By Paul Eduarko Richardson, GNA
Accra, Aug. 23, GNA – Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the 2024 Vice Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has called for an evidence-based reassessment of the administration of Professor Kofi Abrefa Busia.
He noted that Ghana’s Second Republic should neither be romanticised nor judged solely by the military coup that ended it.
The administration should be assessed on its constitutional philosophy, policy choices, development record, shortcomings and the historical conditions under which it governed, he said.
“Belonging to a tradition does not oblige me to flatter it,” Dr Prempeh said, arguing that historical judgement required evidence, context and proportion.
He made the call in a keynote address at the 2026 Busia Institute Lecture held at the London Hilton on Park Lane, United Kingdom (UK), on Sunday, August 9, 2026.
The lecture, organised by the Busia Institute for Rural and Democratic Development, in collaboration with the Young Executive Forum, UK, was on the theme: “Centre-Right Political Thought in Africa: The Ghanaian Experience.”
It was to examine the historical development and contemporary relevance of centre-right political thought in Ghana with intellectual independence.
Prof Busia served as the Prime Minister of Ghana in the Second Republic from 1969 until his government was overthrown in 1972.
Dr Prempeh said the Second Republic restored elected civilian government, Parliament, fundamental rights and judicial authority after a period of military rule, which sought to translate its political philosophy into programmes in rural development, education, Ghanaian participation in the economy, decentralisation and private enterprise.
He said the military overthrow of the Progress Party Government in January 1972 could not constitute a legitimate democratic verdict on the administration because it prevented citizens from assessing the government through elections.
He, nevertheless, acknowledged that some decisions of the administration remained controversial.
On the 1969 Aliens Compliance Order, Dr Prempeh described the human consequences suffered by affected migrants as a “wound”, and said the legitimate power of a state to regulate immigration had to be distinguished from the manner in which a policy was implemented.
“The legitimate purpose of the policy is one thing. The manner of its execution is another,” he said.
Dr Prempeh argued that political traditions could not survive on historical reputation alone, adding that, “A political party earns its place not by winning offices, but by becoming an institution of memory, of ideas and of honest leadership.”
He urged present-day adherents of the Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition to address contemporary problems, including youth opportunity, technology, modern agriculture, inequality and the performance of public institutions.
He called on the Ghanaian diaspora to contribute knowledge, professional expertise, investment networks and institutional experience alongside remittances.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, Life Patron of the Busia Institute, said Ghana’s centre-right tradition had historically rested on constitutional government, liberty under law, a free press, private enterprise, social responsibility, decentralisation and opposition to arbitrary rule.
He urged political actors to protect Parliament, the Judiciary, the media and independent constitutional institutions to safeguard democracy and to regard public office as a temporary trust.
“An opponent remains a fellow citizen, and a temporary majority does not own the republic,” Mr Kufuor said.
He pointed out that Prof Busia’s record had often been assessed without sufficient regard to the fact that his government was in office for only 27 months.
He cited rural development, agriculture, health facilities, support for smallholder farmers, technical and vocational training and decentralisation among programmes pursued by the administration.
Mr Bernard Owusu, Chairman of the lecture and a senior Ghanaian-British legal practitioner, said strong institutions were indispensable to democratic life.
“Democracy is not simply about elections,” he said.
“It is about values, habits, discipline, citizenship, tolerance and respect for the rule of law.”
Dr Anane Agyei, the Executive Director of the Busia Institute, said political traditions should be assessed according to the ideas they defended, the institutions they built, the manner in which they exercised public authority and their consequences for citizens.
The London event was the first Busia Institute Lecture held outside Ghana and was attended by diplomats, Members of Parliament, Ghanaian professionals, and members of the Ghanaian diaspora among other guests.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe