By: Badu, K

I was indeed flabbergasted and downhearted upon reading about the appalling state of the late President Mills’s Mausoleum, popularly known as Asomdwee Park.

“The tomb of late President Professor John Evans Atta Mills, is in a bad state, five years after he was buried at the Asomdwe Park in Accra.

“A visit to the Park by Citi News revealed that the well-crafted metallic cover of the tomb has developed grim cracks detaching itself from the rest of the artefact.

“Portions of the tomb are also falling apart, and managers of the park have had to support it with blocks.

“Meanwhile, the management of the park declined to speak to Citi News about the development, when contacted” (cityfmonline.com/plusnewsghana.com, 28/02/2017).

If we stroll down memory lane, the late President Mills contested the presidency on three consecutive elections on the ticket of the NDC Party before clasping the ultimate power in the 2008 second round election.

Despite the fierce resistance from the uppermost echelons of the NDC Party, the unwearied President Mills stood his ground and selected John Dramani Mahama as his running mate for 2008 election.

The late President Mills did his utmost best until his sudden and inexplicable death in July 2012.

Of course, the late Mills was not without infelicities. He had excellences and imperfections. Nonetheless his light shone among the voracious NDC apparatchiks.

Apparently, the late Mills was not on the side of corruption. Consequently, he earned himself more enemies than friends in the NDC Party.

It is on record that prior to the scandalous Wayome’s judgement debt payment, the late Mills warned the ‘create, loot and share’ cabals not to effect payment, yet the conspiratorial plotters defied the good old Mills orders and doled out the staggering amount to Wayome, who had no contract with the government of Ghana.

It would appear that there was a bad blood between the late Mills and some of the NDC officials.

For if that was not the case, how on earth would NDC government leave the tomb of one of their own in such an abhorrent state?

The alleged enmity between the late Mills and the uppermost echelons of the party may explain why they obtrusively failed to recognise his achievements in their much publicised green book.

Shockingly, however, it has taken the NPP Party that has been in power in less than two months to begin refurbishment works on the late Mills’s decrepit tomb.

Shamefully, the NDC government was in power for more than four years following the demise and burial of the late President Mills and could not bother to take care of our former president’s tomb.

“Following Citi FM's report on the deteriorating state of the tomb of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, Government has commenced some repair work on the tomb at Asomdwee Park” (modernghana.com, 01/03/2017).

“I can confirm on authority that I have been there and I must say that we are pleased with the quick response of government. We saw workers on site.

“The tombstone was being worked on. It also looks like the lawn itself is being manicured”, said Koku Anyidoho.

So Koku Anyidoho, the darling boy of the late Mills also wants to tell us that he failed to visit the Mausoleum all those years?

Well, it would appear that the NDC apparatchiks are ungrateful towards the men and women who have worked strenuously to put the party on the map.

It is even alleged that some officials of the NDC Party plotted evil against J. J. Rawlings, whose brainchild (NDC Party) has made them ‘somebody’s’.

“Former President Jerry John Rawlings is not happy with elements in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) who are allegedly baying for his blood.

“He is surprised that recent attacks on him have been orchestrated by people within the NDC, the party he founded.

“The ex-President cited the recent petition presented by the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) leader, Henry Lartey to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) asking them to investigate circumstances under which he (Mr Rawlings) reportedly received an amount of $5 million from the late Nigerian Head of State, General Sani Abacha, as gift in 1998.

“Mr Rawlings says his own people in the NDC are behind the ploy to sully his hard-won reputation” (See: ‘$5m Abacha cash, NDC chasing me-says Rawlings’; dailyguideafrica.com, 18/10/2016).

In fact, some NDC apparatchiks are unappreciative. Take, for example, the party General Secretary Asiedu Nketia once called Rawlings a barking dog, who is too old and fragile to contribute meaningfully to the cause of the party he (Rawlings) founded and autographed with his blood.

Moreover, the NDC’s boisterous brats (the babies with sharp teeth) who are not privy to their party’s history have been scolding former President Rawlings all the time for expressing his grievances over the rot in his party.

NDC apparatchiks: get a grip and put your acts together because your actions do not speak well of you.

K. Badu, UK.