Renowned academic, legal practitioner, and fellow of CDD-Ghana, Prof. Stephen Kwaku Asare, also known as Kwaku Azar, has added his voice to the raging debate on the founder(s) of modern Ghana.
According to Prof. Asare, Dr. J.B. Danquah, who has been mentioned as one of the founding fathers by members of the ruling party, could be recognized as the ‘Father of Rule of Law’ in Ghana.
He was of the opinion that Dr. Danquah had an unsuccessful political career and played a minimal role in Ghana’s fight for independence. However, the renowned lawyer argued that J.B. Danquah played a pivotal role in defending civil liberties during the independence struggle.
The celebrated attorney further noted that Dr. Danquah excelled in defending liberties during the era of the Preventive Detention Act (PDA), a Parliamentary Act that gave Dr. Kwame Nkrumah the authority to arrest and detain his political opponents.
In a Facebook post sighted by Awake News, Prof. Kwaku Azar wrote that “J.B. Danquah, a man whose political career with the UGCC may not have been as successful, but whose legacy as a defender of civil liberties is unparalleled.”
“Danquah was not a very successful politician, but he excelled as the lawyer who staunchly defended liberties during the Preventive Detention Act (PDA) days. In this regard, he can be aptly described as the Father of the Rule of Law in Ghana,” he added.
The debate over who should be credited as the founder of Ghana resurfaced on Saturday, August 3, following President Akufo-Addo’s comment that the country was not founded by a single individual, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
In his speech marking the country’s Founders’ Day, the President argued that many people, including his tribesman J.B. Danquah, contributed to the country’s struggle for independence. Therefore, all of them should be credited as founders of the country, and not Dr. Nkrumah alone.
“While Kwame Nkrumah’s contributions to our independence are undeniable and unassailable, it is important to acknowledge, for our self-respect, that the struggle for our nation’s freedom was a collective effort spanning several generations,” the President said in a national broadcast last Saturday.