The Member of Parliament for Zabzugu, Alhassan Umar has criticised the decision by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to propose August 4 as the new Founders’ Day and substitute Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Founder’s Day celebration with a memorial day.
He said the President can only seek parliamentary approval if he wants his family members to be remembered.
A statement issued by the Presidency tates that "4th August, is, thus, obviously the most appropriate day to signify our recognition and appreciation of the collective efforts of our forebears towards the founding of a free, independent Ghana.
"It is equally clear that the first leader of independent Ghana, and the nation’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, played an outstanding role in helping to bring to fruition the works of the earlier generations, and leading us to the promised land of national freedom and independence. It is entirely appropriate that we commemorate him for that role, by designating his birthday as the permanent day of his remembrance".
The MP speaking on the development said Nana Addo wants his family members to be remembered in the history of Ghana.
Mr Umar said: "if the President wants his family members to be remembered, then we have to remove the ‘s’ [from Founder’s Day] to be able to include the rest [including JB Danquah]."
He said it's a deliberate ploy to undermine the legacy of Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
He stated that "you can’t water down what Kwame Nkrumah did and if so, what the President may do is to suggest to Parliament to remove the apostrophe ‘s’ on the Founder’s Day to make it Founders’ Day and leave it so that it will be subservient to the day.
"The President wants to downplay the role Nkrumah played and what the President wants to do is reinvention of the wheel."
However, Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Ocquaye has described as ‘propagandist’ the annual celebration of Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday as Founder’s Day.
He said the history of the country has been distorted in order to favour a particular group of people and to spite the NPP people who were part of the founders.
Source: Pulse Ghana
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@DON'T INSULT THE PRESIDENT PLEASE I like your explanation. thanks
HAHAHA FUNNY NDC MP!WOULDNT YOU WANT YOUR FATHER TO BE RECOGNIZED IF HE WAS PART OF GHANA'S INDEPENDENCE STRUGGLE? SO SO UNNECESSARY JEALOUSY!
This Nana Akufo-Addo Government is treading on a divisive path with the intent of pleasing his Cohorts. This country called Ghana was not named by the "big Six" so there's no need for setting aside a day for the other frolickers and saboteurs who opposed the good intents of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah during the struggle to secure the independence of Ghana.
It was the british who founded Ghana,without the conquests of THE bRITISH PEOPLE THERE WAS NO WAY THE mIDDLE BELT and the North would have become part of Ghana.It was Britian who conquered Ashanti and later the north joined,Ghana is too big for Nkrumah to become the only founder.he came to Ghana in 1948 and we won independence in 1951,does this make hinm the founder,when as farback as 1844 ,the fante confederation had started it,Danquah,Paa Grant,Seargeent Adjetey etc and several others played roles.
THE THINGS THIS MAN CALLED URMAN IS QUITE INSTULTING. AS A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, HE MUST KNOW HOW TO TALK.This man from the CPP knows nothing about the history of Ghana. How can he claim that Nana's proposal is about protecting his family? What crime have the family members committed or did commit. By the way, did Dr. J.B. Danquah play a role in the struggle for independence or not? Did Paa William Ofori Atta play a role in the struggle for independence or not? What about the man who paid for Nkrumah's fare from UK to the Gold Coast, and indeed funded the UGCC and contributed to pay Nkrumah as General Secretary of the UGCC, the Great Paa Grant? Can Alhassan Umar or whatever he calls himself say these noble citizens and the others like him did not contribute anything in the struggle for Ghana's independence? Can Umar show us the difference between SELF GOVERNMENT NOW and SELF GOVERNMENT IN THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME? In any way, was independence given to Ghana by the British the very moment of NOW? or it took some time (years) to gradually to grant independence. Umar must weigh NOW and SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME and tell us who actually won the day. NOW means THIS VERY MOMENT. Is that what happened. The truth must be told, and please don't pollute the generation yet to come.