Distinguished Guests, Fellow Ghanaians, My Brothers and Sisters, Today a dark cloud hangs over Ghana, over Africa and indeed the entire world. Today we have come together from so many parts of Ghana, so many parts of Africa and so many parts of the world to pay tribute to His Excellency President John Evans Atta-Mills, a great man who served our nation, and our continent, Africa, with honour. Wherever you are in this great land of ours, I ask you to please rise and remain standing for a minute of perfect silence in memory of our departed leader: [a minute of silence is observed] May his soul rest in perfect peace. Thank you. I am humbled to be here with you today to celebrate the life of this great man. I am humbled and awed by the legacy that he has left behind. As we celebrate President Mills’ life and legacy of public service; as we mourn this tremendous loss, we also extend our thoughts and prayers to those closest to him for whom today the grief is the greatest: to his wife, First Lady Dr. Ernestina Naadu Mills; to his son, Kofi Sam Atta Mills; to his brothers and sisters and the wider, extended family, I say: We share your sorrow today. We share the shock and the pain of your loss. Over the course of the past two weeks since President Mills’s sudden and untimely demise, Ghana has demonstrated to the world that the good that men and women do absolutely does live after them. It has been said that a nation reveals itself not only by the men and women that it produces, but also by the men and women that it honours, and the men and women that it remembers. What then is Ghana revealing about itself through the memory of His Excellency President John Evans Atta Mills? President Mills was a man of tremendous character. His death was untimely, but his life and his leadership were not. He was the right man, at the right time for Ghana. President Mills was the very embodiment of what has been missing from our politics—civility, humility in service, honesty and peace. President Mills entered politics not to be something, but to do something. President Mills entered politics not to get what he could, but to give all that he could. He entered politics not to seek power over principle, but to seek power for principle. He was a great listener, and he was always in control of himself, and his words were always well measured. President Mills once said, “Our common yearning to see Ghana moving forward binds us together as one people.” He was right. We are one people with a common destiny. As I look across the entire landscape today, I see unity. I see a sense of purpose written on the face of every Ghanaian. I see resilience. I see determination and the resolve to prosper. We are indeed one people with a common destiny. Whether in soccer, as the world cheered us on and we proudly carried the hopes of an entire continent; Whether in liberation, as we sparked the torch of freedom, a torch that blazed for decades, a torch that continues to blaze from Cairo through Khartoum, through Addis Ababa to Cape Town; Whether in the demonstration of nonviolence and democracy, as we broke the adversity of Africa’s lost decades and peacefully passed the baton of leadership from President Rawlings to President Kufuor and then on to President Mills, who lies before us; Whatever achievements Ghana has made, we have done it together as one people with a common destiny. We have done it as one people, and as one nation, which has served and will continue to serve as the shining star of Africa. President Mills knew this. He saw the strength that we have when we stand together. When political antagonism threatened to engulf this nation, he wept and he prayed for peace. President Mills was a man of God, a man of unshakeable faith in the power of God to heal, to guide, to show us a way even when we think there is no way. What Ghana reveals of itself today, by choosing as we have, to honour the legacy and memory of President Mills, is that we recognize that we share a common goal: the building of a better nation. And though we may have different opinions and plans as to how we will reach this goal, we are showing that when it matters the most, we are not only willing, but able to stand united in order to achieve our goal. In honouring and remembering President Mills, let us all pledge to open a new chapter of tolerance and understanding amongst ourselves. Let us all pledge to be of service to Ghana—not only in word but in deed—so that our country, our nation, may continue to be that shining star of Africa. May we all, individually and collectively as a nation, draw strength from the legacy and the memory of our dearly departed President John Evans Atta Mills—a man of God, a father to our nation, a true son of Africa. May that strength light the way ahead of us as we heal from this loss; and even though our grief will dissipate, may the lessons we have learned from this sad occasion inspire us to remain as we are today: united in our respect for one another and in our love for our dear nation Ghana. May Asomdweehene President Professor John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills rest in perfect and eternal peace. May God bless you—and may God continue to bless our homeland Ghana. Thank you.
AB NEWS
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