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July 24, 2012
We mourn Mills and regret his passing
E. Ablorh-Odjidja
We mourn Mills. He was a decent man and the first
Ghanaian president to die while still in office.
But, with his death comes a shift in the dynamics of the
upcoming 2012 elections. Who must now be the flagbearer
of the NDC? Will we be able to achieve peaceful
elections and transition to the next administration?
President Atta-Mills was a decent man for all who knew
him. As president, and a political operative he was a
man who was brought to his political station by his
erstwhile boss, President J. J. Rawlings, then the
leader of the Republic of Ghana from 1982 to 2000.
Before that President Mills was a professor of law at
Ghana’s prestigious university, Legon.
The president’s death, as announced by the office of the
presidency and carried by major news outlets, was
sudden. It raises, however, questions about his health
prior to his death.
There has been rumor about his health ever since he was
elected as president; which has been vehemently denied
by his henchmen; especially before and after his recent
trip to the United States for checkup.
So, the news of his “sudden” death does not augur well
for honesty in politics. Yes, we have a tradition of
keeping silent about the status of health of our chiefs
and kings. But did this obdurate and persistent denial
contribute in a way to President Mills “sudden” death?
We did know that the president did not lack healthcare.
As recent as a month ago, President Mills returned from
a trip that was described as a “mere” checkup in the
United States. On his return, he took a victory lap at
the Accra International Airport, perhaps to quiet
anxiety and avoid causing panic among his many
supporters and well wishers. That was a brave act on his
part.
Then suddenly he is dead.
There is something wrong here. Someone, at least his
doctors, must have known about his health status.
In case you wonder where I am going with this, I am
wondering whether a rest and a retirement from office
would not have prolonged his life a bit. Winning the
presidency, even for a day in office, and then retiring because
of ill-health should be laudable enough, if that could
have helped to save his life.
We don’t know what happened, why he succumbed to a
sudden cardiac arrest (later said by BBC to be throat
cancer), but we know for sure that the man
did not retire for a cure.
We mourn with Ghana and wish his family well. President
John Atta-Mills was a decent man.
E. Ablorh-Odjidja
Publisher, Ghanadot
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