The Minority Leader in Parliament has described as offensive the unveiling of a statue, in honour of the late John Evans Atta Mills’ 10th anniversary, which does not bear his name.
According to Haruna Iddrisu, it is disappointing that the name of the president being honoured did not reflect in the inscription but rather the names of those who unveiled the statue – President Akufo-Addo and Koku Anyidoho.
“The bust of him, John Evans Atta Mills, our respected President beneath the bust is not his name. It is that of President Akufo-Addo and that is not his [Atta Mills’] name and we find that incredibly unacceptable and offensive,” he said in Parliament on Monday.
While requesting that a correction be made to rectify the anomaly, he buttressed his point citing the monument of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, which bears the name of Ghana’s first president and none other.
The Tamale South legislator warned that “we find it incredibly unacceptable and incredibly offensive but for the peaceful nature of the late John Mills, I would have just walked there and changed it myself. But that will not be in honour of the late J. E. A. Mills and I learned peace from him.”
Explaining his reason for requesting a change he asserted that “persons who visit the Asomdwee Park must know that it’s the final resting place of the late John Evans Atta Mills who passed on in office and to his eternal memory, this bust has been mounted.”
“How then, can any of you explain that just beneath the bust you will see who unveiled it and who supported it? If the change is not done, people will refer to him [Atta Mills] as Unveiled By”, he added.
The maintenance of the Asomdwee Park has recently been a bone of contention between the family of the late President and Koku Anyidoho, prior to the commemoration of Atta Mills 10th anniversary.
According to brother of the late president, Samuel Atta-Mills, Koku Anyidoho has tampered with the grave of Atta Mills, a claim Mr Anyidoho has dismissed.
In Mr. Anyidoho’s view, the state was restoring the dignity of the late president’s burial grounds.
