The sad and unexpected demise on the 24th of July, this year, of the then sitting president of Ghana H.E. John Evans Atta Mills, brought with it a lot of unprecedented firsts in the history of our dear nation; the death in office of a sitting president, the maturity display by parliament to the world of our readiness as a constitutional democracy, in the quick and effective activation of Articles 60 (6) and later 60 (10) of the constitution of the land. Another first for me, was the immediate halt, at the news of his passing, to every single political party activity and further suspension of such, by the various candidates in honor of our beloved president and their colleague candidate. Even the most critical of the late president, for once, had to lower their guns and hold their fire in the NATIONAL mourning that ensued. Ghanaians, had thus become a people of ONE NATION WITH ONE DESTINY, united around the person and death of H.E. J.E.A. Mills and what he had stood for all his life. The focus of my concerns, however, as a GHANAIAN following keenly the political democratic journey of my nation, is on those other firsts we failed or missed the opportunity as a nation to have taken advantage of, in the unity, good will, and the general heartbeat of the people and country at the time, to honor the fallen president and subsequent heroes of state. First of such misses that almost took some shine away from the well planned mourning ceremonies, particularly that the man being mourned was an embodiment of PEACE AND UNITY, was the initial planning of the funeral as though it was a partisan party event for the governing party; the NDC, before that anomaly was brought to their attention and subsequently being rectified with the bringing on board the committee some other political party functionaries to reflect its national nature. The next, was the near non coordinated involvement of the various interested parties in the family of the late president, so serious was this, that all through the funeral planning and mourning, Ghanaians watched, hoped and prayed that the family’s threats would not cause our dear nation an international embarrassment by stopping the funeral process when world leaders were already in town. My most important concern or missed opportunity however, is the failure by us all, to politically MAN UP ENOUGH despite the lure to milk this occasion for the party of the late president. Have we as a people, however well intentioned the naming of Asomdwee Park may have been, not trivialised the issue of using this death, unfortunate as it has been, as a unifying force, to define and locate a non-partisan burial place, so named to befit the status of our nation’s HEROES and number one citizens of whichever political party when they pass on?, starting of course with the late Mills. As it stands now, would the leader of a party opposed to the political ideals of the party whose leader embodies the name of the cemetery; Asomdwee, permit themselves to be buried in a perceived opponent’s burial ground? I’m thinking here, of our own NATIONAL HEROES ACRE, NATIONAL HEROES SQUARE etc, but certainly not after an individual’s or one political party’s ideals no matter how lofty those are, and recommended to be lived by all. Is it the case that another burial ground commotion would be generated in the natural event of the passing on of other such personalities, who clearly may not like the Asomdwee Park? Taflaatse, Sebi, Sebi, now that we have the Asomdwee Park comfortably occupied by H.E. J.E.A. Mills and turned into a park in his honor, where are we going to bury H.E. Jerry Rawlings? Would his, be a BOOM PARK, in Burma Camp or where?, if as the longest serving president WHO LIVED in the Osu Castle, he opts for it as his burial ground, would he lie quietly by the Asomdwee Hene and leave him in peace? Again where would H.E. Where would the Gentle Giant Park for Kufuor be, if he didn’t want to witness the fighting of the Asomdwee Park pair, assuming Rawlings accepts to be buried there? There is the commotion again of locating a Democracy Park, for Nana Akufo-Addo, if he becomes the president. I mean which president will like to be buried in the SHADOWS or cemetery that REPRESENTS the generality of the vision of the politics and policy of a predecessor or successor who may be of a different political tradition? Let’s not at all forget the hard campaigning Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, if he becomes president, then we must begin the search for an Edwumawura Park. Should we keep putting ourselves and our resources through this, any time the natural order of life occurs in our land? This is a humble call for us to start looking at the issue of a national non-partisan presidential burial site. Long live our nation Ghana. Korshie Quashigah U.K.