ALIU, OTHERS PAY TRIBUTE TO BUSIA (PAGE 15)

VICE-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama at the weekend joined the family of one of the country’s most revered political leaders, Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, and the Local Council of Churches in Wenchi to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the death of the first Prime Minister of Ghana.
By 11 a.m., the Wenchi town park had been parked with church members and sympathisers of Dr Busia’s family and some supporters of the ruling party amidst singing and dancing.
When the Vice-President was introduced to the podium to address the congregation after a song appellation from one of the elder female citizens of the area, he said, “I believe that those who wish to lead ought to demonstrate humility which is a hallmark of exemplary service. In this turbulent times of selfish materialism, Dr Busia’s example recommends itself to all would-be leaders.”
The words of Alhaji Mahama drew a spontaneous applause, which made him hold his breadth for a while, and sounding solemn, he added: “Dr Busia fought to entrench development in freedom. It is that model that has helped us chalk up the modest gains which have repositioned Ghana, giving hope for a better future for our children and a stronger voice in world affairs”.
The Vice-President’s added in his speech, which sounded more like a tribute to the late Prime Minister, that Dr Busia was a man of peace.
“As part of his campaign to go into government he pledged an administration free from pettiness or revenge: And as we are all aware, the Bible says, peacemakers will be blessed and called sons of God”.
Alhaji Mahama urged the people not to underestimate themselves in their quest to lead, saying, “In just about one hundred days, this country will have to make a choice of who leads us into the future.”
He expressed the hope that the players would take their leadership responsibilities seriously and make choices that would influence others to opt for the political principles that Dr. Busia fought for.
In a short homily couched around the national pledge, very Reverend C.K. Konadu, the Methodist Bishop of Wenchi, entreated leaders of the various political parties and their followers to allow the words of the national pledge to serve as their guiding principle in all their endeavours.
“You must, just like us, be faithful and loyal to Ghana our motherland because it is better to be faithful in whatever you do than to be famous for the wrong reasons,” he added.
Very Reverend Konadu said leadership was about caring and the show of love and noted that those who assumed the mantle of leadership only to be selfish were not worthy to be called leaders.
He used the occasion to urge the people to ensure that they honoured their tax obligations at all times to enable the country to raise the needed funds to accelerate its development agenda.
Very Reverend Konadu said paying taxes was one of the surest ways of demonstrating faithfulness and asked the tax authorities to intensify their campaign to get people to pay their taxes.
Professor George Gyan-Baffuor, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, said Dr Busia played five roles with excellence, saying he was an academician, a teacher, a family man, a man of religion and a politician.
As a politician, he described Dr Busia as a statesman and a politician who was one of the first two Africans to be appointed as District Commissioners in the British colonial service in the early 1940’s in Sekondi.
Against this background and many more, he urged the youth of Wenchi to immortalise “this great man and to see him as an icon and a role model”.
The family of Dr Busia later presented assorted gifts to Alhaji Mahama for being part of every celebration to commemorate the death of their father and relative.
Madam Ama Busia, a member of the Council of State, said “the Vice-President has demonstrated to us that he really believes in the deeds and works of Dr Busia and has always been part of us anytime we have invited him”.
She said the family was grateful and has, therefore, made him an Honorary Member of the Busia Foundation, a foundation set up by the family in honour of Dr Busia.
The Vice-President and the family later visited the tomb of the late Prime Minister and laid wreaths on behalf of the government and people of Ghana.
Dr Busia was Prime Minister of Ghana from September 1969 to January 1972 when he was over thrown in a bloodless coup led by Kutu Acheampong, then a Colonel of the Ghana Army.