Ghana: Amissah-Arthur’s widow slams wicked, lying politicians

By Papisdaff Abdullah.

Amissah Arther

The wife of  Ghana’s late former Vice President, Matilda Amissah-Arthur has slammed “wicked” politicians who maligned and peddled falsehood about her husband.

Delivering a tribute at the funeral service of the late Vice President Kwasi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, at the International Conference Centre, Accra, the former second lady said she is surprised by the love shown by the same people who constantly maligned and berated her husband.

An enraged Mrs. Amissah-Arthur who was seething with anger described her husband as a “normal politician” who has been her rock in life.

“Over the last few weeks, I have been amazed at the number of people who have come to show appreciation and I ask myself: ‘Is this Ghana?’ Are all these people in Ghana because of the maligning, the lies, the treachery, the wickedness, the mischievousness?

“I ask myself: Is this Ghana? I ask myself is this my own husband that you have come to say tribute to? And today, I ask the same question: Did people really know my husband? Did they take time to know him? The false accusations, the lies the maligning, did they know him? My dearest Kwesi, your children and I knew you and we cherish you.”

The 67-year-old former Governor of the Bank of Ghana died on 29 June after collapsing during a workout session at the Airforce Gym.

He was buried at the Military Cemetery, Accra after his remains was laid in state at the foyer of the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), where former ministers of state politicians and a government delegation led by Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Marfo, filed to pay their last respects.

The man Amissah-Arthur

Amissah-Arthur was the sixth Vice President of Ghana, in office from 6 August 2012 until 7 January 2017, under President John Dramani Mahama. Previously, he was Governor of the Bank of Ghana from 2009 to 2012.

He was sworn in as Vice-President on 6 August 2012, following vetting by Parliament.

He was nominated by Former President John Dramani Mahama to be vice president a week after Mahama himself was sworn in.This followed the sudden death of President John Atta Mills on 24 July 2012.

Economics and consultancy

Amissah-Arthur was a research assistant at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research between 1974 and 1975. He later joined the Economics Department as a teaching assistant from 1977 to 1978, going on to become an assistant lecturer in 1979.

He lectured at the Department of Economics at the University of Ghana between 1980 and 1988. He has also been a lecturer at the Department of Economics, Anambra State College of Education, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria (August 1981 – July 1983).[7] He went into politics until 1997. He worked as a consultant for the World Bank in The Gambia. He also served as a consultant for the Netherlands’ government education project in Ghana. He then worked as Senior Economist for the Sigma One Corporation in Ghana between 1998 and 2000. Between 2001 and 2002, he was on assignment for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

Politics

From 1983 to 1986, Amissah-Arthur served as a special assistant to the Secretary of Finance and Economic Planning, Kwesi Botchwey, in the Provisional National Defence Council government. Subsequently, he was Deputy Secretary for Finance in the PNDC government from February 1986 to March 1993. From April 1993, he continued as the Deputy Minister for Finance in the Rawlings government after the establishment of constitutional rule until March 1997.

Amissah-Arthur was appointed as Governor of the Bank of Ghana in October 2009 by President John Atta Mills. He held this position until 6 August 2012, when he became Vice-President of Ghana following the death of Atta Mills.