The Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has urged Ghanaians to recommit to upholding justice and the integrity of institutions, while condemning the decades of defamation that Dr. J.B. Danquah and his political legacy have endured.
Speaking at a memorial service held at the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church in Kyebi to mark the 60th anniversary of Dr. Danquah’s passing, Afenyo-Markin expressed his dissatisfaction with the ongoing spread of falsehoods about the late politician. He called for a collective effort to ensure that no Ghanaian suffers the same unjust treatment.
“We must pledge ourselves to the cause of justice, fortify our institutions, and ensure that no Ghanaian suffers the same fate that Dr. Danquah experienced,” he said.
“It is deeply troubling that even today, 60 years after his death, lies about Dr. Danquah persist, including the outrageous claim made by a member of the Majority who, to discredit his legacy, falsely accused him of being a CIA spy.”
Afenyo-Markin went on to highlight how Dr. Danquah’s contributions were often undermined by political opponents who sought to tarnish his reputation.
One such example, he noted, was the misrepresentation of Danquah’s efforts to raise funds for the Accra Sports Stadium, which opponents twisted into a baseless accusation that Danquah and others in the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) had been bribed to abandon the struggle for independence in favor of sports.
“During his lifetime, Dr. Danquah lamented the false narratives spun by his political adversaries. When he worked to secure funding for the Accra Sports Stadium, they claimed that Danquah and his colleagues in the UGCC had been bribed to forsake the independence movement for sports. But in the end, we gained both independence and the stadium—two enduring legacies that stand today,” Afenyo-Markin reflected.
The MP also spoke about the fracturing of the anti-colonial movement, emphasizing that political divisions and populist propaganda created unnecessary societal rifts.
“Dr. Danquah expressed his sorrow at how the unity of the people in the anti-colonial struggle was splintered by those who, driven by false populism, sought to divide rather than unite. This ‘us versus them’ mentality only deepened societal divisions,” he added.
