Speaker of Parliament consoles family of P.V.Obeng

As the nation mourns the death of the late Paul Victor Obeng, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Edward Doe Adjaho has asked politicians to unite and agree on serious national issues. He said the death of Mr Obeng had witnessed Ghanaians especially politicians from both sides of the divide praising the late Obeng for his contribution towards Ghana’s development and said the time has come for politicians to set aside their partisanship interest and lean towards the national interest “I wish and expect that we learn lesson from his life, a cue from his life and eschew partisanship. The partisanship is killing this country; we should know where the national interest is and move towards that direction”, Mr Adjaho said. The Speaker said this at the residence of the late P.V Obeng when he led leadership of the House to call on the family of the deceased. He was accompanied by First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Ebo Barton-Oduro, The Majority Leader in Parliament, Dr. Benjamin Kumbour, the Deputy Minority Leader, Dominc Aduna Bingab Nitiwul, Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei, MP for Old Tafo, and Deputy Minorty Chief Whip, Irene Naa Torshie Addo. Mr Adjaho remarked these are times when it will be very different to get people across the various political divide praising one man because “we are in a very polarized political environment” Tributes He said the fact that various tributes are pouring in form several people across the divide illustrates the that late Obeng has led a full life, served his country well and paid his dues “It is very rare to have several people, including former presidents, chiefs of staff, and politicians across the divide praising him. This shows that he was a great man who has served his country so well” He expressed the hope that the current generation of politicians will learn from the life of the late Mr Obeng and model their life along his lines. First encounter He recalled his first encounter with the late Obeng over 30 years ago and the assistance the late Obeng offered the very first parliament of the fourth republic, stressing that such worth of knowledge help in the establishment of the parliament. He told the bereaved family that these are trying and difficult moments and on behalf of the membership of parliament assured the family their thoughts and prayers are with them. Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, past President of the Ghana Medical Association and former Minister of Defense who was also at the residence of the late Obeng recalled an intervention the late Obeng made that led to resolving a serious matter in the 1990’s after several negotiation with the Ministry of Health had been unsuccessful. “We met Mr Obeng at the castle and within a matter of four hours, the matter was settled and as president of the GMA, I was very much relieved and after that meeting, we became very close friends”, he said. “I will remember him as a great patriot, a committed statesman and a man of great intelligence who put his political affiliation side”, he said. CPP tribute Dr Michael Abu Sakara Foster candidate of the Convention People's Party, (CPP) in the last election stressed the need for Ghanaians to emulate the kind of relationship the late Obeng developed with several people across the political divide and unite towards the development of the country. Bagbin The MP for Nadowli West Mr Alban S.K. Bagbin in his tribute said it was people like the late Obeng who inspired him not just to join politics but to join the NDC and throughout he has seen PV as the harmony and backbone around which the PNDC survived. He recalled that the PNDC was seen as a military government and it was the infusion of good materials like P.V.Obeng that brought so many Ghanaians to rally around the good message that was preached by the PNDC, particularly to get the private sector and academia to sign onto the agenda of the PNDC as hugely because of the intervention of the late Obeng. He said since he joined politics and particularly when he became Minority leader, he consulted the late Obeng on what to do and what to say and the late Obeng gladly supported him. He said the late Obeng, as convener of the President Special Task force on priority projects chaired their meetings and motivated the members and through his great intellect managed to get the concept right. “He sacrificed his life for Ghana”, he said. -End- Writer’s email: Benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh