ADDRESS BY RT. HON. SPEAKER, ALBAN SUMANA KINGSFORD BAGBIN, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE BOOK – MY DEFINING MOMENTS:

Mr. Chairman

Leadership of the Parliament of Ghana

Honorable Members of Parliament – both past and present

Leadership and members of the National Democratic Congress

Dr. Roland Affail Monney of the GJA

Family members of Honorable Ken Dzirasah

Distinguished invited guests

Our media friends

Ladies and gentlemen!

Let me start by congratulating my very good friend, Hon. Ken Dzirasah, for the great effort in putting this interesting autobiography together. The wish of most Ghanaians has always been, if only people like you, like Professor Joshua Alabi, like Affail Monney of the GJA and indeed all those who had occupied high offices of trust and responsibility will write their memoirs! As Thomas Carlyle, the Scottish Historian, said “no great man lives in vain. The history of the world is but the biography of great men”. Hon. Kojo Yankah passed this test some years back; so he is a great man. Some of us are currently warming up on the sidelines; we will soon be great men when we plunge into the autobiography industry.

I extend my sincerest appreciation to Hon. Kenneth Dzirasah and the Pinnacle Consult for the thought of inviting me to perform today’s launch of this special book and to be the Special Guest of honor. Since the receipt of the invitation, some interesting memories of a book launch have been playing out on my mind. Just about a few weeks ago, I was invited to a similar book launch at the Academy of Arts and Sciences. Whilst I commend the author of that book, which focused on Ghana’s independence, speaker after speaker on that occasion came out with their own version of the struggle for independence in Ghana. I guess they had too much time to share their perspectives. That for me was the lesson. Consequently, I intend to brief on this occasion, just as all others have been, I believe.

Fortunately, this is an autobiography, the details of which is known by the author and he alone. At best, a few relatives around him will know bits and pieces of his compelling life story. Beyond that, no one can say, for instance, that he was not born where he said he was born. This is in spite of the fact that, as we are told, it is only when you decide to enter politics that you get to know exactly where you were born, which tribe or nationality you belong to and who your real parents are. Even former President Obama of the United States was not spared the attempt to vary his genealogy and his origins. I have known the writer who we are celebrating today since our days in the early 80s at the Law School, in our professional days in Wa in the Upper West Region and in our political adventures in the early 90s. Still, he can tell his story best.

Mr. Chairman, my perusal of the book – “My Defining Moments: A Trip from the Village to Parliament and Beyond.” by Hon. Ken Dzirasah convinces me that it is a “textbook” of life for the study of the younger generation. The book exemplifies perseverance, self-belief, fortitude and real hard work in service to country. The writer’s life story teaches us that “A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn.” (Helen Keller, an American author). His life story typifies what Pele, the famous footballer from Brazil, said, that “success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”

The telenovelas of today on our television sets are figments of imagination from the cultures they originated from, which have been developed into story lines. Very often, they have no bearings on our culture. These become story lines that captivate us to the extent that we are not prepared to miss even one episode. I do acknowledge that there is a difference between reading a book and watching a TV series or a film. My concern here today is about the content and the lessons we pick from them; it is about content and its impact on us, irrespective of how the content gets to us.

I do insist that reading remains one of the most powerful means of accessing information, be it literature, history, culture or entertainment. It is for this reason that I call on the youth of today to take reading very seriously if they want to understand yesterday so that they can effectively plan for today against tomorrow. There is a lot of strength, knowledge and authority in between the pages of a great books like the one that has brought us all here today. As the author, Anna Quindlen says, “Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home!”

It should not always be said that if you want to hide knowledge and experience from the African, all you need to do is to place it in a book. We are quick to access such information when it is in other forms, particularly audio visuals, or on social media. When it is written, we seem to have a challenge. Reading as a hobby, a culture and as a way of acquiring knowledge is gradually ebbing away, especially among the younger generation. Even for us who belong to the yesteryears, we seem to be losing that habit.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is high time that government and the managers of our education sector developed innovative strategies that will bring back the culture and habit of reading, particularly among the youth. The interruptions and distractions brought about by the advances in technology are immense. However, this should be when a serious people will start thinking out of the box to find innovative means of mitigating the impact of the deficiency in reading culture on education, knowledge and skills acquisition, and eventually on national development and growth.

Biographies and autobiographies written by Ghanaians are literary pieces, which has as part of its objectives, shedding light on what to expert in life’s journey, shaping of the lives of those who come into contact with the content and impacting on future generations through education and the teaching of basic life skills, which is hardly available in most structured educational institutions. I am convinced that “My Defining Moments: a trip from the village to Parliament and beyond”, which we are launching today will serve as the guiding star for those who encounter this book. It will help chart for them a path that is sustainable, that teaches the values in perseverance and hard work, and that will have a more positive bearing on their attitude, approach, perspectives, cultural orientation and ultimately, their future.

I commend Hon. Dzirasah for his selfless decision to put himself out there to be read by all of us in a book even after he has long departed from us. We must all value this great sacrifice and the outstanding services he rendered to Mother Ghana and to humanity. It was as a result of his industry, honesty and integrity, that he was elected by the Parliament of Ghana to serve a five-year term in the ECOWAS Parliament, where he also served on the ECOWAS Parliament Bureau, the highest decision-making body of the ECOWAS Parliament. By dint of hard work, he was made the Vice Chairman of the Standing Orders Committee. He also chaired such important committees as the ones on Privileges, Appointments, Information, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and the Committee on Members Holding Office of Profit.

Hon. Ken Dzirasah was a member of other committees such as Defense and Interior, Mines and Energy, Subsidiary Legislation, Finance Committee, and also Ranking Member on the Judiciary Committee. I served in a number of these committees with him. He was a parliamentarian for 16 years and was elected First Deputy Speaker and Second Deputy Speaker at various times of the fourth Republic. He was also the International President of the Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA). This is a full life, and a life well lived in service to this country.

Ladies and gentlemen, whilst going through the pages of “My Defining Moments: a trip from the village to Parliament and beyond”, I could see the writer’s journey as a parliamentarian, and particularly as a journalist, running through the book. A review of the book has been done by Dr. Segbefia. However, I cannot help but mention the sentence structure, the conversational tone, the careful choice of words which is striking in this autobiography. The language is prosaic and flows freely, making it an easy read for anyone.      

Ghana’s great men and women, statesmen, those in whose hands we as a people have entrusted this country and our destiny; those in positions of trust and responsibility, owe us a responsibility to chronicle their experiences. The oral rendition history – of their unique experience – is good; but the written one is even better. As the saying goes, “if it is not written, it didn’t happen”.

On this note, I have the honor and the pleasure to declare “My defining Moments: a trip from the village to Parliament and beyond”, chronicled by Hon. Ken Dzirasah duly launched.

I thank you for your attention.