24th JULY, 2012.

So I came home after a very tiring day, and since I was not able to watch the seven pm news, i decided to watch the 10:30pm news. This was not part of my plans but decided on it after Ghana Television decided not to o telecast the soap opera I was waiting to watch and the news was mostly about just departed and beloved president His Excellency Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills. May his soul rest in perfect peace, and in the bosom of our heavenly father.

Now back to why I started writing this piece in the first place. After a couple of news items on the public’s mourning of him, an item on the state of mood of his hometown, among others,  was shown of the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party’s flag bearer, Nana Akuffo Addo, I am not sure what question the journalist doing the interview asked, but he said his impression of the late president was that he was courteous, friendly, sorry but I have forgotten the rest since I watched it almost 2hrs ago and it is now 12am. But the thing is, whiles watching it, I felt he was being hypocritical, and I especially loathed him when a smile or should I say smudge appear briefly on his face as if in mocking when he said “I haven’t really seen him that much for the past year”, as if to say in unspoken words that what they the NPP have been drumming into the ears of Ghanaians that he (the late president) was sick is true. I did not believe for a second that he was being genuine. If you really know, and I am hammering on “really”, believe the man was all that why then all those slandering and insults? Or maybe that is just Ghanaian politics for you.

I must say however, that the ex-president John Agyekum Kuffuor’s gesture of calling on the new president His Excellency, John Dramani Mahama to express his condolence together with his brother and party executives and the help he offer the president and is advice to him was great and well needed in my opinion. He, like our departed president is a man of peace and integrity. Though it’s with a heavy heart that I write this, I know for sure that our practice of democracy as a nation is heading somewhere in spite of the few hitches we are having and this was shown by the immediate swearing in of the vice as the new head of state. Our neighbors’ Nigeria and Zambia recently did same with the passing of their heads of states, and so I guess I have to say African democracy is heading somewhere and the days of       will soon be forgotten.

In ending I say ‘Rest In Perfect Peace’ our dear departed President, Damirifa due!