RALLYING TO DEVELOPMENT (SEPT 21, 2009)

TODAY marks two significant events in the history of our dear country. The life, ideals and vision of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, are being recognised as we mark Founder’s Day while Ghanaians join Muslims to celebrate the end of Ramadan, also known as Eid-ul-Fitr.
Kwame Nkrumah stormed Ghana’s political platform with passion to work hard and to empower black people all over the world to take their destiny into their own hands.
The Ramadan represents one of the five pillars of Islam. It is a long period of 30 days in which Muslims renew their beliefs and faith in order to strengthen their resolve to serve Allah better.
Although Nkrumah’s vision and mission before, during and after his Presidency might be unrelated to the teachings of the Muslim faith or any other religion, he stood for the emancipation of the oppressed, which Prophet Mohammed and Jesus Christ espoused.
As we mark these major celebrations, it behoves all of us to revisit these principles in order to learn useful lessons that would position us, especially those of us in leadership, to serve mankind better.
We, as a nation, have come a long way but it appears we are still groping in the dark because we have abandoned the philosophies of Nkrumah and all the great prophets of the major religions of the world.
Presently, the entire globe is extolling the virtues of Dr Kwame Nkrumah. This sounds ironic because unfortunately during his reign as President he was despised by certain personalities, including some of his own countrymen and women.
At a stage in our history, it was even a crime to associate with Nkrumah; the agenda was to wipe out his name from history.
The observance of this day should reassure Ghanaians that anybody who dies serving the country will be recognised.
Unfortunately as we mark this momentous day, there are certain issues that continue to set us apart. These are politics, religion and ethnicity.
Nkrumah’s centenary celebrations should serve as a rallying point for national consensus and unity, as well as developing the culture to tolerate divergent opinions.
The good thing, however, is that the celebration has brought together all political ideologies to celebrate the achievements of Dr Nkrumah.
The Daily Graphic believes that it is in the same spirit of tolerance that the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, has called on the two factions in the Bawku conflict to come together and live together in peace.
The statement is very important because there is the need for us to build bridges in order to achieve the objectives of building a strong nation.
The reflections of the fasting period, which espouses forgiveness, and the exemplary life of Kwame Nkrumah, who stood for a unified Ghana, are two virtues the country must preach to ensure total development.
The Daily Graphic, therefore, commends the government for declaring the Founder’s Day to give us the platform to celebrate Dr Nkrumah’s personality and his dream for a better Ghana.