COMMENTARY ON PRESIDENT JOHN MAHAMA’S ADDRESS TO THE NATION AND THE NEED TO SUSTAIN THE UNITY HE CALLED FOR

Ghana for the past three weeks has been in the international limelight and the world watched closely to see whether our highly extolled democratic credentials were by chance or we deserved the praise. The death of sitting presidents in some African countries are often characterised by tensions and political stalemates with some resulting in military interventions. But Ghana again proved to the world that when it matters most, Ghanaians will rise together like the Holy Trinity, despite our political, religious and ethnic differences. The smooth transition and the spectacular way Ghanaians came together to mourn the late president was, indeed, a credit to the dear nation and an envy, to countries where this orderliness remains a luxury.

It is therefore not out of place that the President, John DramaniMahama, last night thanked all Ghanaians for their contributions in making the nation proud despite the deep loss. In fact, the funeral planning committee did a marvellous job and the Ghana Armed Forces have once again proven that they are still strong shoulder our nation can lean on even if all sectors of our nation failed. Together with the police and other security agencies, we gave the foreign media no reason to tell a bad story even if they are not accustomed to the good news about our continent. It is, however, important to note that the success generally stemmed from the desire of the millions of Ghanaians to come out in all the regions to show their love and sympathy that made the past three weeks, a period to look back with enormous pride.

So President John Mahama could not have done better in attributing this success to the committees and individuals who came together to fly the flag of Ghana gloriously, though at half-mast. President Mahama made some really inspiring and thought-provoking observations that should engage the attention of all peace loving citizens as we head for another crucial election in December. Disagreeing with those who contend that politics is a dirty game, President John Mahama said it is politicians who make it so and called for the refocusing of Ghanaian politics. One profound statement in President Mahama’s address is the fact that “standing united is not the same as standing unanimously. Ghanaians as a people have different point of views but despite these differences, we should never put a razor on the bond of unity that holds us together.

Lyndon Johnson, a former President of the United States once stated that if two people always agree with everything, then it means only one of them is thinking. Politics is a competition of ideas and sometimes a clash of ideologies. But its bottom line is the welfare of the citizens whose mandate politicians seek during elections. And no politician with all his senses intact would want to rule in a state of disunity, chaos and anarchy. The President has committed himself to doing everything possible to ensure peaceful and incident-free elections come December. But this is not enough unless every single Ghanaian sees himself or herself as a custodian of our cherished peace, enviable unity and growing democracy. The clarion call for the youth to make their voices heard in the transformation of our society is appropriate but they should guard against being lured into doing anything untoward because the future of the country is theirs. And as the president rightly put it, our greatest achievement as a nation lies ahead of us and not behind us. God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong.

BY: MANASSEH AZURE AWUNI, A JOURNALIST.