Ghana’s former High Commissioner to India, Professor Mike Ocquaye, has described as unnecessary demands for the demolition of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the University of Ghana.
Some senior members of the university, led by a former Director of the Institute of African Studies, Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo, have started a campaign to get the school to pull down the statue, which was unveiled during a visit by the Indian President Pranab Mukheriee.
Prof Adomako Ampofo is urging members of the University of Ghana Council to heed her petition arguing among other things that, Gandhi was racist against black people and honoring him set a wrong example for students.
But Professor Ocqauye, a professor of political science and a lawyer, believes a decision to demolish the statue might have implications on diplomatic ties between Ghana and India.
“It will be most unnecessary, most uncalled for and not in the supreme interest of Ghanaians and we must know what serves our interest best. Some people in India wanted diplomatic relations to be broken in Ghana over the way we sometime back spited them, but caution prevailed and they kept their cool to show that they understand diplomacy and the ups and downs of international relations and today the relationship is a bit better and we look forward to it being better still.”
Prof. Ocquaye further called on the petitioners to be tolerant of divergent views saying, that is the hallmark of academia.
Background
On 14th June 2016, a statue of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was erected at the Sam Aboah quadrangle of the University of Ghana.
This is the only statue of a historical personality on Legon campus, and soon after it came to the notice of members of the University community and the general public, calls for its removal commenced within the University community and beyond.
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