Marlon’s contributions to the NPP will fill a whole book, but then we dedicate this piece to him for now.
Marlon joined the Danquah-Dombo-Busiah fraternity in the Hey days of the United Progress Party International (UPPI) in London after Dr Adu Boahen broke the Culture of Silence. Since the laws in Ghana still prohibited the formation of political parties, the fraternity in London met in small groups under the guise of UPPI. Marlon was a key member and on the birthing of NPP-UK and Ireland, Marlon’s contribution leapt from bounds to bounds. Always not far away from controversy, Marlon’s bold comments became noticeable from 1996 onwards.
When the leadership of the 1990s came home to support President Kufuor’s administration in 2001, the young crop of leadership emerged in NPP-UK and here the instincts of Marlon fell into leadership roles. Under Branch Chairman Ampratwum, he worked with policy Think Tanks and rose to become the Branch Organiser under Chairman Atta-Krufi’s first term from 2005-2009 and in his second term from 2009-2014, the Branch Assistant Secretary.
During the trial of Hon Adams Dramani, Marlon burnt the air miles on numerous occasions to travel to testify on behalf of his good friend. Marlon was all things to all people. Bold and fearless, Marlon didnt suffer fools gladly and will never kowtow to some norms of Party and was often cited for indiscipline several times by the branch whips. Shrewd and always thinking outside the box, Marlon had a vision for the party which was hard to reach. The Oti Project was a typical example that was couched out in his early part as Branch Organiser in 2007.
He bombarded the Branch to lead in the policy to create Oti Region at a time when we thought it was a mere political fantasy.
Marlon’s relocation to Ghana in 2015 onwards was to live his dream of seeing the birthing of Oti Region. He started the revolution to claim Hohoe for NPP and today through the seed he sowed Hohoe has repaid NPP with a favour of a seat in Parliament (Thank you Hon John Peter Amewu for making Marlon’s dream come true).
Even though Marlon became ill sometime during the referendum to create the new regions his determination to see Oti born gave him the strength to recover to campaign for a YES vote.
He did not rest, he did not sleep, he had no regrets and certainly no apologies to anyone in seeing through our government’s determination to give Oti a voice. His mantra of “We are winning” aroused everyone to a sense of belief. A clever politician who saw issues ahead of his time but never minced words in his support for good cause and condemnation of what he didn’t believe in.
When Shakespeare wrote in Macbeth that life is but a walking shadow, a mere player that struts upon the stage, or a story told by an idiot full of sound and fury and signifying nothing he was indeed talking about our trailblazer Marlon. He was given to us by God for a purpose and he made it count in his relatively short life he lived for NPP.
Thank you Mr President for honouring Marlon in particular and the Anipas and the allied family with a title as the first DCE of Guan District. A fighter to the end, a hero of our times. On the day he fell, Marlon was working. On the day he died, Marlon was smiling and even on the last day his sense of humour never left him.
Rest in Peace Marlon, the NPP UK will never forget you.
