Two former Presidents grace State of Nation Address

Spread, Friday Feb 19, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Daniel Nkrumah
NOW Ghana can boast of two former Presidents, in the persons of Flt Lt John Jerry Rawlings and Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, the first and second Presidents, respectively, of the Fourth Republic who enhanced the country’s democratic dispensation with their presence at Parliament House yesterday to listen to President J.E.A. Mills as he delivered his maiden State of the Nation Address.
It was a delight to watch as the two former Presidents, flanked by their wives, listened attentively as President Mills delivered his 65-minute address to the nation in Parliament House.
Most members of the general public who had the opportunity to be at the public gallery of Parliament were seen nodding their heads in admiration as the two former Presidents entered the gallery, one after the other.
Former President Kufuor and his wife, Theresa, were the first to enter the public gallery at exactly 9.30 a.m. to take their seats.
They waved at members of the press sitting in the Press Gallery and acknowledged cheers from some New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament (MPs) who were waving at them from the floor of the House.
The MPs later lined up at the public gallery to greet former President Kufuor and his wife to acknowledge their presence.
At exactly 10.02 a.m., former President Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu, took their seats at the gallery, near his successor, amid cheers from particularly the Majority side of the House.
The cheers were deafening, as the MPs stood up while former President Rawlings and his wife waved back, kissing their hands in acknowledgement of the cheers.
Former President Rawlings remained in a reflective mood as his former Veep, now President Mills, delivered his address.
The discussions in the Press Gallery centred on hope as members of the media lauded the action of the two former leaders, with one of them remarking, “Ghana has really come of age. Ghanaians should learn from these two former Presidents and forge ahead in unity for the country’s development.”
Members of the Diplomatic Corps, chiefs, former MPs, political leaders and some members of the general public started arriving at Parliament House as early as 7 a.m.
While some of them wore suit, others preferred to go traditional and showcased the varieties of traditional wear in the country. What dominated the day were rich smocks and Kente cloths.
As they sat waiting for the address, the Police Central Band provided choral music until 10.10 a.m. when the Speaker, Mrs Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, entered the Chamber to begin the business of the day.
At exactly 10:25 a.m., the Speaker, the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin; the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu; the Clerk of Parliament, Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Anyimadu, and the other clerk at the table left the Chamber to meet President Mills and Vice-President Mahama.
President Mills delivered his address confidently, while occasionally responding to the intermittent heckling by some MPs from the Minority side.
Whenever he paused to drink water, the Minority side yelled, “More water, more water”, with President Mills responding on one occasion, “I am drinking water because I am about to talk about the economy.”
While the Majority side gave the President a standing ovation after his address, the Minority side remained in their seats and make various comments about his performance.
One significant development during the day was the way President Mills moved from one seat to another on the front row to exchange pleasantries with MPs on both the Majority and Minority sides.
Mr Bagbin, who moved the motion for the adjournment of the sitting, thanked President Mills for his address and drew laughter when he said, “When the elephant started dancing the kangaroo dance, I told my colleagues last year that we will exchange positions in the chamber after the December elections.”
In the same jocular vein, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who seconded the motion, referred to Mr Bagbin as “the Minority Leader who has become Majority Leader” and promised that the MPs would thoroughly go through the address before discussions on it began in the House.