The Ghanaian Journal

A statement from the presidency some two weeks ago suggested that the President will honour some 150 individual Ghanaians for their meritorious services to the country on July 1st 2008, the day Ghana attained absolute freedom from the stranglehold of the British Crown.

One of the personalities to be awarded is Professor Atta Mills, the presidential candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). Indeed Prof. Mills and two others are to be conferred the highest State Award.

That singular award has reduced the otherwise significant event to verbal abuse and taunts especially from the stables of the President’s party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP). NPP chiefs believe the decision by the President to honour the NDC candidate at this crucial election time undermines efforts being made by the NPP to retain power.

However, we believe the NPP is being overly simplistic and emotional about the President’s decision. The NPP argues that the President’s decision offers the NDC a stronger case of campaigning against their presidential candidate. In effect the decision to honour Professor Mills gives the NDC a stronger electoral weapon to use against the NPP.

We however hold a contrary view. We believe instead of castigating the President, the NPP should think about the many positive things that the award brings to them. It is one big event that give meaning to proper reconciliation; it shows how matured the President and for that matter his party have grown into and again a confirmation that the President’s belief in all-inclusiveness is not a fluke.

So it is time the NPP moves into overdrive to reflect carefully about the President’s decision and we believe they will come to appreciate that the President’s decision rather than being seen as a wrong move should be a blessing that has the potential of boosting the party’s campaign.

The President has demonstrated by the decision that he is indeed the President of the Ghana and not one to be induced by partisan consideration to reduce a national event like State honours to be a child-play of awarding his cronies.

He has again shown by the nomination of Professor Mills that he would not play to the gallery to score cheap political points because it an election year. We remember the President assuring Ghanaians in 2004 when he was seeking a second term office that he would not take any knee-jerk decision that will have a short term benefit because he was seeking a second mandate from the Ghanaian people.

We therefore wonder if the President did not massage things in his own favour at that crucial period, he would take any costly populist decision because a candidate from his party is contesting some one that he has nominated for award.

And in case why should Kufuor be the front campaigner for Akufo-Addo? Akufo-Addo and his supporters should know that their candidate is the one seeking the mandate of Ghanaians and should therefore tell Ghanaians what he has done to merit the high office and also to tell us what he intends doing for Ghanaians.

The same goes for all other presidential candidates. Dr. Nduom does not need Kwame Nkrumah to win this years election for him; Professor Mills should account for his stewardship as Vice President of Ghana from 1996-2000 and not to ride at the back of what Rawlings did; Dr. Edward Mahama should run on his own merit and not to rely on the achievements of Dr. Hilla Limann just as Akufo Addo should also not turn to Kufuor for help.

This paper believes if NPP Spokespersons should get back to the drawing board, they would realize that rather than to castigate the President, there is indeed everything positive about the award which we believe can further stoke the campaign of the party’s presidential candidate, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo.