POLITICIANS ASKED TO EMULATE THE LATE BAAH-WIREDU (PAGE 59)

The queen of Ejisu Traditional Area, Nana Yaa Asantewaa, has asked politicians in the country to emulate the humility of Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, the late Finance Minister.
Describing the death of Mr Baah-Wiredu as untimely, Nana Yaa Asantewaa pointed out that the deceased Finance Minister was a gift from God, who had a mission to remind Ghanaians that "in spite of our political differences, we can still forge ahead as one people".
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview as part of her condolences to the bereaved family, friends and sympathisers at her palace at Ejisu at the weekend, Nana Yaa Asantewaa pointed out that politicians ought to take a cue from the lifestyle of Mr Baah-Wiredu and develop attitudes that would win them the heart of majority of Ghanaians through their utterances and actions.
She noted that the best tribute politicians could pay to the deceased Finance Minister was to concentrate on how they could use their political campaigns in the run-up to the December general election to convince Ghanaians that they were the best candidates to harness the natural and human resources in the country for the benefit of the ordinary Ghanaian but not to resort to anything that would undermine the unity of the state.
"His death raised much concerns among all the leadership of the political divide, religious bodies, chiefs, opinion leaders, academicians, professional bodies, business community and the ordinary Ghanaian, and was, therefore, an indication that he was truly a man of the entire populace. He served everybody with distinction and his choice of words on political platforms, in Parliament House and other public places soothed pains and brought smiles to the faces of people who listened to him," she noted.
"Every word politicians use on political platforms, public places and functions is key to the development of the nation because it can either sustain the gains we have chalked up as a nation over the years or could inflame passions, thereby setting fire to erode the gains," she noted.
She said as the nation gathered momentum to elect leaders at the December general election, politicians should not allow their interest of gaining political power becloud the gains so far chalked up as a democratic state.
She said it was important for them to concentrate on the issues that would win them the support of the electorate instead of using inflammatory languages and other remarks that had the tendency of setting the clock of progress backwards.
She noted that Mr Baah-Wiredu was one man who had the temperament to deal with every issue and came out successful without resorting to insults as a way of scoring any political points "and this is what we want our politicians to emulate".
For his part, the Paramount Chief of the Maaban Traditional Area, Nana Darko Montwe II, said having served the nation with distinction, Mr Baah-Wiredu succeeded in accomplishing his mission as a refined politician before he died.
He said the onus laid on his colleague politicians to learn something from the spontaneous mourning all Ghanaians had given to the deceased Finance Minister since the news of his death broke and appreciate the need to live for the nation.
This, he said, would enable them to bestow a legacy that would be cherished by the present and future generations.