Issah Alhassan
7 January 2009
Kumasi — With a few hours to the swearing-in ceremony of the president-elect, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, some residents of Kumasi in the Ashanti region have told The Chronicle about their expectations of the next government, which tenure of office begins today, January 7, 2009.
While most of them expect the NDC government to sustain the micro and macro economic stability chalked under President Kufuor's administration, others did not mince words to resist any attempt by the incoming government do anything that would disturb the current atmosphere of freedom being enjoyed by Ghanaians.
Most of the electorates were of the view that the country, under the leadership of President Kufuor, had set the nation on a path of accelerated democratic and economic growth, which needs to be sustained, hence their desire for the incoming administration to consolidate the gains made under the outgoing government.
The Ashanti region residents also charged Professor Mills to avoid the 'winner takes all' attitude that have often characterized Ghanaian politics.
That have also asked the incoming administration to do well to continue the good social programmes of President Kufuor and his NPP government -including the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), the Capitation grant and the National Youth Employment Programme(NYEP), among a host of others.
A number of those who spoke to the paper, thus appealed to the leadership of the NDC to avoid politics of vindictiveness, witch-hunting, vilification and retribution, which according to them, have the tendency to divide the nation.
The electorate also want the next government to foster peace and unity amongst the various ethnic groups in the country, and to do well to address the perceived enmity among some ethnic groups in the country.
"Our country has earned a lot of praise and respect from the international community as being a safe haven for democracy and any incoming government needs to build upon that and always put the interest of the nation above partisan or individual interest", noted a second-hand tyre dealer.
Mad. Cecilia Adom, who runs a shop at Kejetia, told The Chronicle that she expects Prof. Mills to do something about the high cost of duty imposed on importation of goods into the country, in order to enhance businesses in the private sector.
For her, the cost of importing goods into the country was so high that some of them find it extremely difficult to clear their goods from the harbour. "You see, because of the high cost of importing goods into this country, we are left with no choice but to also raise prices of our goods," she noted.
A 17-years old handkerchief seller, Yaw Mensah, said he expected Prof. Mills to deliver on his promise to create more jobs to employ the numerous unemployed youth in the country.
On his part, 26 year old taxi driver, Samuel Agyemang, stressed the need for the NDC government to reduce fuel prices in fulfilment of its promise during the electioneering campaign.
It is, however, the hope and aspiration of most of the people who spoke to the paper that Prof. Mills and his NDC government would be able to honour their numerous promises.
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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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