George Kyei Frimpong and Bismark Bebli
6 January 2009
President J. A. Kufuor in his last sectional address to Parliament yesterday bemoaned his inability to hand over to his party's Presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo.
"Naturally, Mr. Speaker, I had hoped that after my tenure I will be succeeded by a candidate from my own political tradition, but as things have turned out, the Electoral Commissioner has declared that the electorate of Ghana has decided otherwise," the outgoing President lamented. He subsequently congratulated the President-Elect, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills for his victory.
President Kufuor in his address supported a call made by the former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Press Secretary, Vicent Assiseh, for the extension of the current four-year tenure of office by the President of Ghana. About nine years ago, Mr. Vincent Assiseh stirred controversy when he called for the extension of office of the President from the current four years to seven.
The wider public, who saw it as an attempt to extend the tenure of office of the then President Rawlings, rejected this suggestion. Years down the line, President Kufuor has resurrected the debate, but this time limiting the extension to five years, instead of the seven years that was suggested by Assiseh.
The outgoing President observed that the tenure of four years for a Developing Country like Ghana needed to be reviewed, since the State Institutions of governance were weak. "This is especially so, for an incumbent who though popular, may lack the requisite experience at the point of assuming office," he said.
President Kufuor cited Malaysia and Singapore as examples of countries that have chalked great successes as a result of stability and longer tenure of the executive leadership.
He acknowledged that political parties were not only for elections, but were also veritable nurturing grounds for leadership development in the interest of society, adding that they could as well bridge many divides within the nation including ethnic, religious, ideological and gender.
He denounced how every move of the government was politicised or deliberately misconstrued to negatively promote a culture of instant gratifications and unrealistic expectations for the benefit of the opposing party.
"If politicians across the board continue to criticize programmes and policies of incumbent governments just to score political points, they may in the long run breed cynicism, undermine the whole political system and weaken democracy to everybody's disadvantage," he stressed.
President Kufuor advised Parliament to strife hard to curb this negative tendency so it does not become endemic. He drew the attention of the parliamentarians to the permanent tenure of the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, recommending that there should be a specific tenure of office.
"Consideration might be given to a six-year two-term arrangement, overlapping Parliament, where renewal of appointment of Commissioners is vested in an Electoral College," he reiterated.
Again, the President indicated that the adaptation of the doctrine of separation of powers between the legislature and the executive posed a vexed question, adding that the combination of the position of a Minister and parliamentarian in one person could lead to under performance.
The out-going President also expressed grave concern over the polarization of the nation and prevailed upon Prof. Mills, the incoming President to unite the nation.
According to him, the current polarization would not help in developing the nation, and to move it from its current status to the second world class.
He also noted that his government was consistently kept on its toes by the opposition. He however, said some of his opponents criticised him with sinister motive. "Every action of government is put under constant scrutiny for questioning, while a spin is put on almost every policy," he said.
He added that such attitude turned to ignore the need for gestation periods for programmes, and thereby promotes a negative culture of instant gratification and unrealistic expectations, which are often exploited for undue political gain.
Mr. Kufuor noted that if politicians across the board continue to criticize programmes and policies of incumbent government just to score political gains, they might in the long run breed cynicism, undermine the whole political system and above all weaken democracy to everybody's disadvantage.He was of the view that the parliament house was well placed to curb such negative tendencies so that it does not become endemic.
President Kufuor, sounding dispassionate and like a statesman, urged the President-elect to continue with the policies and programmes of his administration. He specifically mentioned the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and others. To him, parliament must play its watchdog role in the governance of the nation.
President Kufuor also noted some gains that he chalked under his regime, through interaction with international communities across the globe. According to him, he has been able to interact with the entire leadership of the world and was of the view that his interactions were of tremendous benefit to the citizenry.
He called for accountability on the part of government, the adherence to the rule of law and urged that due process must be upheld in resolving problems of the state.
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Nigeria may be large in size and population and a wealthy nation but she is still a junior brother of Ghana.
First Ghana achieved her political independence in 1953 and Nigeria had to wait till 1960 because the North was not ready. Second Ghana had always led in all spheres of human endeavors from sports to politics. Yes, Ghana suffered a major economic set in the 80's but she learned her lesson and has turned out to be one of Africa's economic power houses.
Today Ghana has done it again to be the first Black African nation to witness a ruling party supervises its own defeat. From where I live in domicile exile it is known as free and fair election. I was very impressed that the Nigeria entourage led by her President Mr. Musa Yar'Adua did not have to travel too far to the US to take a lesson on smooth transition.
I wish Nigeria would borrow a lesson from this page but what bothers me and should bother every right thinking Nigerian is that our leaders do not learn from their mistakes.
Ojo Maduekwe stole the day when he indirectly admonished his party that it is okay to accept defeat with grace than rig the election. The performance of President Kufo the former President of Ghana is a text book case that should be studied by African political scholars.
Nigeria may be large in size and population and a wealthy nation but she is still a junior brother of Ghana.
First Ghana achieved her political independence in 1957 and Nigeria had to wait till 1960 because the North was not ready. Second Ghana had always led in all spheres of human endeavors from sports to politics. Yes, Ghana suffered a major economic set in the 80's but she learned her lesson and has turned out to be one of Africa's economic power houses.
Today Ghana has done it again to be the first Black African nation to witness a ruling party supervises its own defeat. From where I live in domicile exile it is known as free and fair election. I was very impressed that the Nigeria entourage led by her President Mr. Musa Yar'Adua did not have to travel too far to the US to take a lesson on smooth transition.
I wish Nigeria would borrow a lesson from this page but what bothers me and should bother every right thinking Nigerian is that our leaders do not learn from their mistakes.
Ojo Maduekwe stole the day when he indirectly admonished his party that it is okay to accept defeat with grace than rig the election. The performance of President Kufo the former President of Ghana is a text book case that should be studied by African political scholars.
" .. but she learned her lesson .. "
But did not learn the fundamental one well enough.
Did you notice that Mills was swearing on the foreign slave-trader's manifesto called 'bible' - the manifesto of those who raped and tortured and killed their ancestors?
- would he strive to be a good leader without the foreigners? Were there good leaders and thriving kingdoms in the land before the white killers arrived with their propaganda manifesto? Were these ancestral leaders sworn to upholding law and order and mindful of the happiness of their citizens? Does Mills contend that because they did not have a 'bible' therefore they were evil, failed leaders?
- does Mills contend that our ancestors who had no 'bible' were not meek or peace-loving or merciful - and that those with the bible are full of those virtues? Were our ancestors lacking in integrity or fidelity? Why should he tie the native to a foreigner's 'bible'?
- The land of Ghana was blessed with the people's myth, and the people's religion and the people's deities. And the lands thrived - until the foreigners arrived with guns and malice - spewing dislocation, pestilences, starvation, death and destruction. And they held the ancestors in bondage.
Mills honors them.
.
Over 25% of the population hold fast onto their ancestors' myth and BELIEVE in their deities - just as the foreigners hold fast onto their myth and BELIEVE in their deities.
One is not required to verify a BELIEF with empirical evidence. No analysis and proofs required - for they are myths. Thus, the well-educated as well as the less-educated are just as welcome within a belief system.
So the native's belief in the African deities is just as respectable and becoming and hip as Mill's belief in a foreigner's deity. So Mills is welcome to believe in Ghana's ancestral deities. But Mills clings to foreigner's myth - those who would harm the native.
Are African deities - that sustained Africans through the millennia - good enough for Mills? Does Mills respect and honor for our ancestors?
Or is Mills afraid that the foreigners will mount a "regime change" should Mills show a self-awareness and a hint that the colonial conditioning (of inferiority complex) is wearing off?
Mills is dismissive of our traditions. Mills alienates and denigrates the spirits of our ancestors. Mills scorns the African as surely as the colonial plunderers did - with lofty rhetoric covering crass hypocrisy and self-aggrandizement.
Is the heathen Mills (who promotes foreigners and the foreign way of life and believes that THAT of Mother Africa is not good enough) appropriate for Ghana?
.."Did you notice that Mills was swearing on the foreign slave-trader's manifesto called 'bible.. It is a catch 22 because in whatever way he was sworn in, be it with the Koran, Bible or the Traditional way someone would still have something to say. So damn he does and damn he doesn’t
Let us bring the issues where they belong and the issue here is about a smooth transition of power ever witnessed in Africa. It was made possible because the party in power was able to supervise its failure without rancor. How did it happen? It was made possible because of the level of maturity showed by the Ghanaians to obey their election laws without rigging to the election.
No matter how you see it Ghanaians deserve some kudos and kudos they got from all people of good will. The same way they learn their economic lesson is the same way Nigeria should learn both economic and political lessons.
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