Retired Diplomat, Mr. K.B Asante has described the proposal by President Nana Akufo Addo’s led New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to change the Founder’s Day date to August 4 as a ‘silly idea’.
The political historian known for his frankness averred that observing the birthday of Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as Founder’s Day is a foregone conclusion and remains untouchable.
President Akufo Addo has suggested to Parliament to legislate 21st September Founder’s Day to August 4; thus September 21 would still remain a statutory public holiday but observed as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.
The decision has however caused an uproar among historians, academicians, politicians and others. But K.B Asante who worked closely with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is enraged by the President’s intention.
“I don’t want to consider the idea of changing it,” he rejected the proposal in an interview with TV3’s Bright Nana Amfoh on Midday Live Thursday, September 21, 2017.
“If you don’t know your history that you have all these silly ideas that Nkrumah not being the founder and find other reasons to support [the proposal]. He was the founder, we have decided on it, and that is the end”, he stressed.
He charged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government led President Akufo Addo to busy itself with other important development in the country, rather than trying to change an idea accepted globally.
Proponents advocating for a change of date argued strongly that Nkrumah cannot be the sole founder of Ghana, insisting that the change would give due recognition to others who played critical role leading to Ghana’s independence.
Mr. K.B. Asante again indicated that August 4 in which the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) was inaugurated cannot even be exhaustive as there are several other unrecorded heroes who were not part of the UGCC but contributed immensely to the country attaining independence.
Speaking onthe same network, Prof. Edmund Delle, Chairman of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), also stated that there is no doubt others played a significant role in Ghana’s independence, but like in other jurisdiction, the country has accepted that he [Kwame Nkrumah] is the founder, and that should end the debate.
He saw Nkrumah as a “unique” person who would forever remained great irrespective of what his critics do; adding “I find the debate needless”, warning that the CPP will with “immediate effect” change the date again when it comes to power without even batting an eyelid.