Don't devalue National Honours - NDC Chairman

Accra, June 25, GNA - Mr. Daniel Nii Okai, Chairman of the Odododiodioo Constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has called on President J. A. Kufuor and the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to ensure that the dignity and value of national honours were maintained.

Speaking in Accra on Wednesday, he noted that, national honours were conferred on citizens and other persons for their notable achievements and contributions, especially to national development. He said that, since the institution of national honours by the first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah under the National Honours Warrant of the Republic of Ghana (1960), only a few people who made notable and outstanding contributions were given national awards and that had made the honours valuable.

Mr. Okai noted that since the assumption of office by the NPP, the number of people being given such awards by the President had been on the increase.

He described the list of over 240 for this year as, "too long and unwieldy, which debased and devalued the awards."

The NDC Constituency Chairman stated that, the government was now using national honours to reward its cronies and agents who instead of their achievements towards national development were being recognized for their mediocre and partisan stance" towards the cause of the ruling party.

"A list of over 240 for national honours cannot be inspiring enough for the youth", Mr. Okai said, adding, "many of the people listed for the awards cannot be said to have made any outstanding and meaningful contribution towards national development".

"Many of them cannot claim to have made any outstanding contribution towards the advancement of the course of Ghana to be recognized with national honours apart from their service to the NPP", he said.

Mr. Okai said merely adding the names of some prominent members of the opposition on the list could not make it, "dignified".

"No wonder some prominent members of the opposition mentioned for the honours have rejected the awards" for various reasons, including the government's manipulation of the judiciary to throw "honest and decent citizens into jail, just because they are not for the NPP, which has vowed to destroy the NDC", Mr. Okai said

He wondered if the long list had not been published only to satisfy NPP members who criticized the President for naming the flag bearer of the NDC, Professor Atta Mills, which they said, promoted him instead of the NPP Presidential Candidate and said the long list, was only to "water down" the honour the NDC candidate rightly deserved.

The NDC Constituency Chairman stated that, "those decent citizens who have rejected the honours from President Kufuor should be commended for their boldness", adding, "the government of the NPP should not throw dust into the eyes of the people to score cheap political points, now that we are in an election year".

"Such an omnibus list for national honours can not be anything but a ploy to further the political fortunes of the NPP", he said. He urged those with self-esteem who had been named for national honours only as an appeasement to project the government as a reconciliatory one to reject them since the awards had been "devalued, debased and only a window dressing".