GHANA WINS

OVER the last few weeks, the country has been engulfed in a debate over a housing deal to accommodate the security agencies and a cross-section of the people.
Although all the commentators agreed that it was a good decision by the government to provide houses for the people, there was dissent over the terms of the agreement the government wanted to enter with STX of Korea.
It is disheartening that the country has a housing deficit of about 1,000,000, which means that even the decision to construct 200,000 houses under the Korean deal would not have resolved the housing challenge. However, the move would have been a giant step by the government to address the country’s social housing needs.
It is being said that so long as we have governments formed by political parties, we cannot divorce national development strategies from partisan considerations. But we should remember that nobody gains from the poisoning of the village borehole because there will be no potable water for all.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is aware that power is won in a multi-party democracy by political parties with well-defined visions and missions and the ruling party is expected to fulfil its campaign promises based on its manifesto.
That position is understandable, but the success of any government will be judged by how it is able to harness the resources of the country for the benefit of all, not just its supporters.
President J.E.A. Mills espoused this position very well during his inauguration on January 7, 2009 when he said, among other issues, “I will be father for all.”
We need, therefore, to seek consensus on all major development issues, especially those concerning health, education, the economy and housing, so that the national agenda will remain the same even if there is a change of government.
The DAILY GRAPHIC appeals to all players in the political arena to make a conscious effort to refrain from the repeated reference to the past to rationalise their decisions and actions.
On that note, the DAILY GRAPHIC commends President Mills for mustering the courage to advise that the Finance Committee of Parliament reconsider the deal.
Mr Alban Bagbin, the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, said on the floor of the House on Thursday, “The President is of the view that since members on both sides agree that it is a good project, the national character of the project should not be swallowed by any partisanship.”
Our prayer is that in future, everybody, including the government and the Minority, will take a cue from the President’s admonition and maintain the national character of all state projects.
We are gratified that the STX deal is going to help us gravitate towards one goal and that is the will of the people. Nobody can contest the fact that the will of the people remains the basis of governmental authority. It is the foundation of democracy and good governance.
The DAILY GRAPHIC has no doubt that our politicians campaign for the mandate of the people in order to effect positive and immediate changes in the lives of their constituents.
We salute both sides of Parliament for working together to get a good deal for the people, even if at certain times the debate had been acrimonious. All the stakeholders have demonstrated that we can disagree without being disagreeable. You are giving new life and new direction to politics.
The DAILY GRAPHIC reminds all our compatriots of the words of Edmund Burke, that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.
The President has demonstrated that we can have politics of integrity. This is victory for our democracy; it is victory for all Ghanaians.