How I miss Agya Atta

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you”– Shannon L. Alder.

Sunday marked the fourth (4th) anniversary of the demise of our beloved Agya Atta Mills. The commemoration brings back memories of how we played “chaskele” with the life of a sitting president, making him join his ancestors in “Samanfoland” earlier before his time. What a sad spectacle it was!

Indeed, it is almost impossible to commemorate the man’s demise without looking at the circumstances that led to the early journey to the land of the dead. The handlers of the late President did a very poor job in managing his busy schedule, which subsequently worsened his condition. Against the advice of his doctors, they literally compelled him to make an ass of himself in full glare of the public. The infamous trotting at the Kotoka International Airport easily comes to mind.

As I stated last week in this very column, the bizarre circumstances that led to his demise made many of his countrymen, yours truly inclusive, wonder if it was a calculated strategy to “kill him slowly”. It is a sad conclusion to make, but no amount of denial can erase the obvious evidence that the late President’s handlers pushed him into his early grave.

Many have wondered why the late President, a man of great knowledge, allowed himself to be manipulated like a child. Heeding the advice of his handlers at the detriment of his heath was childish, to say the least. His mentor, Dr Jerry Boom, put it more concisely when he said the late President would have lived longer if he had been a little wiser.

My gosh! How Dr Boom was tongue-lashed! He was lambasted by those who felt his comment was insensitive or even insulting.  But the obvious truth is that the late President shouldn’t have allowed partisan political considerations to cloud his sense of reasoning. Truth is bitter, isn’t it?

Four years on, the circumstances surrounding Agya Atta’s demise is as murky as it was then. The threat by Wofa Yaw Boat to reveal the “killers” of the late president during the Zu-za internal contest has even made it murkier.

It is becoming obvious that the perpetrators of the heinous crime may never face justice. You see, they may escape justice, but I’m consoled by the fact that karma is a female dog. And we all know how ruthless the female dog can be, don’t we?

Abusuapanin, I miss Agya Atta. Yes, I do miss him very much. It may sound bizarre but it is the truth!

Indeed, I did not hide the fact that I disapproved of his style of leadership. It was also an open secret that I was one of the critics of his government. I disapproved of his leadership style because he surrounded himself with “greedy bastards” and sharp-teethed babies. Although a gentleman with all the positive attributes one could think of, he allowed his appointees to unleash their acerbic tongues on anyone who fell within their line of fire.

Despite these weaknesses, I still have fond memories of the late President. I miss him because he was incorruptible. Even his harshest critics could attest to that fact.

Trust me when I say he was a president who wouldn’t allow contractors to walk into his office and befriend him so they could get contracts. He wouldn’t stoop low to award contracts to contractor friends and political allies for personal gain. He wouldn’t accept a car gift from a contractor friend, even if it were a brand new Ford Expedition.

Agya Atta had his faults, but the whole world knows being greedy or corrupt was neither of them. We all saw his tenure as Vice-President and President. Both were devoid of any personal scandals. He did not oversee the purchase of Embraer jets at inflated cost. We all know he wouldn’t have shielded the likes of Gilbert Iddi for wasting SADA cowries on frivolities.

It is profoundly true that a man’s character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation. Unlike others who shamelessly use words like “baloney, Opana and dead-goat”, the late Agya Atta was a man who respected all and sundry, including his political opponents. I do not recall ever hearing him deriding or ridiculing others. Why wouldn’t I miss such a character?

As we commemorate the passing of our late President, the best honour we can give him is to emulate and propagate his virtues. But I wonder if the likes of Koku, aka the Bull, and Mr Dead-Goat are listening!

See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!