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Ghana's second chance - Kofi
Annan
Kofi Annan
A commodities boom, abundant foreign currency reserves, a
democratically elected government and a new generation of
educated young people endowed with huge potential. Sounds
familiar? I am actually describing the Ghana of 1957.
It is perhaps hard for young people today to imagine how
optimistic my generation was at the time of independence. Ours
was one of the richest countries in Africa.
Like today, our raw materials were in high demand. Our national
income was comparable to South Korea’s, and our prospects were
among the best in what was then called the “under-developed
world.”
Yet, 30 years later, South Korea's annual income per head had
risen to 10 times that of Ghana’s. It eventually joined the OECD
club of rich nations while we hope to become a “middle-income”
country only by 2015. Our early hopes were dashed by
exclusionary politics, poor economic management and corruption,
which created and perpetuated political instability.
Since then, we have steadily regained lost economic ground and
become a stable democracy, organising a series of credible
elections, leading to peaceful transfers of power. We can be
proud of these achievements. Once again, Ghana’s youth is full
of hope in the future.
With oil coming on stream, and strong exports of other
commodities, our economy is growing at a vigorous eight per
cent, and we have a second chance to raise Ghana into the
world’s premier league within a generation.
But for this upbeat scenario to come true this time, we must not
score own-goals”. We have to invest the revenues from our
natural resources and agriculture into health, education and
infrastructure for the benefit of all Ghanaians. We must make
the most of our second chance, for we do not know whether there
will be a third.
It is against this backdrop that Ghana awaits the momentous
ruling of the Supreme Court on last December’s presidential
election. The court has already won plaudits for its rigorous
and professional work over the past months. The very uncertainty
of the outcome speaks to the independence and credibility of the
court. What matters most is that its ruling be based on a
thorough and fair examination of all the facts, leading to an
impartial adjudication of the competing claims before the court.
The ball will soon be back in the politicians’ court. The
successful party must overcome the temptation to gloat, and the
other side must avoid the urge to cast doubt on the court and
its decision. Succumbing to either impulse would be reckless and
unworthy of responsible democratic leaders, and indeed of the
people of Ghana, whose prospects depend on continued political
stability.
I am confident that the election dispute can be resolved
peacefully through our institutions - provided the main parties
respect the findings of the Court. Such an outcome will not only
burnish our democratic credentials, but also bolster the hopes
of a nation for a brighter, more prosperous tomorrow.
As the chairman of the African Union panel that mediated a
settlement to the post-election violence in 2007/2008, I was
impressed by how responsibly Kenyans handled the uncertainties
that came out of their last elections in March. The political
parties were at pains to discourage violence by their
supporters.
Elections are a means of regulating political rivalries in the
broader interest of the nation. As the Global Commission on
Elections, Democracy and Security highlighted in its 2012
report, the importance of elections with integrity lies in the
legitimacy they confer on the winners and the security they
ensure for the losers. Democracy is not about winner-takes-all
politics; it is about the winner serving all his or her people
and shoring up the rule of law.
The winner has to be given a chance to lead, and the losers have
to find their rightful place in opposition, keeping the
government in check and preparing rival policies to present to
the electorate the next time round.
In 1957, Kwame Nkrumah said, “We are prepared to pick it (Ghana)
up and make it a nation that will be respected by every nation
in the world.” Let us live up to Kwame Nkrumah’s aspirations
today and show the world what we are capable of.
Kofi Annan
Former Secretary General of Ghana
June 28, 2013 |
