As Ghana celebrates 25 years under the fourth republic, Mr. Kufuor downplayed comparisons with more successful countries like Rwanda, which have autocratic regimes.

[contextly_sidebar id=”RsAyGnprZT1ghHYfzfsTkUzB4qZynMUQ”]He said the rule of law must not be compromised as Ghana strives for development, regardless of the slow pace.

“We believe we can have democracy with development. That is what I believe is evolving in Ghana and we should sustain it and respect it,” the former President said to the media at a ceremony to outdoor him as the patron of the Ghana Jobs Bank Initiative.

He stressed that democracy must ultimately reflect positively in the lives of the masses.

“People talk of the democratic Dividend. I believe the dividend should translate into wellbeing, employment, good earnings not just for the state but for all citizens. Everybody should feel the count as citizens of this land.”

However, people who suggest that a dictatorship or autocratic regime would be best for Ghana’s development take their freedoms for granted, Mr. Kufuor suggested in response to a question on the matter.

“Anybody who will talk like that is exposing himself or herself as not really befitting of the title of a citizen. Democracy working on the basis of rule of law should function with citizen’s rights acknowledged and fundamental human rights respected… Yes, there may be a little too much noise but the laws are there to ensure that when you talk out of turn, you may be disciplined under the law,” he said

Freedoms can’t be sacrificed for progress

Regardless of the development in autocratic states, Mr. Kufuor said basic rights and freedoms of citizens could not be sacrificed for quick development.

“Will you sacrifice your right of expression to just be fed like a captive animal? Do you want to be put in a golden cage? As we sit here, as human beings, just because you are in a golden cage and every morning you are fed with something and you are denied the right to express yourself; what you think and what you want to say, is that what you want? So the comparison shouldn’t happen,” he stated.

“We have suffered our bit of ups and downs. We are coming out from the woods and we should sustain this move and put ourselves on a trajectory that will give us both the economic benefits as well as the benefit of human rights. Everything should be defined on the basis of human rights.”

–

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Freedoms mustn’t be sacrificed for development – Kufuor appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to Mr Mahama, the day has great significance as it acknowledges Ghana’s democratic credentials and is a testament to the political stability that the country has enjoyed over the years, which has become a point of reference for other countries.

“It is a day that heralds, the global recognition of our country as a worthy example of Democratic Governance and Stability for other states,” the former President said in a Facebook post.

“The 4th Republic will be our last Republic and would last for centuries to come. We owe the foundation of our Political Stability to the Good People of Ghana and the contributions of the various political parties and actors, post January 07, 1993”

John Mahama added in the post that he would be honouring an invitation to participate in the Thanksgiving Service “to thank God for the strengthening of our democracy over the last 25 years.”

Below is the full Facebook post from John Dramani Mahama:

The event, which is under the theme “Celebrating the goodness of the Lord” is meant to acknowledge the country’s stable democracy over the past two decades.

A circular issued on the president’s social media pages urged guests at the event to be seated by 3pm.

‘Waste of money’

The Convention People’s Party, however, has opposed this plan by the government’s plan to hold a thanksgiving service to mark the silver jubilee of the country’s Fourth Republic.

According to the party, organising such a function would amount to a waste of the country’s resources.

The Communications Director of the CPP, Kadir Abdul Rauf Issifu told Citi News that the amount which will be used to finance the event will be a wasted investment since the ceremony was unnecessary.

“The timing is wrong… They don’t really intend to involve political actors. If they really wanted to, they would have given us at least 3 months ahead so that we start planning and thinking together. We have problems as a people in this country and since the NPP was elected into power, there are burning issues. Even their own flamboyant promises, they have not even met them halfway and Ghanaians are actually watching,” he said.

25 years of the Fourth Republic

Ghana’s 25-year-long democratic journey has seen the country being led by five different presidents including the incumbent, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The first regime of the Fourth Republic was led by Former President Jerry John Rawlings, whose leadership transitioned from a military government under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) to constitutional rule under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 1992.

After serving two terms in office making him ineligible to run against as president, Rawlings endorsed his vice-president at the time, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills as the NDC’s presidential candidate in 2000.

Atta-Mills, however, lost the elections to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) John Agyekum Kufuor in the 2000 elections.

Kufuor led the country for two terms; from 2000 to 2004 and then to 2008.

Prof. Atta-Mills won the 2008 elections against the NPP’s Nana Akufo-Addo and served until 2012 when he died, 6 months before the end of his first term.

His position was taken by the then Vice President, John Mahama, who was in accordance with the constitution sworn-in hours after the news of Prof. Atta-Mills’ death.

John Mahama completed Atta-Mills’ tenure and went on to win the 2012 presidential elections, again, against Nana Akufo-Addo.

Mahama’s attempt to seek re-election a second term in office was unsuccessful as Nana Akufo-Addo, on his third presidential attempt, secured a resounding election victory of acquiring 53.85% of the total valid votes cast against Mahama’s 44.40%.

The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana that came into effect on January 7, 1993, after it was approved on April 28, 1992 through a national referendum after 92% support.

The constitution declared Ghana to be a unitary republic with sovereignty residing in the Ghanaian people.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor & Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Mahama to attend Service marking 25 years of democratic rule appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the party, organising such a function would amount to a waste of the country’s resources.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government announced on Thursday that it will hold a thanksgiving service later today [Sunday], January 7, 2018 at the Independence Square in Accra to mark the 25th anniversary of the country’s return to democratic governance.

The event, which is under the theme “Celebrating the goodness of the Lord” is meant to acknowledge the country’s stable democracy over the past two decades.

A number of political leaders have expressed varied opinions to the plan but according to the CPP, the move is not welcome.

The Communications Director of the CPP, Kadir Abdul Rauf Issifu told Citi News that the amount which will be used to finance the event will be a wasted investment since the ceremony was unnecessary.

“The timing is wrong… They don’t really intend to involve political actors. If they really wanted to, they would have given us at least 3 months ahead so that we start planning and thinking together. We have problems as a people in this country and since the NPP was elected into power, there are burning issues. Even their own flamboyant promises, they have not even met them halfway and Ghanaians are actually watching,” he said.

He added that, “the celebration that the celebration is a misdirected effort and also an attempt to siphon resources from the state into ventures that we think are not necessary at this moment.”   

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) and the People’s National Convention’s (PNC) Bernard Mornah has commended the government for the initiative.

Sunday’s event is meant to acknowledge the country’s stable democracy over the past two decades.

A circular issued on the president’s social media pages urged guests at the event to be seated by 3pm.

Ghana’s 25-year-long democracy journey has seen the country being led by five different presidents including the incumbent, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Service for 25 years of democratic rule ‘waste of money’ – CPP appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the President, although peaceful changes in government and the people’s representatives were a sign of the country’s strong democratic prospects, it was more imperative that all the citizens are given equal opportunities to succeed.

[contextly_sidebar id=”l2CjzUyAK0o28ylOxBkqK0jVrYeuVLJB”]“The democracy that we seek to build does not end in casting votes and electing a president and a Member of Parliament once every four years. We seek to build a prosperous nation with equal opportunities where all citizens feel they have a stake,” he said.

“Never again should the Ghanaian citizen feel that he has to join the desperadoes that cross the Sahara and drown in the Mediterranean Sea because their own country holds no promise or hope.”

Nana Addo made these comments when he delivered a speech on “Democracy and Development” at the Cambridge Union Society of the University of Cambridge, as part of his 3-day visit to the United Kingdom.

Industrialisation is the answer

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration under Nana Akufo-Addo has consistently spoken of the need for Ghana to move from an economy dependent on revenue generated from the export of raw materials to an industrialized one.

As part of efforts to ensure the move towards industrialization, the government has initiated the one-district, one-factory programme to support local businesses across the country to thrive.

And according to the President, Ghana is well on its way to making this happen with the policies it has initiated.

“We are on the path to creating wealth and improving the lives of our people. We’re determined to do that by transforming the structure of our economy. The neo-colonial economy, based on the production and export of raw materials, cannot form the basis of a new era of prosperity for our people,” he said.

–

By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Democracy not only about electing Presidents, MPs – Nana Addo appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He observed that the western countries that formulated such form of governance system are themselves reeling from its weaknesses.

Rawlings, who has been an advocate against corruption added that, Africans practicing such form of governance “adopted the worst out of the West.”

“The West is today getting a taste of the weaknesses of multi-party democracy that we have to put up with in our part of the world. While our old traditional culture of democracy was able to contain such weaknesses, the western multiparty democratic practice appears almost incapable of containing corruption in its various forms.”

“Be it social, judicial, environmental or moral, and the abuse and impunity of office, we have not succeeded in marrying the best from the two sides. We have adopted the worst out of the West, and used it to pin down and suppress the good qualities in our culture,” he added.

The former president made the comment at a colourful ceremony in which he was installed a chief of the Anlo State in the Volta Region for his lead role in fostering peace and stability in Ghana.

He was given the stool name Togbui Nutifafa Fiaga I [Peace chief].

Democracy suffocating values in our culture

Rawlings explained that, the western form of democracy has “suffocated” African values.

“We have adopted Western democracy in such a manner that it has suffocated the respect and values inherent in our culture, which allowed for people-centered participatory democracy and communication. The window to breath sense into our everyday lives has been forcefully shut.”

Rawlings Foundation

The former President also said that he is setting up a foundation to help solve some challenges confronting Ghana.

“In response to some of these challenges that our nation faces, I am working with a team of like-minded people to set up the Rawlings Foundation,” Rawlings said, adding that the foundation will “include but are not limited to environmental sustainability, provision of humanitarian relief, quality education for the under-privileged and brilliant students, civic responsibility and social justice.”

He said his office is inundated on a daily basis with a lot of pressing personal and communal needs from people from all walks of life.

“It is impossible to turn your back at some of these requests due to their pathetic nature. The office continues to pay school fees for hundreds of needy students from the meagre resources we mobilize. The Foundation will therefore be a welcome relief to many more individuals, families and communities with similar needs,” he added.

–

By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Democracy can’t curb corruption – Rawlings appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.