??????.And The Cortege Passed
?
Written by
Kwame Nkrabeah
Dateline ? 7th January 2001. I had just been elected as a fresh Member of Parliament for Berekum. Readers may recall that the swearing in ceremony of President J A Kufuor by then Chief Justice I K Abban took place at the forecourt of Parliament House.
I very well remember that seated among my new colleagues as MP, Hon Kofi Attor, and MP for Ho Central or so, made a very significant remark that I have never forgotten?? ?As for me, with such important occasions, I prefer watching it on a television? – that way you see everything far better? than if you are physically around ?????
He was actually not talking to me, but I was so close that I heard it, and I turned it over in my mind and I noticed that it was very true ?t he television cameras will capture all the salient issues and you will see everything, live, but if you are physically there, they will jostle you here and there, and even though you may be sitting on the high table or dais your vision will be severely restricted to only a small scene throughout.
For this reason, when my lecturer the President turned his face to the wall, I told myself I will rather take part in the funeral through the television.
And so, came Friday 10th August 2012, the day declared by the state as a holiday and I left my house at Kasoa to attend the funeral on television.
As I was leaving, my father in law?s daughter asked me: ?are you sure you are not going to the Independence square??
?Trust me, Gloria ? I will follow proceedings on television?
Thanks to God the Daily Graphic almost reproduced the contents of the funeral brochure in the special supplement, showing the order of service, the hymns, all sit, all rise and so on.
As I was? driving? steadily along? the Kaneshie Mallam highway, I saw? a Mercedes Benz car, black, bedecked all over with red banners, clearly coming from somewhere in the? Western or Central Regions, trying hard at break neck speed to get to the Independence? square ?.I told myself? ?given the crowd,? even if you are? a Regional Minster, the place to? park your car, the police, military ?.by this time they will seat you at some far corner ? I will see it better on television than you.?
So I got to the office turned on the television, GTV, and then started to follow proceedings live coverage of the funeral service for the late president of Ghana, H.E. Professor J. E. A. Mills? Good. Let?s go.
As it is normal, some friends passed by and joined me in collectively watching the show on television we all sang the hymn 804.. ?Captain of Israel?s host?
We followed the programme.
President Mahama? gave a tribute, which he used as an opportunity to unite the entire nation by asking all Ghanaians? everywhere? to rise up to ?observe? a minute?s silence in memory of the President. We all stood up ? and?? guess what ? even we, spectators via TV were standing? up, yet as? we could see on the? screen, some protocol officers were here and there moving up? and down, the paparazzi were? busily taking? pictures, as if they were not part of ?all Ghanaians everywhere??.?
The Most Reverend Professor Dr Asante, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church came to deliver the sermon, preaching on the topic: ?The futility of life without God?.
It was a masterpiece of a sermon. He had the whole nation as a congregation, listening to him. If he has not published or making plans to publish his sermons already then he should start right away to do so.
He was the resident Methodist chaplain at Ridge Church for 4 years and I was always enthralled by his sermons. I remember? one Sunday when at Easter he preached? on the subject : ?who moved the stone ?then another? time he preached on ?Watch and Pray?,? and? as he started on ?The futility of life without God? I? remembered the sermon, on the same subject, that he gave at the funeral of? late Hon Theresa? Tagoe at South Odorkor about two years back.
As always as the preacher passionately delivered his sermon, waving his hand violently at the some stage ?to press home his point, the television cameras focused on the panorama ? at one point the President was caught not concentrating but flipping? through the funeral brochure,? they showed the face of Jerry Rawlings ?seated in some ?back row, then the judges wearing their ceremonial ?wigs which we never see? in the courtroom ???.meanwhile Rev Professor Asante? pounded home his message ? life? without God is futile, so says King Solomon???.
I saw Rev Eastwood Anaba who came to pray for the nation, dressed not like? a pastor? but? like ?any ordinary mourner,? and then my old friend now? Colonel or? is it Brigadier Atintande, Director of Public Relations of the Armed Forces ??I remember him so well when as a young journalist at Ghanaian Times ?he came to tell me that? he wants to join the Army and? could? I give him some? tit bits about? life in the Ghana Military? Academy ???. I remember telling him he should prepare for six months non stop physical training regime and he will be alright. The last time I set my eyes on him is more than 20 years.
Good morning, sir, Colonel!!!
At this stage I told my friends in the office that let us go and stand by the roadside to see the funeral procession? – at least to? see? live the coffin containing the? mortal remains? of? my lecturer, Professor Mills. Again thanks to front page story of the Ghanaian Times the route for the procession had been laid out.
We left the office, sat in the car, drove to the Cathedral,? past Ridge hospital and parked near the new offices of Ministry of Works and Housing, then we walked to the African Liberation Square.
What confirmed the fact that the procession would pass that way was that I saw a television camera strategically placed right inside the circle, focused on the incoming car lane from Accra. I also saw a mixture of police fire and prisons officers, lined up.
I was passing? by innocently explaining a point to my secretary Helena when a certain police officer loudly saluted? – ?Good morning sir,? Honourable? ? I turned, could not recognize him, but he?? said he knew me ?at the courts in? ?Cocoa Affairs? and that he had just passed out of police? college as? an ?ASP?? congratulations, I said.? May you become IGP.
Then we passed on, leisurely and positioned ourselves at a place where we could see the procession very well.
Reader, so many things happened that I cannot write all, let me see those I can remember. A certain strange smallish black car pulled up, with an almost truly live size of a human being, just like Professor Mills with red banner on his neck ? oh it was breath – taking.
Then reader, the police motor riders ? wow, I wonder how they trained ? one of them stood erect, saluted, all the way at top speed from the National Theatre traffic lights all through?? to the African Liberation Circle (call it Ridge? circle for ease of identification?), another officer was barely lying on the seat, and moving the motor???.. then some three vehicles at various intervals came by, spilling onto the road hundreds of the funeral brochure ???..I told Helena????.. ?after today this brochure will become literally valueless, yet look at how they are treating it like gold right now?.. I did not have one and I could not struggle for one though I wanted one to read ????.
Finally, the long procession approached the Ridge circle. Leading the procession? were? endless police cars, then two ceremonial? motor riders at par, then a military pinzgaeur,? full of ceremonial soldiers, then the military gun carriage, with the coffin of the President, draped in national colours and? flowers on top.
???And the cortege passed.
Reader, according to King David in Psalm 49, ?man in all his pomp will die like an animal.?? How many funeral processions have I not seen ???always, no matter how many are the mourners, you will see the centre ? the coffin. The other day when I was??? roaming the countryside campaigning for NPP Flagbearer, I entered Obuasi one Saturday morning to encounter one of the longest funeral processions ever?????. And at the tail end, the coffin?????????. And the cortege passed.
Reader, do me a favour by spending a few minutes to read Psalm 49 in the Bible ? that masterpiece of a Psalm by King David. We mortals, no matter what, one day, you will? cease to? exist? -whether you name a city after? yourself, whether? you build mansions? upon mansions, ?no matter? what you do???.whether you are a King, messenger,? chief director, bank clerk, farmer, lawyer, no matter your estate,? a day will come, if you are lucky, your cortege will pass.
And, as the cortege passed, I saw some private soldier tall fully dressed, with steel helmet, barely covering his eyes, wearing full equipment fighting order, holding? loaded rifle, his face as grim as unhewn stone, threatening instantaneous combustion, brooding? no? jokes whatsoever, pass? by along.
And of course, the NDC youths, running and screaming and the hundreds of cars, both security and non-security, shall we say family members ? and so, the cortege passed.
Looking above I saw a helicopter hovering in the high air, with cameras covering the funeral procession, live.
We quickly drove to the office, to continue watching the funeral, this time again, on television.
I saw the procession at the Osu cemetery stadium link road with a real crowd, teaming thousands, and then as the procession slowed to military slow march, to is it the Asondwee Park or the Geese Park?
Then the graveside rituals began.
First of all I noticed that very senior officers from all the three services constituted the catafalque guard, dressed in service colours with swords at the ready. That is fine, but, sir, why is it that the pall bearers were ordinary other ranks? When a whole commander in Chief is dead, must his coffin be carried by other ranks? Why not colonels?
I well remember 1979 at Adukrom at the funeral of Air Marshal Otu. I was then a Lieutenant and ADC to the Army Commander. I remember as the body was being bourne aloft into the church for burial service, Lt General J A Ankrah former Head of State stood by, and queried angrily! ?why should the casket of a General be carried by warrant officers? Why??? He kept on yabbing along with nobody ready to answer him.
So let me ask, Brigadier Atintande, DPR?. Why should other ranks carry the body of the commander in Chief? At most why not captains, or majors?
I am not saying that I am jealous, but why is it that they did not give any role at all in the funeral to the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana Right Reverend Christendom Professor Martey? Don?t forget that we Presbyterians contribute a fair percentage of Christendom in Ghana.
And look at Jerry Rawlings again ?..it was very clearly announced that the President should leave first then Rawlings, then other dignitaries. All of a sudden , Rawlings popped ?up from the sidelines, came to shake the hand of President Mahama, then walked alone to the casket/grave stretched his hand to touch the railings then came to centre stage, pretended he was talking to some people?.. oh, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings??.. still refusing to accept the unpleasant reality that ?his time in history is over!!!
As the funeral service was going on, it was announced that there were representatives of 53 countries in Ghana including several heads of state.
One person I thought did not do justice to us is Hilary Clinton, US Secretary of State. How many times have I not seen her in CNN, Euro News, in other countries? She comes here to attend the funeral of our President and see her wearing a hat, as if on some holiday!!!
And see the way GTV covered the programe,? so much skewed against the New Patriotic Party?s current Flag bearer certain to become the next President.
But all told the programe finally ended?, as true to Mills extremely controversial life, a cool quiet excellent university don straying into the snake pit of politics, finding his bearing, so difficult?. His brother Dr Cadman Mills told us in the vote of thanks that President Mills died of STROKE!!!
Eeeh, reader, is that true?? Did he die of throat cancer? Or he choked on his own blood? Or he suffered stroke? What a controversy!!!!!
If I am a true historian, then I predict? that the subject of the death of President Mills will NOT rest in peace. Sooner or later, heads will roll.
?????????????????AND THE CORTEGE PASSED?????????????????..
Source:?Kwame Nkrabeah
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