Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament has spoken through his grief over the loss of young brother saying death has further given him a perspective on how life is nothing but vanity.
He said the only thing man can do that death cannot win over is love and admonished human beings to love one another.
‘I have seen the death of too many good people, people that I lived and associated with, just gone forever. President John Evans Atta Mills, Vice President Aliu Mahama, Mr J H Mensah, and just recently Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, Mr Kofi Annan, Justice VRACC Crabbe, and now my own brother.
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Mr Bagbin said this at Sombo, his hometown in the Nadowli district of the Upper West Region during the funeral proceedings of his younger brother Luke Bazing Bagbin who died after a short illness.
The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament said: “When you remember that all these great people have gone ahead of you, then it is a reminder that you will also go home one day.
“When you do, what memory will be left of you? Only the love you showed towards your fellow man is what will keep you in the hearts and minds of others.”
Mr Bagbin therefore called for love among all people saying ‘it is important that people forgive one another.’
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The funeral itself was an affair as the Second Deputy of Parliament’s social standing attracted the crème de la crème of Ghana at sombo.
Among them were; Parliamentarians and members of parliamentary service staff, former members of state, members of the clergy and leading members of the NDC including; Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, NDC Director of Elections, Mr Bede Ziedeng, a former Minister of State, Mrs Jamilatu Ibrahim, former Parliamentary candidate of Sissala East and Mr Stephen Ashitey Adjei, alias Moshake, Tema East NDC Branch Executive member.
Explaining life as vanity, Mr Bagbin said it was real and therefore put in motion his own advice for people to forgive one another, while he took the lead to forgive all those that had wronged him.
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“Because of politics, people who are young enough to be my children have insulted me in our own party, but I have forgiven all of them.”
He said ‘a few weeks before the death of former Vice President Amissah Arthur, I had arranged a meeting with him. His sudden death really jolted me, it was like a reminder that you can go at anytime.
“Similarly the death of Mr Kofi Annan shook me up because I had just asked him to be a member of the board of trustees of my ‘Thank a Teacher Foundation’ that I had set up and he had agreed to be on.’
He commended all those who made time to commiserate with him during the difficult time.