Political regimes do end with a trafficking mistrust, which on numerous occasions are attributed to the country’s first image, the President.
Every President on this globe has always been censured for almost any decision he takes concerning the state he presides over, when it appears misleading. After ruling for over a decade and more, some Presidents earned the titles of corruption, incompetency, or an amazing squanderer whose actions have weaned the public purse.
A leader with religion at heart, and economically infallible would be the one to paddle the country of Ghana to its intended destination, is that not rightly so?
It somehow sad that history wants to get itself replete of such anti-climaxes in Ghana’s political history, why? Anytime, as a country, when we’re gifted with a God fearing President, then the inevitable strips him off from our hands. And #24thofJuly would not stop eventuating this bizarre agony.
The hullabaloo of administering an opaque politics would beforced you to reminisced Ghana’s most affable late President, #Prof. John Evans fiifi Atta Mills’s transition to his creator, barely 7 years ago. Fortunately, today is singled out as a day of commiseration with his family, and to conscientize ourselves.
Tactfully, I am not a political witch hunter, thus my aim isn’t to begrudge any political proponent with this piece! Its focus is to highlight, in the paradigm of religious affair. Therefore kindly eschew from perusing it with an ad-hominem nerve. That said, if the chronic predicaments of Ghana being shortlisted under the scope of a developing economy could be salvaged by Politics, it would have long been met since 1st of July 1960.
The scripture have foretold that leaders are God’s mouthpieces on earth after prophethood was sealed. The late President’s regime had experienced an acute one term in office, but he served mother Ghana with an irreplaceably fundamental teachings from the scriptures. As a result of that he had left spots which have appeared on the body of some, but had remained in the hearts of those who ponder. So let’s read from the below some of the nuggets of the late President.
The Marshall of Economics: His savvies of economics and taxation were not limited to enrich himself and his family only, but after having thought a myriad of students the pretty things he had acquired, he did availed his human resourcefulness for the betterment of the economy of Ghana. His engagement with mankind actually exaggerated Peace to the extent that not only those who surrounded him had a feel of it. This could be well related in the pragmatic economic approaches he tailored for the economy.
The cedi is obviously on a slowed pace while contesting the dollar which is sparsely spreading its figures like the Ebola virus. This at his time was brought to shoulder with the dollar. In effect, an atmosphere of serenity was the make-up on the faces of those Ghanaians who hardly show a cheerful wink anytime they had to transact business continentally.
Supposing you don’t have the opportunity to shook hands with him, his decision then deconstructed frustration and gave birth to peace and pleasures in the world of petty traders and business tycoons.
Humanitarian and Social interventionist: In the same vein then, the security services of the economy (Ghana Police Service, Armed Forces, Fire Services, Immigration Services, Prisons and Ghana Revenue Authority), in the course of a strenuous work, they are simultaneously denied of family togetherness. Yet, they’d put their only precious life at stake for you and me to have a warm sleep. Some of them do die in the course of duty, while others get disabled for safeguarding mother Ghana.
The wiser generation then got a maxim that, if you’re recruited for Ghana Armed forces, Ghana is gambling with your life. It was the peaceful man with the meekness of heart who, understood the missing link of these warriors. So he implemented the single spine payment module. Its essence is the influx of Ghanaians contemporarily in the security services we see today. Previously, people were begged to join but now, people have developed the passion to serve mother Ghana in its various security fraternities.
Some may also join because of the tension of unemployment, but comparatively, the later point is seldom and lame. The spirit of contributing their quota to national development through the security services has experienced a real hike; most importantly, aftermath the single spine compensation escaped captivity. Religion teaches us that a worker must be paid before his sweat dries, and that is Islamic.
More so, he understood how sports could be used in rechanneling of the youthful exuberance of Ghanaian youths. People who had it not been sports, street life and irresponsibility would riddled them — allowing the economy to be bereft of their credentials were revamped more precisely after he had re-erected the edifice of Ghana hockey Pitch. He being a Sports person, tiled in the administration of football, and a skilful hockey player, and his affinity to athletics, he knew the impact sports could make. When you stroll to the hockey pitch on Saturdays, you would find great minds and young boys who’ve taken the hockey pitch as home.
Talk of Johnny Botsio who nearly lost tract of his life to hawking. Today, through #AttaMill’s social intervention, he’s marketing the good name of Ghana all over Europe. And his crony, Alfred Ntiamoah is now an alumnus of University of Ghana who’s working for Ghana Police. Same could be said of Shadrach Baah who holds MBAs in International Business, a hockey player for HCU Catania, Italy. Elikem Akaba (MBAs) and Nsalbini Salya (Ghana Navy) both had once played for a Belgium side. Without this edifice, they could have been added to the list of talents gone waste or, be actively involved in other social vices. I call him a humanitarian because his tranquillity could be measured in the life of avalanches of successful sports administrators, men and women, and the academicians Ghana have.
He redefined Anger Management in vogue: At his saddest moment, whenever foreign ‘Lords’ imposed on him to “intaboolarized” the traditional despicable and heinous act of homosexuality, he allowed peace decorated with a clad of common sense to do the talking. You could fathom this in how he turned down the offer by saying prudently that, “United Kingdom could not impose its values on Ghana, and I would never legalized homosexuality.”
Prior to several elections he had partook, he had been slammed with virulent attacks from the opposition during the campaign season, but impertinence had never crippled him to be ballistic. I remember vividly him saying “I do not want to hasten into act.”
I would want us to maintain why I termed his legacy as #Peace. In truth, as the date of his death keeps recurring every year, the bereaved family would always be engulfed in distress and desperation, looking disfigured, and feeling rubbed by the angel of death, however, they should not be; God is with them.
The first time the word of politics came to mind, it has not been convincing until the advent of the late President Atta Mills’s regime and, the departed freedom fighters. The obvious books have admonished us that whatever title you die with it would or could bear witness of you on the day of judgement. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was reported to have said that one would be resurrected together in the company of people he affiliated himself with. The late President was known as a ‘Peaceful’ man, if I may ask: who were the peaceful dwellers on this earth? That’s the Prophets. Let us rather rejoice anytime the passage of time reminds us of his sad death thus we could show gratitude to God for his life
It’s inarguable that Ghanaians as a whole, we are penchant in praising the dead than the living, but this jinx was unshackled while he (Late President) was alive and after his death, he had earned the title ‘’Asomdwee Hene’’ (The King of Peace). Biblically, king of Peace is one of the attributes of Melchizedek, the King of Salem and the Priest of El-Elyon who has no ending and beginning, reported in Hebrews 7:1-5. And islamically, it stands for the religion of Islam, and ‘Peace’ happens to be among the 99 names (As-Salam) of Allah. The late President, Prof. J.E.F.A. Mills’s political life in this world is quintessential traits of the two famous religions of Ghana, Islam and Christianity.
Undoubtedly, if Prof. Atta Mills who being a taxation Jargon gives out the statistics regarding how he had helped in reducing drastically the inflation rate of Ghana, people would have ranted, as depicted in the year 2011. After his demise, all Ghanaians unanimously agreed that his relationship with other fellow human beings had been nothing but peaceful; in the political sphere, economic stretch, social wing and common sense approach, all you have to allude to is that the late President, Prof. J.E.F.A. Mills epitomises Peace. His attitude had left me enviable — I wish I could covet this accolade whenever his name resurfaced because, the word peace has become inextricable from his name.
In the political realm, we may be thinking that his legacy has been the free flow of goods, services and capital, or a lean government, or austerity, but I say to you that it was a magnificent reincarnated attribute of God which bred from central region, Ekumfi Otuam, indeed for Ghana to rejoice in peace forever.
So if we dare to mimic the late President Atta Mills’s strategy of peace, there would not be any public official who would transmogrify Ghana into a milking cow. And what if Atta Mills’s peace was granted to the ordinarily Ghanaian, he will not grow up yearning to become a liability to the country, as it is demonstrated in the spate of armed robbery and hooliganism
Anyway, if we want to attain peace and wallow in the serene atmosphere, in all aspects of the economy, as a country, it would be very crucial to emulate Atta Mills’s legacy of political dexterity cum religious asylum in anything we do. Because, when you are at peace, you would do nothing but wish peace for your brother and you may have the proclivity of being a sincere public official and a well-meaning compatriot for mother Ghana.
Thus, the Bible (Matthew 9:5) was absolute right in the beatitudes when it says that blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the children of God.
It is my fervent prayer that, as all of us have agreed that he’s a peaceful man, may the Almighty honour His promise in making him His child, because He never fails in keeping his vow.
Our ancestral sage reminds us that when a man dies his tongue doesn’t get rotten.
Peace. “Asomdwe Hene”.
Source: Abdur Rahman Odoi
