen of Democracy" eulogized Prof Busia as a "rare gem of Ghanaian politics, a man whose politics was influenced by his intellectual brilliance".

The statement said the late Prof Busia, who later became Ghana's Prime Minister, in the Second Republic of Ghana, was born in Wenchi on July 11, 1913 and attended Bechem Methodist and Wenchi Methodist School from 1918 to 1927, and thereafter trained as a teacher at Wesley College in Kumasi between 1931 and 1932 and later became a teacher in that same school.

Prof Gyan-Baaffour chronicled the rise of Prof Busia from the student days at Oxford University, and became the "first African to be awarded a degree from the University College, Oxford."

Busia later became the first African District Commissioner in the Gold Coast Colony, first African Lecturer in the Department of Sociology of the university of Ghana, and later elected member of the Legislative Assembly by the Ashanti Confederacy of the Ghana Congress Party in 1952. In 1954, he became leader of Opposition in Parliament, but went into exile after a series of unfavourable political developments. Prof Gyan-Baffour said Prof Busia came back after the overthrow of the Convention People's Party and held various positions under the National Liberation Council, and founded the Progress Party that won the 1969 Elections.

However, Dr Busia's "Government was sadly overthrown in a coup d'etat by Col I.K Acheampong in 1972. He died in exile in Oxford, England, on 28th August, 1978 and was buried in Wenchi."

Minority Leader Alban Bagbin in a contribution said the history about Dr Busia was a controversy, adding that there was not only a contention about his date of birth which some historians had said was in 1918, and that Busia did not have the benefit of early education and had to be supported by missionaries before he went to school.

He said also that Dr Busia's policies contradicted his writings, adding that he created a terrain, which made a lot of mistakes that was still with the nation today.

Mr Stephen Balado Manu, NPP-Ahafo Ano South, disagreed with the stand of Mr Bagbin, and said he knew the school, which the Prof attended, as Prof Gyan-Baffour also maintained that the date of his birth was certain because Prof Busia died at 65 in 1978.

Contributions were divided on issues such as Prof Busia rise from humble beginnings to positions of prominence; policies of the Busia administration and the Aliens Compliance Order.

Mr Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Minister of State, and MP (NPP) Sunyani West, called on the chiefs and people of the Brong Ahafo Region to initiate a study into the life and achievements of Prof Busia.

"I would expect to see a library at Sunyani named after K.A Busia", the Minister said.

Mr Kojo Armah, CPP Evalue Gwira, cautioned against making of statements that would divide the House. 16 March 07