[ad_1]
Dozens of people, including family members, friends, former ministers of state and faithful of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, packed the Ridge residence of former President Jerry John Rawlings, affectionately called Pope J, to confirm his death and also commiserate with the family. .
People from the communities near the residence also besieged the house to catch a glimpse of what happened and confirm the shocking news.
As some, especially women, were seen crying over the death of the former president, others were thoughtful, and the rest expressed disbelief.
The last stop for the journalists who rushed to the residence to report the incident was at the entrance, where they were left with the only option of conducting ‘exit’ interviews with dignitaries who had the opportunity to visit family inside the home.
Security
However, at the entrance, security personnel did not allow the vehicles to enter the premises.
Most of them were forced to park in the complex in front of the residence and enter.
The situation forced some of the party’s faithful to sit on the entrance lawn, in pain and sorrow.
At 3:10 pm a bus full of military personnel and two police vehicles had arrived at the residence to provide additional security, control vehicle movement and the crowd.
Present at the residence were the Chief of Police Operations of the Accra region, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (ACP), Mr. Kwesi Ofori, and others.
Personal allusions
Some of the personalities who visited the residence were the International Evangelist, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh; boxing legend Professor Azumah Nelson; a former Minister of Health, Mr. Samuel Nuamah-Donkoh; a former Minister of Education, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah; businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome; a former Minister of Transport, Ms. Dzifa Ativor; a former Minister of Defense, Dr. Ben Kumbour; a former Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, and a former Minister of the Central Region, Mr. Aquinas Tawiah Quansah.
Interviews
In separate interviews, some of the personalities praised the late president for returning the country to constitutional rule in 1992, making Ghana a role model for democracy on the continent.
Among others, they said they believed that the late president was someone who had a positive impact not only in the country but in other countries in Africa through his role in conflict resolution and peace, at home and abroad.
Nuamah-Donkor said Flt Lt Rawlings was instrumental in bringing in some of them during his administration from 1979.
He said he was a great personality that Ghanaians and the rest of the world would surely miss as a result of his political prowess.
Celebration
Ricketts-Hagan told reporters that a tribute to the former president would be to review his principles of probity and responsibility, among other things.
Ms. Ativor described the former president as a pillar of the NDC, especially for those in the Volta region.
“He gave us hope and we will miss him,” he said.
For his part, the Rev. Dr. Tetteh said that growing up, the former president was a person whom most people looked up to as a result of his down-to-earth personality.
“That is why we want to pray that your soul may rest in peace. But what I want to say is that we must take advantage of this time to remember that political power and all power are temporary. We all remember the days when President Rawlings was such a powerful man, today he has a blessed memory, “he said, and that” we must all remember that there is a time period for everyone.
Mr. Quansah, who recalled the days when he started with the late president in 1987, noted that the democracy the country now enjoyed was the late president’s daughter.
The New Patriotic Party (PNP) parliamentary candidate for Korle Klottey, Prince Appiah Debrah, who said he had to suspend his campaign after hearing the news of Rawlings’ death, indicated that the late president had served the country and was I was in the residence. to pity the family.
A 78-year-old woman who gave her name as Maa Polley said she had to visit the late president’s residence to see things for herself as she was shocked by the news of his death.
She said that Rawlings was a great personality who needed to be celebrated in Ghana and beyond because of the positive impact he had on society.
An NDC party loyalist, Edward Atsu Dela Seshie, said Ghanaians would miss Rawlings greatly because of his charismatic nature.
Mr. Woyome summed up his statement about the former president by saying, “He has lived a life of pragmatism.”
“It is an epitome of this,” he said.
Parliament
In a tribute, Parliament expressed its condolences to the wife, Mrs. Rawlings, and the family of the former president for the loss.
Describing Mr. Rawlings as a great statesman who spoke out with devotion against corruption in all its forms, the spokesman, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, majority and minority, in a statement said that the former president’s contribution to the current Ghana’s democratic administration cannot be overlooked. .
“The passing of Mr. Rawlings is a monumental loss,” the statement said.
Source: graphic.com.gh
| Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com does not accept any legal or other responsibility for the accuracy of the content. Please inform us of any inappropriate content and we will evaluate it with priority. |
featured video
