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21.08.2012 Feature Article

BEYOND A PAINFUL LOSS - A NATION MOVES ON

BEYOND A PAINFUL  LOSS - A NATION MOVES ON
21.08.2012 LISTEN

All too soon, the dirges have gradually faded from the airwaves, the mourning clothes have made way for the usual brighter colours, the national flags have been restored to full mast, the red armed bands have been removed, the rivers of tears have since dried up, and the swollen faces are steadily deflating with more frequent smiles now.

The sudden demise of John Mills run over us all like a speedy hurricane sweeping through a vast desert land, shocking our nation to the very core of our bone marrow. And the nation responded in equal measure, with an outpour of grieve like we have never done nor seen before.

Political parties suspended their campaigns, civil society groups and other corporate organizations called off scheduled events and programmes, whole Sunday and Friday religious services were dedicated to the memory of the late leader, and there were occasions when traffic came to a halt on the streets of the nation in honour of the memory of the late president. In the media landscape, Woyome, Isofoton, judgment debt, “all die be die,” bye elections, which weeks before were household words and phrases soon made way for stories relating to the death of the late president, as other equally important news stories were relegated to the background.

All of a sudden, the political temperature in our country was cooled down from the over 100 degree Celsius, with such a quick pace to negative degree Celsius, as if a bucket of chilled water had been poured on a red hot metal.

In a period of lamentation, Ghanaians as a people for once found a common ground on a news subject – the demise of John Mills – virtually agreeing with one another without looking at the topic with the usual political lens that would normally blind us, and speaking with one bewailing common voice without us tearing each other's throat and throwing verbal jabs at one another. But beyond the solemnity, somberness and tranquility that the events of Tuesday July 24 2012 which we have yet to fully account for brought with it, our nation has since moved on, back to how we were. That was expected of course. There were some political folks who did serve notice during the period of mourning that they were waiting for the late president to be interred, after which they would take us back into the “gutters” of what our politics has come to be known with – “slur me, make I slur you.” Afterall, we cannot continue to tie our hopes and aspirations to the clothes of our departed loved ones.

The scathing political mudslinging has since resumed, and the cages of “character assassination dogs” have been re-opened, the engines of government and political party black propaganda machineries have since re-started, and the operators of the machineries have returned from their calamity - occasioned - self - imposed leave period. We are back to business as usual.

But let me also mention one thing that has not changed. The gaping hole that John Mills' loss left in our hearts is still yet to be filled, his portrait has still not disappeared from the lenses of our eyelashes, and his voice continues to resound in our ears every now and then as if he is still with us.

The old man has finally gone home, and after 68 years, he can now take eternally rest. What was then “His Excellency” has now become “it”; the man who used to be the number one gentleman of the land is now six (6) feet beneath the ground, all alone, without the bodyguards and the aides and the state protocol guys who usually flanked him every step of the way.

All the millions of mourners, including dignitaries from all works of life who made the journey from far and near to pay their last respect to the departed leader could not follow him beyond the grave; they are back to where they came from. That teaches us all a very profound lesson. Life is very short, and human beings are not as precious as the picture is usually created; even if life itself is that precious. All too soon after the death of the late leader, it appears his name is gradually fading away. Ghana has a new commander in chief of our Armed Forces; the ruling National Democratic Congress has a new leader; and Ghanaians have a new “father for all.” President Mills is now history whether we like it or not; and if we love him as we claim we do, then we should all be interested in helping fashion out how best his memory can be immortalized.

So how do we immortalize the memory of this late leader? Would naming streets and public buildings and institutions after him be enough? I don't think so. In my mind, all those symbolic gestures may be necessary, but I think if we can really be true to the memory of this great leader, we definitely should be ready to do more than that. We must be ready to rally as one people behind more than just the Black Stars and in such times of sorrow, and pledge to ourselves that going into the future, we would always be ready to speak with one voice when national interest biased subject matters come up. That I think would be the surest way of immortalizing John Mills' memory.

The second most thoughtful way we can honour his memory, I think, would be to commit ourselves to an electioneering exercise that would be clean, devoid of petty personality attacks and name calling, fair, peaceful, and violent free, in memory of the departed “Asomdwehene.” Let us make a conscious effort, and be ready to take concrete steps to ensure that the cloud of peace we are enjoying today continues to hover the skies of our nation beyond the 2012 elections.

So let charity begin at home. We know the debate within the late President's own party itself over the last three and half years has been contentious and hostile. The criticisms have been extremely sharp, and sometimes unfair, if you ask me. But in memory of the fallen leader, the prominent personalities within the party should be asking themselves whether over the last three and half years or so, they have shown enough compassion, love and generosity towards each other as family members must do. They should be asking whether they have been each other's keeper, and whether they have deliberately been watching out for one another, or just pushing themselves down the path of total obliteration. If the answer is yes, they should continue on that course. But if the answer is no, they should be ready to disengage and change course.

They must avoid using this episode of the departing of John Mills as one more occasion to turn on each other, and rather take advantage of it to re-affirm their ties to one another. They should let decorum, respect, reverence, and civility define their course as a political party, interested in the betterment of the lot of this great country of ours. As the old men do say; “a word to the wise is enough.”

Joseph Opoku Gakpo
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

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