NPP Has Every Right to Honour Its Political Forebears”

Lawyer Anokye Frimpong has defended the New Patriotic Party’s decision to honour historical figures associated with its political tradition, saying the party has every right to celebrate and remember its forebears. Speaking on the ICADTV Ghana Nti Morning Show with Nhyiraba Kwabena Asirifi, Lawyer Frimpong said if the NPP chooses to honour former Prime Minister Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, it must also be prepared to acknowledge both his achievements and shortcomings. He argued that Ghana’s political history should be discussed honestly, stressing that historical figures should not be celebrated without critically examining their records. Lawyer Frimpong acknowledged that the Busia administration introduced rural development initiatives that benefited some communities. However, he criticised aspects of its economic and foreign policies, including the 44 percent devaluation of the cedi in 1971 and what he described as a weak position on apartheid South Africa. He also rejected claims that Busia was the first African professor, pointing instead to Anton Wilhelm Amo, the Ghana-born philosopher who studied and taught at universities in Germany in the 18th century. According to him, Busia nevertheless holds an important place in Ghana’s academic history as the first African to occupy a university chair at the University of the Gold Coast, now the University of Ghana. Lawyer Frimpong maintained that the legacies of Nkrumah, Busia and Danquah must be examined without political bias, with both their contributions and failures placed on record.