“I want to thank President Nana Akufo-addo and his government for starting this debate . . .it’s a debate that we welcome, it is a debate that we will participate in and it is a debate that we will win,” says the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr.
His comments come on the back of debates and controversies that emerged after the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the formation of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC).
The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, has stated that Dr Kwame Nkrumah cannot be credited to be the sole founding father of Ghana, since the struggles for independence was started by other prominent Ghanaians.
He said the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) leaders fashioned the independence struggle and Dr Nkrumah came later through the invitation of UGCC leaders, "and added significantly to the struggle".
Delivering a lecture on the 70th anniversary of the formation of the UGCC in Accra last Friday night, Prof. Oquaye said to say that Dr Nkrumah was the only founding father of Ghana was not true, but rather, "I consider him one of the founder fathers."
Contributing to a panel discussion on Radio Gold’s 'Alhaji and Alhaji', Saturday, the renowned journalist appreciated President Akufo-Addo for ‘starting the debate’ as far as the history of the country is concerned.
He said it is an opportunity to mobilise people who will stand against the ‘rewriting of history’.
“Political parties and others need to come together to stand against all those who are determined to rewrite the history of the country. That is why I recommend strongly that this year September 21; founder’s day should become the rallying point for all progressives in Ghana. Wherever we are, we need to come together and demonstrate in numbers and strength to show that no matter what they (government) do, our founder’s day is 21st September and it will never change no matter who is in power.
"I want to thank President Nana Akufo-Addo and his government for starting this debate . . . it’s a debate that we welcome, it is a debate that we will participate in and it is a debate that we will win. We are participating in this debate not to divert attention from the economic woes of our country; not to divide the country but we are participating in this debate to unite the working people of this country . . . to create the conditions for people to own the gold that is produced here . . . and we are convinced that we are on the side of the true facts and we cannot be defeated in this enterprise.”
Big Six
The Big Six were six leaders of the UGCC. They were detained by the colonial authorities in 1948 following disturbances leading to the killing of three World War II veterans.
Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, Edward Akufo-Addo, Joseph Boakye Danquah, Kwame Nkrumah, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey and William Ofori Atta made up the Big Six.
However Kwesi Pratt says there ‘was no big six in our history’.
“We often make reference to the so called big six; what is big six? They became big six not because they were the founders of the UGCC; they were not the founders of the UGCC. They became the big six because they were the people who were arrested by the colonial authority and blamed for the 1948 riots. If you read the historical records, all the five others denied having anything to do with the 1948 riots; it was only Nkrumah who took political responsibility of what had happened. So there was no big six in our history; it was only one big one and small five. So where is this big six coming from?” he queried.
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
JB DANQUAH HAS ULTIMATELY PREVAILED OVER NKRUMAH HOWBEIT IN DEATH.THE SUCCESS OF A MAN IS MEASURED AFTER HE IS LONG GONE AS TO WHAT HE LEAVES BEHIND.I DO NOT NEED TO TELL YOU WHICH OF THESE TWO MEN LEFT BEHIND A VIBRANT AND SUCCESSFUL POLITICAL PARTY. DEFINITELY DANQUAH HAS PREVAILED AND NKRUMAH CONTINUES TO LOSE AS HIS PARTY CONTINUES TO DWINDLE IN POLITICAL FORTUNES. THANKS
Pratt doesn't care about the state of the CPP but ready to debate history of a dead Nkrumah. His preoccupation is how to strengthen his new party NDC, were he acts as a communicator. An elderly man like Pratt sits for Ras Mubarak to assign him to programs. Even Nkrumah will be ashamed if he comes to see Pratt talking for the NDC.
SOUR GRAPES......ENJOY YOUR WEALTH UNDER NDC AND SHUT YOUR ***barred word*** MOUTH. YOU HAVE LOST YOUR THE LITTLE RESPECT YOU HAVE....ONLY GOLD AND ALHAJI AND ALHAJI WILL ACCOMMODATE A SOCIAL NUISANCE LIKE K.PRATT .
Uncle Kwesi. Please, I am still awaiting CPP enthusiasts to dispute any-bit of the Account of Events so far put forward, as not being FACTUAL. That appears not to be forthcoming. Till then, we can by ourselves, determine whether it is FOUNDER's of FOUNDERS'. Indeed, some of us think that you CPPist are thinking as if the History of Ghana is the same as 'Kofikrom' or 'Kwamekrom' or 'Ayi Mensah' etc., as by way of how some of the surburbs in Ghana arose and got their names.
Is Kwesi Pratt not ashamed of the current state of the CPP after mortgaging his soul to the NDC?
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
NPP WE WILL EVEN TAKE AWAY THE "BIG SIX" THAT YOU FORCED YOUR FORE-FATHERS INTO!! WE HAVE A 'BIG ONE AND FIVE SMALL ONES"!!!EVEN FINANCE MINISTER WAS MENTIONING HIS FATHER'S NAME IN OUR BUDGET!!INFERIORITY COMPLEX.
This NDC mole and traiitor should spare us our ears. Why don't you guys name the country Kwame Nkrumah to satisfy your whims and caprices? To you Nkrumah was a messier and it is a fact that without the name Nkrumah some of you cannot feed yourselves for a week. Bet me and write it on the wall, one day the youth of Ghana will rise up and cancel the Founder's Day. Tell your Bolga Central MP that the only President who met piles of money was Nkrumah and what self-sustaining set-up could he institute in the country? If one inherits a nation flowing with milk and honey and runs it down to 'begger' state and almost out of repair, and you guys insist that he is the best thing to have happened to the country then that explains why we will never grow. Any nation that does not face facts will not prosper. No one in Ghana will eat Founders day Kwesi, it's just a waste if time and resources.
The real debate here is: Who owned the Gold Coast before it became Ghana? Essentially, the Colonialists. Which Political Party won the battle to take the Gold Coast back from the Colonialist? Precisely, the Convention Peoples Party. Who was the Leader of the CPP then? Of Course, The Political Osagefo, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. While we are at the debate, PLEASE do not forget that a whole Nation of People called the WESTERN TOGOLAND, which has suffered for centuries at the cruel hands of the French, British, and Germans, among others, was added to the then GOLD COAST...
HAHAHA YOU WANT A DEBATE? MASSA COMPETENT PEOPLE ARE RULING THE COUNTRY SO WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR LAZY ATTITUDE.