Accomplished legal expert, Dr. Theophilus Edwin Coleman is urging the Parliament of Ghana to enact a law that would prevent the naming or renaming of public institutions and roads after politicians.
With an illustrious background, holding a Doctor of Law degree from the University of Johannesburg and an alumnus of the prestigious Hague Academy of International Law, Dr. Coleman argues that the proposed law should extend its scope to include the Bank of Ghana, ensuring that politicians’ faces are not featured on the Ghana Cedi.
As a postdoctoral researcher at both the Centre for International and Comparative Labour and Social Security Law (CICLASS) and the Research Centre for Private International Law in Emerging Countries (RCPILEC) at the Faculty of Law of the University of Johannesburg, Theophilus shared deep concern over the alarming rate at which public institutions are being renamed in Ghana.
Taking to his social media page, Dr. Coleman, who is also a co-author of the book “Labour Law in Ghana,” expressed his conviction that now is the time for the Parliament of Ghana to take action.
He emphasized the importance of passing legislation that forbids the naming or renaming of public institutions or roads after politicians.
Dr. Coleman believes that the proposed law must extend to the Bank of Ghana, ensuring that politicians’ faces are not featured on the national currency.
He believes that the practice is leading to a distortion of historical accuracy and an undue influence of political figures on the national narrative.
While Dr. Coleman acknowledges the significant contributions made by politicians to the country, he emphasizes that immortalizing them through naming public institutions can be problematic.
” I honestly think it’s time for the Parliament of Ghana to pass a law to prohibit the naming/renaming of public institutions/roads after politicians. The law must also prohibit the Bank of Ghana from using the face of politicians on the Ghana Cedi…” he shared
Though his proposal may encounter opposition from those who argue for the recognition of political leaders through institutional renaming, Dr. Coleman maintains that a law prohibiting these practices would be beneficial for Ghana’s national identity and historical accuracy.