Africa-Press – Ghana. President John Dramani Mahama has said his government’s ‘Reset Agenda’ rests on the foundation of the ‘Better Ghana Agenda’ initiated by the late President John Evans Atta Mills.
President Mahama said this in his remarks at a wreath laying ceremony held at the late President Mills’ resting place, the Asomdwe Park in Accra, in commemoration of the 13th Anniversary of his demise.
President Mills died on July 24, 2012, and in line with the Fourth Republican Constitution of Ghana, the then Vice President John Dramani Mahama was sworn-in as President.
President Mahama stated that the annual laying of wreaths and sing his praises in death, were not enough to honour such a great man.
“The most authentic tribute we can give Professor John Evans Atta Mills is to carry forward the values that he held dear, to rekindle the spirit of humility and accountability, rekindle the spirit of ethical leadership that he exemplified,” President Mahama said.
He said the late Prof. Mills believed in justice, not just as a legal principle, but as a way of life; and was also of the view that peace was not the absence of conflict, but the presence of fairness and dignity.
Additionally, Prof. Mills believed that the power that was entrusted to leaders should be used to uplift the weak, protect the vulnerable, and give voice to the voiceless, he added.
President Mahama said in a world that was increasingly becoming impatient, loud, and sometimes careless with truth, Prof. Mills’ life must remind them of the power of stillness, strength in gentleness, and the enduring force of quiet conviction.
“Today our country faces many challenges. We inherited an economy in deep distress. We face social divisions that threaten our cohesion and a growing wariness among our people, but if there is one lesson we can draw from the life of President Mills, it is that no challenge is insurmountable.”
President Mahama said: “When we lead with integrity, listen with empathy, and govern with principle, it is that lesson that I strive to follow in the Reset Agenda that we have adopted”.
He stated that the Asomdwe Park was not just a final resting place, but a national symbol and “living reminder of what our politics can be and must become,” as it called on all to lower their voices and elevate their purpose.
He said the memorial was a call on all to be kind and more accountable, remembering that in the end, leadership was about legacy; not to be found in statues or slogans, but in the lives of the people they touched, and the examples left behind.
He consoled the family of the late President Mills, saying the nation continued to share in their grief and strength, assuring them that the Ghanaians would continue to walk with them in keeping the memory of the late President Mills alive.
President Mahama further urged Ghanaians to remain recommitted to the Ghana that Professor Mills believed in; “a Ghana that is united in diversity, strong in values, and anchored in peace.”
In response to a request by Madam Mercy Araba Quarshie, a sister of late President Mills, for the Government to ensure that the Mills Memorial Library at the University of Cape Coast was functioning, President Mahama stated that Mr Kofi Totobi Kwakye, a former Minister of State and a small group were already working on reviving that dream.
Madam Quarshie on behalf of the Atta Mills Family, thanked the President, Government and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for organising the event.
The ceremony was attended by Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, and Mr Julius Debrah, the Chief of Staff at the Presidency.
Others were Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the National Chairman of the NDC and Mr Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, the NDC General Secretary.
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