I am not HE

Last night I went to watch the film “The Prof- A Man Remembered”- which is a very moving tribute to Professor Busia, one of the men on whose ideals the New Patriotic Party stand. The film was put together by the Busia Foundation International chaired by Akosua Busia, the daughter of Prof. Busia who is also the film maker. As I sat in the auditorium of Saddlers Wells in Islington, London with my eyes firmly set on the screen watching Prof and listening to him speak softly and firmly on his vision for the then very young Ghana, my mind was racing about the on-going NPP presidential aspiration. I was wondering if any of the candidates had had such a good insight into the life of Prof. The President who starred in the film proved what a firm disciple he is of the Prof who gave him his first political portfolio as the Deputy Foreign Minister. The quiet and soft way in which Prof set about laying the foundation blocks for what is now the NPP is a far cry from the current political hustle and bustle going on with the presidential aspiration. Prof believed that our education or knowledge count for nothing if it is not for the service to our people or for the common good of mankind. It is a shame that the screening of this debut film in UK was far removed from the ordinary Ghanaians who I believe should be targeted to understand not just what the Prof’s vision and legacy were but also what the NPP is or should be about. The main objective of the Busia foundation is to promote, in Ghana and elsewhere, the principles of basic human rights, democracy, civic education and good governance that were the hallmarks of Dr. K.A. Busia’s philosophy and praxis and these are the ideals on which the New Patriotic Party stand.

In the publication “Busia-a Symbol of Democracy”, L. H. Ofosu-Appiah wrote of Busia’s leadership: “He has the singular distinction of having left office without a single political prisoner in any jail in Ghana. He was deeply religious, loved humanity and could not tolerate the poverty and misery which he found surrounding him. His attempts to solve these problems were cut short by the military coup, but even during his ill-health and exile he was very concerned over the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian. Soberly and unrhetorically it can be said of him that he was one of those rare geniuses who put more into the world than they take out of it. Ghana is all the emptier for his leaving it.”

The author could have written the same about Dr. Danquah, S.D. Dombo and many of our founding fathers. These people abhorred corruption, abuse of power, stood for individual liberties, spent most of their lives in jail or exile chasing of the ideals our Party stood for. They fought for justifiable rights and power for their people but were constantly denied their rights and justifiable power. These people earned meagre incomes and spent all on the fight for the ideals they stood for and for which they were prepared to die. They certainly did not throw money about or display affluence. They were academic giants and yet believed that education is worthless if it is not for the common good of mankind. They were humble and were prepared to serve not to be served. These people were the John the Baptists in biblical sense. They could pass for the Messiah and yet very honestly said the famous “I am not He”. They did not pretend to be the messiahs but were prepared to prepare the way for him. It is amazing that exactly 30 years on after the Prof died, the NPP would be going to the people to ask for another mandate to continue with the legacy and vision that our founding fathers bequeath to us – The Agenda for Positive Change. It is therefore important to remind those who are aspiring to step in the shoes of these founding fathers, the importance of humility and service. President Kufuor has over the seven or so years of his leadership of his party and country shown what a faithful disciple he has been of Professor Busia and how well he has worked with the ideals of Dr. Danquah and all of our founding fathers. Can the same be said about the numerous aspirants who want to succeed President Kufuor? How many of them can say they understand the Prof or indeed how he went about laying his ideals? Prof Busia was determined to make his world a better place, not just for the fortunate, but for the poor and disenfranchised, for that reason he spent his entire adult life to public service of Ghanaians. Our aspirants know what it takes to lead our party and in the course of crisscrossing the nation to sell their message they have been on record to enumerate them namely marketability, track record, service to public and party and preparedness to serve Ghana. Yet none of them will be prepared to say the famous “I am not He”. In fact the President who is himself not a candidate has put it succinctly clear that his successor must be one who can unite the party; a thoroughbred or true pedigree; one with a track record- a true blue and one with a common sense approach to running the country. In fact at Koforidua, earlier this year, he even went as far as stating the pecking order. Sometimes in my heart of heart, I think some of our aspirants subconsciously think they are running for NPP chairmanship and not the presidency of the nation. When some of them give their credentials in the party it is as if they are trying to say they have done so much for and in the party such that they should be elected chairman. Sorry folks that job is gone. It went in December 2005 and Mr. Macmanu, a fine gentleman by all standards took the position and is making a fine job of it. We are not looking for the finest in our party but the finest for the country. Some have also set their target on Prof Mills. It is not a personality cult. It is not about stature, eloquence, beauty, academics or debates. The stakes are higher than that. The only thing that can defeat the NDC and for that matter their leader Prof Mills is the good record of the NPP administration under President Kufuor modelled after the ideal of the Danquah, Busia and Dombo tradition. We are here talking about the candidate who understands these ideals most and who can therefore run with The Agenda for Positive Change Part III.

All of our candidate [well most of them] are marketable and have proven track record in the party and in government but we are talking of superlatives here. We are talking service, loyalty and selfless devotion to public duty. We are talking endurance, the one who is prepared to go the length. Dr. Danquah went the length and died pursuing the dream of a truly free Ghana. Prof. Busia on his dying bed in Oxford never gave up hope for the poor and the afflicted in Ghana. Dombo grew up in the North and saw the poverty and destitution around him and aspired to make the world a better place than he came to meet it. Our aspirants must prove that they are fit to step in the shoes of these noble men and the ideals they stood and died for. Some must own up and say the famous “I am not He”.

Kwesi Atta-Krufi Hayford London

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