PV Obeng Hails da Rocha
Paul Victor Obeng has called on the business community and civil society to do more to establish their proper roles in national discourse and progress and ensure that they offer credible middle paths for compromise since any conflict or unnecessary tension in the nation would especially affect the business community.
PV Obeng made the comments at the first Annual BJ da Rocha Memorial Lectures instituted and organized by the Mountcrest University College on Thursday where he showered encomiums on the departed politician.
The event, which was instituted to celebrate the life of the late BJ da Rocha and commemorate the 84 th birthday of the erudite politician and statesman, was chaired by Yaw Osafo Maafo, former Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.
Mr. Obeng described the late da Rocha as a man of strong conviction who was however willing to shift position in the interest of national development and progress.
He recalled his meetings with the late statesman in the aftermath of the 1992 presidential elections, and at a time when the NPP, which Mr. da Rocha chaired had decided to boycott the parliamentary polls.
Mr. Obeng noted that the meetings he had with Mr. da Rocha were for a compromise to be found so the NPP could participate fully in the political process and to ensure that Ghana's democracy which was then new born started on a good note to foster many more years of constitutionalism.
The senior presidential advisor said that it was as a result of such meetings that the NPP, which though boycotted the parliamentary elections, participated fully in the national discourse which eventually ensured that Ghana's democracy was strengthened.
PV Obeng, who has held several high ranking positions in public service under almost all the administrations since the early 80s, described Mr. da Rocha as a statesman par excellence who should be celebrated and praised the University for rightfully instituting the lectures in memory of such a distinguished man.
According to him, it was the hard work of people like da Rocha that Ghana's electoral system was reformed to incorporate the use of transparent ballot boxes after the 1992 elections.
He described the late NPP strongman as a pioneer of integrity and compromise who never declined to offer his efforts to national development and progress even in his old age, citing the immense contribution of the late da Rocha to the now famous IEA forum as an example of how even at an advanced age, he gave his all to the nation.
Mr. Obeng stated that da Rocha was one of the men he respected and continued to admire most for his sense of patriotism, his integrity and his willingness to set aside partisan positions in the interest of the nation.
He stated that Ghana was at a critical stage in its development which needed more of the likes of da Rocha to ensure that bridges are built between the various factions in Ghanaian politics.
On his part, Yaw Osafo Maafo said suspicion had now taken a better part of Ghana's discourse and noted that it was a major problem inhibiting the need to compromise and work in the national interest.
He noted for example, the tendency for people in the opposition to be described as moles anytime such persons try to build bridges with the ruling government and also the tendency for governments to be accused of trying to cover their bad deeds when they try to reach out to members of the opposition.
He told the audience that Havard University invited him and four other former finance ministers from Africa to lecture over 20 current finance ministers in the past few weeks but described as regrettable the fact that in the last five years he had never spoken to any of Ghana's finance ministers.