Parliament, led by the Speaker, Prof Mike Oquaye, yesterday paid a glowing tribute to the former Vice President, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur who suddenly passed on yesterday after collapsing in a gym.
The sudden death of the former vice president completely disorganized business of parliament yesterday as most of the minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) members absented themselves to commiserate with the family of the deceased while the speaker and leaders of parliament were compelled to close business early to enable them also visit the family of the former vice president.
Leading the tribute yesterday in parliament, the speaker of parliament disclosed that he received the news of the death of the former vice president yesterday morning with great shock.
He said he knew the former vice president way back when he (former vice president) was a lecturer at the University of Ghana and later became the personal assistant to the former Minister of Finance, Dr Kwesi Botchwey and later rose through the ranks to become a deputy Minister for Finance and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana.
According to the speaker, the former vice president was a very intelligent man who served the nation diligently.
“He was a very good person and also affable,” the speaker said adding that Ghana has lost another great personality.
The minority chief whip, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka stressed that the whole nation is in shock, especially, members of the opposition NDC, of which the former vice president was a staunch member before becoming the running mate to then candidate John Mahama.
He said he got the news that the former vice president collapsed during a work-out at the Air Force gym at around 6.30 am and was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital where his condition was stabilized by the doctors but relapsed 30 minutes after and passed on.
He said their prayers are with the family and expressed the hope that the family would cope with the passing of the former president.
The majority leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu for his part, indicated that the former vice president’s demise is a great loss to the nation.
He said the former vice president was an affable politician who brought a lot of respect to the office he occupied as a vice president.
A minute’s silence was observed by parliamentarians in his honour
By Thomas Fosu Jnr