OUR DEMOCRACY ADVANCES

PRESIDENT J. A. Kufuor yesterday delivered his last State of the Nation Address as the Chief Executive of the country.
The tone of his address might have assuaged the deep divide between the two sides of the political divide in Parliament.
Yesterday’s State of the Nation Address touched on issues depicting the true state of the nation.
The President avoided the temptation of comparing the performance of his government with that of the previous administration.
Indeed, the country has come a long way in its attempt to build a united country, particularly as a result of the very divisive and partisan nature of politics in our part of the world.
The President hit the nail right on the head when he said, “To me, it is useless to pretend to be the inventor of the wheel. Rather, the mark of the successful leader is what to do with the wheel that one finds.
My account will, therefore, be restricted to the state of the nation as I found it on my assumption of office and how it has influenced decisions and policies that I have initiated in my bid to better the nation, so what I say today should not be thought of as an attempt at belittling what others did.”
This was a profound remark by President Kufuor. But the Daily Graphic believes that since example is better than precept, the First Gentleman of the Republic would lead the way and encourage others, including those in the Minority, to join hands with his government to build a united and vibrant society.
As the President pointed out in his address, many things seemed to be working in our favour. However, as a people we need to take advantage of the positive developments to inch towards halving poverty by 2015 in our bid to attain a middle-income status in the same year.
While most Ghanaians and the international community can see that there are signs of growth in Ghana, other things, such as frequent communal violence in certain parts of the country and the over-politicisation of issues, tend to derail efforts at improving living standards in our society.
What works in our favour again is that we have an electoral machinery which has been touted as being very efficient on the continent and that our faith in the electoral process and an elaborate legal framework, can provide the necessary platform for holding free and fair elections.
The means to success, even in advanced societies that we frequently acknowledge include respect for the rule of law, free and independent Electoral Commission and Judiciary, the conduct of regular elections, a vibrant legislature, a free and independent media and an active civil society.
All these benchmarks are clearly visible in the Ghanaian body politic. For this reason, political parties seeking the mandate of the people should not paint a picture that portends war during Election 2008.
This is why the electorate must reject those who would incite the people to violence during Election 2008.
Ghana can only progress and those who seek the mandate to rule can only do so in an atmosphere of peace and unity in diversity.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that Ghana can only move forward. It will not burn at the instigation of any politician.
Our politicians should rather explore ways of improving on the achievements of the Kufuor administration so that the next State of the Nation Address will present a better state of affairs in the country than we have today, all in the march towards achieving a middle-income status.