UGCC did not attain independence for Ghana – Bernard Mornah

The National Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Mr Bernard Mornah, has said the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) did not attain independence for Ghana.

Rather, he said it took the tact and drive of Dr Kwame Nkrumah to unite Ghana for independence.

Mornah reacts

Mr Mornah told the Daily Graphic that the United Party (UP) should rather thank Dr Nkrumah for introducing the “Avoidance of Discrimination Act” which went a long way in the formation of the UP.

“We could not grow the country on the basis of discrimination where one political party belonged to the Ashanti and the other Northern. This brought about the formation of UP,” he asserted.

Mr Mornah was reacting to a lecture delivered by the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, to mark the 70th anniversary of the UGCC that Dr Kwame Nkrumah could not be credited to be the sole founder father of Ghana, since the struggle for independence was started by other prominent Ghanaians.




It was on the theme: 4th August; Ghana’s Day of Destiny.

Founder’s day

Prof. Oquaye had said the UGCC leaders fashioned the independence struggle and Dr Nkrumah came later through the invitation of UGCC leaders, “and added significantly to the struggle.”

He said he disagreed with the dedication of a day to be the Founder’s Day in honour of Dr Nkrumah and rather suggested that a day could be set aside to celebrate Dr Nkrumah because he did a lot for the nation, in terms of development projects and the quest for education.

However according to Mr Mornah, there is nothing like the Big Six.

Rather, he argued that Dr Paa Grant solely founded and financed the UGCC.

The ‘so-called’ Big Six, therefore, did not play a more iconic role in the independence struggle than Dr Grant, he asserted.

Thus according to him Prof. Oquaye should, therefore, not distort and bastardise Ghana’s history.

In his view, August 4 could be used to celebrate nationalism instead of showing extreme partisanship as was done by the Speaker.

Shackles of NDC

Mr Mornah also dismissed claims that the Nkrumaist were under the shackles of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and needed to free itself.

To buttress his point, he mentioned Capt. Nkrabeah Effah Dartey, former President JA Kufuor and Alhaji Aliu Mahama as having worked for the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) even though they came from the Danquah, Busia and Dombo tradition.

He said the PNDC was like a nationalist movement which had members across the political divide, including the Nkrumaist parties.

“Anytime, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is struggling, they look to our own (the Nkrumaist parties) to save their party.

He cited the recent appointment of Dr Edward Mahama as Ambassador at Large by the NPP as a typical case in point.

The reason for all these is to weaken the front of the PNC, he argued, and added that “Dr Mahama is the leader of the PNC and if you take the leader away, what happens to the party?, NPP should leave our party alone,” he stated.

Source: Graphic.com.gh