General News of Wednesday, 9 September 2009

Source: GNA

Busia Foundation in court over late premier's bust

Sunyani Sept. 9, GNA - The Busia Foundation has filed a writ of summons at the Sunyani High Court, seeking an order to stop the removal of the bust of the late Professor Kofi Abrefa Busia from the Jubilee Park in Sunyani.

The defendants in the writ are the Chief State Attorney of the Attorney General's office, Sunyani legal representatives of the Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinating Council and the planning committee of the Brong Ahafo @ 50th anniversary celebration.

The writ was issued on behalf of the Plaintiff by Nana Obiri Boahen of Enso Nyame Ye Chambers of Sunyani.

The plaintiff asserted that the decision to remove the bust of the late Professor, Ghana's Premier in the Second Republic "is socially unreasonable, politically unacceptable, morally untenable and economically unwarranted".

The plaintiff said the decision to name ceremonial parks or grounds in every regional capital in the country in 2007 by the then government as Jubilee parks, was taken at the Executive and Cabinet levels and therefore the defendants cannot single out the Jubilee park in Sunyani and give it any other name.

The Foundation sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, servants, privies among others from removing, destroying or dismantling the bust of Professor Busia from the park.

In a 22-point statement of claim, the plaintiff said the Foundation was set up to advance the ideals, aspirations, objectives of the late Premier and had among its objectives "to promote in Ghana and elsewhere the principles of basic human rights, democracy, civic education and good governance".

The plaintiff said the defendants had evinced an intention to change the name of the jubilee park, which was contrary to the existing situation in the other regions.

Thus, such conduct would expose the region to public ridicule and contempt.