2nd Anniversary of Late President John Evans Atta Mills
This country was given the shock of its tortuous history in the death,
the first, of a reigning president Prof John Atta Mills, two years to
the day today; and for once in a long agonizng while, the jolt united a
politically split down the middle country over par on football. It was just the man Atta Mills.
Thus the sobriety accompanying his remembrance as scheduled. The harmful threatening trip wire against that is the trade unions'walk off work which gives nothing back to the economy to justify pay rise at the end of the interruption.
The same though would also ask questions about the relevance of organised labour in any economy today for as long as strike-mania militancy stays central in their core value-themes, having ostracised in other continents.
Up to date not much thought appears to have gone into why Prof Atta Mills and the few of his likes were thrust into politics by successive military and civilian leaders of the country from the past.
A few can be recalled: Nana Sir Tsibu Darko IX, Nana Nketsia II, Sir Edward Asafo Adjaye, Kojo Mercer, Prof Evans Anfom, F. L. Batels, J.E. Attafuah, Roman Catholic Archbishop John Kojo Amissah despite being stumped by the Church and B.A, Bentum.
The sense has always been to infect politics from dirty-tricks to the gentle man's game "respecticks" that it is. In retrospect, the scheming has either not grafted well or impacted much on the fabric of the country and politics which remains and gets nastier in recent years.
In that respect to evaluate the late President Atta Mills, a close parallel may lie in William Shakespeare's Julius Ceasar after the funeral oration comes the question: "whence comes such another?".
The answer is: "never! never!" By inference what is the legacy of Prof Atta Mills? Many would say his striving for peace and unity of the country.
Both were unfinished when death struck in the manner it did and every tribute across the political divide, plus prelates and opinion leaders promised to continue or pursue them not perhaps for his sake merely but the country in real terms.
However, there is no denying the pledges seem to be a myth presently. Finding explanations is a waste
because the evidence is too plain.
Besides, there is a growing and independent disappointment today that the rather greater legacy of Prof Atta Mills which was that he brought into public life and country leadership a remarkable refreshing decorum, is frustrated and even ditched by reports of pervasive corruption. Marking Prof Mills' second respectful anniversary against that background injects or should inject two ideas: a determined perhaps last chance opportunity for self-national introspection on what has gone wrong and secondly a penitent's specific re-think by this nation's people collectively to relocate and define where it wants to go, each bearing in mind that it
is going to be harder than now rough journey.
The recipe is each supporting the other in partnership to find Ghana because everyone is to blame without detailing or apportioning that culpability once that as not being recognised as significant but of better importance is the confession of being in error and moving forward carrying corrections along.
An intriguing or positive insight about the formula would be gained through whether some would boycott the celebration ceremonies on their own or on the usual political spurious excuse.
The familiar language for a reminder has always been either "we were not invited" or the "invitation came late and delivered to the wrong address".
Whatever happens, to remember him, Professor Atta Mills will at the worst remain respected for preaching peace and not the 'mind
your own business taunt'- "dzi wo fie asem" in other words- not a bad advice after all but poignantly the better for the country today.
By Prof Nana Essilfie-Conduah
Thus the sobriety accompanying his remembrance as scheduled. The harmful threatening trip wire against that is the trade unions'walk off work which gives nothing back to the economy to justify pay rise at the end of the interruption.
The same though would also ask questions about the relevance of organised labour in any economy today for as long as strike-mania militancy stays central in their core value-themes, having ostracised in other continents.
Up to date not much thought appears to have gone into why Prof Atta Mills and the few of his likes were thrust into politics by successive military and civilian leaders of the country from the past.
A few can be recalled: Nana Sir Tsibu Darko IX, Nana Nketsia II, Sir Edward Asafo Adjaye, Kojo Mercer, Prof Evans Anfom, F. L. Batels, J.E. Attafuah, Roman Catholic Archbishop John Kojo Amissah despite being stumped by the Church and B.A, Bentum.
The sense has always been to infect politics from dirty-tricks to the gentle man's game "respecticks" that it is. In retrospect, the scheming has either not grafted well or impacted much on the fabric of the country and politics which remains and gets nastier in recent years.
In that respect to evaluate the late President Atta Mills, a close parallel may lie in William Shakespeare's Julius Ceasar after the funeral oration comes the question: "whence comes such another?".
The answer is: "never! never!" By inference what is the legacy of Prof Atta Mills? Many would say his striving for peace and unity of the country.
Both were unfinished when death struck in the manner it did and every tribute across the political divide, plus prelates and opinion leaders promised to continue or pursue them not perhaps for his sake merely but the country in real terms.
However, there is no denying the pledges seem to be a myth presently. Finding explanations is a waste
because the evidence is too plain.
Besides, there is a growing and independent disappointment today that the rather greater legacy of Prof Atta Mills which was that he brought into public life and country leadership a remarkable refreshing decorum, is frustrated and even ditched by reports of pervasive corruption. Marking Prof Mills' second respectful anniversary against that background injects or should inject two ideas: a determined perhaps last chance opportunity for self-national introspection on what has gone wrong and secondly a penitent's specific re-think by this nation's people collectively to relocate and define where it wants to go, each bearing in mind that it
is going to be harder than now rough journey.
The recipe is each supporting the other in partnership to find Ghana because everyone is to blame without detailing or apportioning that culpability once that as not being recognised as significant but of better importance is the confession of being in error and moving forward carrying corrections along.
An intriguing or positive insight about the formula would be gained through whether some would boycott the celebration ceremonies on their own or on the usual political spurious excuse.
The familiar language for a reminder has always been either "we were not invited" or the "invitation came late and delivered to the wrong address".
Whatever happens, to remember him, Professor Atta Mills will at the worst remain respected for preaching peace and not the 'mind
your own business taunt'- "dzi wo fie asem" in other words- not a bad advice after all but poignantly the better for the country today.
By Prof Nana Essilfie-Conduah
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