The passing of our former colleague, Newton John Gatsiko, has brought sadness to us.

We worked with Newton Gatsiko together with Flt Lt Jerry Rawlings, Major Boakye Djan, Naval Commander Akpaloo, Major Mensah Poku, Major Mensah Gbedemah, Peter Tasiri, Owusu Boateng, Captain Baah Achamfuor, Harry Obeng, Sarkodie-Addo, and Sheik Tetteh, on the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council in 1979.

From the time we left office till his death, Gatsiko remained a dear brother and comrade to us.

Without hesitation, we say that Newton Gatsiko was a compassionate and caring person. He was an incorruptible man, someone we could rely on when others failed to come through.

He cared about the downtrodden and those considered as misfits in society. He was a principled person who lived a disciplined life guided by strong values.

Like some of our colleagues who have passed on, Newton Gatsiko was an unyielding advocate of law and order in society. He abhorred the abuse of public office and detested the irresponsible use of public resources.

He was an advocate of national unity, irrespective of one’s ethnicity, religion or station in life. Gatch, as we affectionately called him, was a thoughtful, methodical, soft-spoken and intelligent man.

We don’t know of a time when he raised his voice during an argument. He would look at you and nod with a smile, even when he took a firm opposing view on a topic.

When he found himself in a debate that was going nowhere he would say to his opponent, “Let’s not allow our differences of opinion to mar our relationship?” A humble, understanding and harmony-seeking person, Newton Gatsiko was.

As we shed tears for the loss of our comrade, we would like to take this moment to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Newton John Gatsiko.

We believe that the Great Spirit will welcome Newton Gatsiko with open arms and say to him … “Welcome, you stood up when it mattered the most without fluttering.

Wei zor!!”

*Ansah Atiemo
*Harry Obeng
*Owusu Adu
*Alex Adjei (aka Alan Cash).