PROF J.E.A MILLS

…. “My brothers and sisters, m’ara me dze me p3 asomdwee…”

By: James Harry Obeng

For many in the country and elsewhere, the death of the President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, has brought Ghanaians together like never before. Certainly, nothing can be said to the contrary, considering the spontaneous outpouring of grief and national mourning that greeted the rather unanticipated announcement of his demise, through to his funeral and internment at the newly-found Asomdwie Park in Accra.

                                                                                                

Indeed, for some people, like myself, the death of the man popularly regarded by Ghanaians as the Asomdwie-hene (King of Peace), will forever remain one of the fondest memories to go into the nation’s history. This is not because this is the very first time in our nation’s history that a sitting president has died in office. No, far from that! Rather, it is because of the unprecedented oneness that Ghanaians exhibited in mourning and also putting the president to a befitting rest.

That was the period when the entire country actually became united, though by a rather not-so-joyful reason – death! That was the time that a country called Ghana was born, whose nationals were indeed called Ghanaians, and not Kukrudites or Akatamanseurs (or whatever you want to call it). I hope you know what I mean – those two guys who are so opposed to each other that anytime they zoom into action, with their characteristic boom and nyafunyafu antics, everybody run for shelter. And that was time that, perhaps for the first time since only-God-knows-when months, Ghanaians forgot about a particular national court-room drama called Woyomic….and its other sibling, gargantuan! That, surely, was the time that Ghana became Ghana and proudly flaunted all of her true characteristics thereof. How I still so desperately fancy that that Ghana was still alive today.

Sadly enough, it is evident that that united Ghana was buried with the Asomdwie-hene at the Asomdwie Park. In fact, in just two days after the Prof’s burial and all the (cosmetic) laying of ‘beautiful’ wreaths and tributes, the Kukrudites and the Akatamanseurs were back in action, having laid siege on the entire airwaves and the print media, and throwing missiles at each other in gargantuan dimensions. It is obvious; they have started campaigning ahead of December 7. They all so desperately want acquire possession of something called power, with which they’ll rule the so-poor Ghanaians, whereby they’ll say “go and sleep” and there’ll be no opposition. Yes, that’s power, which is so commanding that it can even reshuffle peoples’ bedrooms and all other activities that go on behind-closed-doors. Yes, they want power, and it could be acquired through different means. The modus operandi is so vast that sometimes they cannot stop contemplating and marshalling all-die-be-die and Ghana-will-turn-into-Burundi techniques. Yes, power sweet, my Nigerian buddy Ogochukwu will tell you!

But the point is, can’t we preach peace in our campaigning for power? After all, isn’t it what the Professor we all mourned some days ago stood for, for which we all felt the excruciating pain of grief pierce our hearts the very moment his death was first announced? I mean that unbearable announcement on that black Tuesday, July 24, 2012, which indicated the president had died in the afternoon of cancer at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra. Then followed the funeral arrangements, including the setting up of a funeral planning committee! Then the funeral proper, which was attended by several heads of state from across the globe! And finally, the saddest part of it all, the burial!

Certainly, controversies arose at each stage of the aforementioned, from different angles and with different understanding, such as the debate about where the Prof should be buried, the so-interpreted unsavoury comments passed by Papa Jay on the BBC (or was it CNN?) about the Prof’s health and death – and even the content of the Book of Condolence he subsequent signed, issues about how the Prof. was said to have been left to die by his aides, the call for a coroner’s inquest into the death, how his son was also said to have not been allowed to read his tribute at the funeral, how much the funeral planning committee spent, the TB Joshua and Duncan-Williams statements, and the so many others that occurred in-between.  

But in all of these, the united Ghana that was born following the Prof’s death never got swayed by the events, as she maintained control of issues and went straight ahead to lay the Asomdwie-hene to eternal rest, peacefully!

So, why can’t we, therefore, as one people of a united Ghana planted in different political parties and traditions, remain focus now, and campaign on issues and stop spreading inflammatory messages that can easily mar the beauty of our forthcoming December 7 political exercise. It is a democratic practice we must jealously guard and protect. At least, that is the only thing we can do to honour the departed Prof who – I saw in a dream – is watching us from a higher place somewhere, and shouting with his soft voice: “My brothers and sisters, m’ara me dze me p3 asomdwee…”

Yes, the Prof still wishes us well in his rest, and so expects us to use his death to FIGHT AND LIVE FOR PEACE AND UNITY. I am for peace! What about you? May his soul rest peacefully!