A Great Tree Has Fallen - Tribute To B. J. da Rocha

“A Great tree has fallen”, goes the Ghanaian idiomatic expression of the loss through death of a great man, a luminary, an icon whose passing away has a seismic effect on society as a whole: “Sic transit gloria mundi”.

Mr Bernard Jao da Rocha whose mortal remains would be laid to rest today was one such person. He was indeed a genius. Death, “the great proprietor of all” has taken our loved one, colleague and friend to “that undiscovered country whose bourn no traveller returns”.

To describe Mr Bernard Jao da Rocha as a genius would amount to stating the obvious. And we do not intend to speak of his many stellar accomplishments as the first Ghanaian Director of Legal Education, a Senior Advocate of Ghana, one of the longest serving Lecturer of the Ghana School of Law, one of Africa's leading legal scholars, one of the best Lawyers in living memory, a rare politician of conviction or an African of distinction.

We can never pretend to do justice to these and volumes would be required to write them. Oscar Wilde said that “talent does what it can, genius does what it must”. So was it with Uncle BJ. Therefore, to avoid the obvious danger involved in trying to eulogise a genius, we will be brief.

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Ghana's first independent public policy centre was established in 1989 with the mission of broadening the debate on public policy, engendering private sector growth and strengthening the pillars of democracy.

The Institute was fortunate, in the event, to have secured the total support and immeasurable contribution of B. J. da Rocha in carrying out its mandate.

“Sic monumentum requiris, circumspice”. If you seek a monument, gaze around and see the learned articles, the research findings and publications of The Institute among his offerings on such topics as:

•The case for a Modern Insolvency Law in Ghana

• Defamation and the Freedom of the Media
• The Trust Bill
• The Right to Information Bill
• The Whistle Blowers Bill
• The Constitutional Amendments' Bill 1999

• The Energy Crisis
• The Politics of Accommodation in the Fourth Republic

• Decentralisation as an Aspect of Governance,

and many more publications too numerous to mention.

His pioneering work with regard to two publications of The IEA namely 'the Whistle Blowers Law' and 'the Right to Information Bill' which is currently before Parliament are worthy of mention.

These documents show him as a man of vision, a great thinker, a profound political philosopher and a nationalist par excellence.

For us at The Institute of Economic Affairs, we have lost our central plank. Mr da Rocha's association with The IEA was long-standing and a matter of course.

Our shared beliefs in the Rule of Law, Constitutionalism, Individual Freedom and Economic empowerment meant that, The IEA and Mr B. J. da Rocha would combine to form the most formidable union for democratic growth in Ghana's Fourth Republic.

Uncle BJ, as we fondly called him became a Senior Fellow of The IEA as far back as 1992. He was the kind of person you needed in your corner; formidable as an opponent and invaluable as an ally.

We found him to be a colossus, a tower of strength, a visionary, a walking encyclopedia, a counsellor, an enforcer, a consensus-builder, a living legend, a consummate democrat, a store house of wisdom, an exemplary mentor, a proud patriot, a raconteur par excellence and an unforgiving stickler for high standards in all spheres of human endeavour.

He spoke his mind without fear or favour and always acted with the greatest of integrity at all times; a point which needs no further elaboration. He did not suffer fools gladly and the self -serving vices of men, such as hypocrisy, sycophancy and double-dealing were not for him. One always knew where he stood with Uncle BJ and one always knew his position on matters.

Today, The IEA's reputation as a credible public policy centre is a tribute to the spade work of Mr B. J. da Rocha.

Mr da Rocha played a significant role in the crystallisation of the IEA led Presidential Debates, Town Hall Meetings, Political Party broadcasts and countless legal reforms. These all stand as enduring monuments of his legacy.

Of particular note is the Akosombo Accord — an agreement which, unknown to many steered Ghana away from potential civil unrest after the disputed 1992 General Elections, which led to a Parliamentary boycott.

The IEA in 1994 convened a meeting of representatives of major registered political parties of which Uncle B. J. was part. The parties to that meeting committed themselves to inter-party dialogue, the establishment of a National Reconciliation Commission and a forum for National Economic Dialogue, devoid of ideological leanings.

His attendant paper thereon “The Survival of Multi-Party Democracy in Ghana and the Politics of Accommodation in the Fourth Republic” has since become the blue-print for similar efforts in far-off countries including Togo, Nigeria, Benin, La Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and recently Uganda, to mention a few. It continues to be one of the most sought-after publications in The IEA Occasional Papers Series by our foreign visitors.

One of his greatest attributes was his statesmanship which flowed in his veins. Indeed, if Churchill was the bulldog of Great Britain, Mr da Rocha was his local equivalent: Ebullient, principled, prepared to face all “fearful odds” for his views “even though the heavens fall”; indefatigable, passionate but compassionate”.

The high water point of his statesmanship was his advising his Party in the interest of national cohesion and the international image of the country, to refrain from challenging the results of the 2008 general elections. This paved the way for Ghana to have a peaceful political transition.

The IEA gave him the platform to expound and expand his political philosophy, his own philosophy of life so that he could hand down to future generations his concept of the beneficent and beneficial role of the lawyer and politician as a leader, a catalyst, a servant of the people, a nationalist and, above all, an internationalist who can help shape the destiny of mankind.

Indeed, he established himself among the constellation of stars who adorn the Ghanaian firmament and showcase what African intellectuals are capable of contributing to the world as a whole. “Here was a man, when comes such another”, as Shakespeare would intone.

Even within his own Party, he did not seek, as has become fashionable now, to become the flagbearer or even compete for the position. According to Henry Kissinger, “Power is the great aphrodisiac”, but da Rocha did not fall for it. He was satisfied with his role as Chairman of the party.

This showed him as a great pragmatist. These were times which “tried men's souls”, but he came out with modest triumphalism. While he worked with The IEA, his colleagues could echo the words of Wordsworth:

“The best portion of a good man's life,

His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love”

We will miss his witty sense of humour and his disarming and formidable intellect. The clarity of his thought are all obvious in the many IEA Legislative Alerts, Governance Newsletters and Occasional Papers bearing his name.

We have lost our pillar, no doubt, but in the passing of a genius like Uncle BJ, we choose to celebrate his life, not to mourn his death. Though stricken with sorrow, our joy is boundless that we too were chosen by providence to benefit from association with such a legend.

The legacy of democratic consolidation that he left behind and the ethos to see it work are what Ghana needs now to make her great and strong.

Fare thee well, Uncle BJ. Da yie.

• From the board, management and staff of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).