Ghana in chance to prove it's a stable democracy

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Political scientists use a simple litmus test to determine if a country has a mature democracy: Has it had not just one — but two — successful handovers of power from one legitimately elected leader to another?

Most of the nations in Africa have flunked this test. Analysts and investors now have their eyes trained on Ghana, one of the continent's rare exceptions, whose 23 million people are expected to join the ranks of the world's stable democracies when they go to the polls Sunday to elect their next president.

Unlike its neighbors whose rulers came to power in coups and never ceded control, Ghana suffered back-to-back coups in the 1970s and 1980s but then took a turn. After ruling for 11 years, ex-strongman Jerry Rawlings organized elections. He won two terms, then surprised the world by ceding power when his party's candidate lost to rival John Kufuor in the 2000 vote.

It's now President John Kufuor's turn to do so after two terms in office and analysts expect he will abide by term limits and step aside without a fuss, marking the second successful handover, a milestone not just for the country but also for Africa as whole.

Sunday's election pits the ruling New Patriotic Party's Nana Akufo-Addo against seven opposition candidates. Akufo-Addo's main challenge comes from John Atta Mills, the candidate of Rawling's National Democratic Congress.

"Moving around the continent, you can come up with — maybe — a handful of nations that have pulled this off," says Africa expert Peter Pham, director of the Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs at James Madison University. "That's why this election is so significant."

The nations that have met the litmus test are few and include Benin, which in 1991 was the first African nation to transfer power from a dictatorship to a democracy. Recent setbacks include Mauritania, which held its first democratic elections in over 20 years last year, only for those gains to to be reversed in a coup 1 1/2 years later.

Catastrophic failures include Kenya and Zimbabwe, both of whose leaders refused to relinquish control after recent elections, causing their countries to descend into spasms of violence.

In this humid, traffic-choked capital, voters are keenly aware of the responsibility they bear. "We have an image to protect," says Sylvia Annoh, spokeswoman for the country's electoral commission. "We are an example for Africa," she says, adding that not only was Ghana the first African country to declare independence in 1957, it is now poised to become a model for the region.

Voters are also acutely aware of the stakes. With an annual growth rate topping 6 percent, the country is one of the continent's few economic success stories. Over the past four years, foreign investment has grown over twenty-fold from around $100 million in 2004 to $2.6 billion this year, according to Rosa Whitaker, a former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa who now advises the government.

"When people ask me why I am so confident this election will go smoothly, I say because people have something to lose," she says.

Even more so following the discovery last year of offshore oil reserves. The revenue from the discovery is expected to pump an extra $2 to $3 billion a year into the state purse, roughly a fifth of the country's annual budget — a huge windfall for the winner of Sunday's election.

With a record of stunning growth, it's no wonder that the New Patriotic Party is campaigning on the government's record. Akufo-Addo, a former minister in Kufuor's administration, has planted billboards throughout the capital bearing the slogan, "We are moving forward."

Yet many say there's little to show for all the statistics indicating success.

"If you think Ghana is doing so well, then hand me your British or American passport and I'll hand you mine," quips Kwesi Aning, an expert on politics who heads a department at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre.

Despite economic growth, the average Ghanaian earns just $3.80 a day and dies before their 60th birthday. Much of the country has no reliable electricity. The lack of latrines means that even in the seafacing capital, the poor are forced to relieve themselves on the white sand beach.

"When you have the nicest house in a poor neighborhood, is that really something to be proud of?" asks 55-year-old Paa Kwesi Nduom, the candidate for the Convention People's Party.

The standard of living gap has fueled the country's opposition, who argue that wealth has failed to trickle down. They accuse Kufuor's administration of corruption, pointing out that it was during his tenure that Ghana, like much of West Africa, became a key transit point for Europe-bound cocaine smuggled from Colombia.

"Are you aware that they now call us the 'Cocaine Coast' instead of the 'Gold Coast?'" says NDC deputy secretary general Elvis Ankrah.

Although Rawlings led three coups before winning his first election in 1992, he is seen as having taken the moral high ground by having handed over power. He remains deeply popular and has helped rally thousands of supporters behind Atta Mills, who has put up posters of himself standing next to a photoshop cutout of Barack Obama in an effort to emphasize that he stands for change.

The ruling party, which continues to get top marks from the international community, may well lose to the NDC on Sunday, or else in the runoff to be held if no candidate secures over 50 percent of the vote.

What this shows is that Ghana is yearning for more than just a technical definition of democracy, says Aning. To be sure, the country is expected to have its second successful handover of power — but is that really enough?

Everyone knows, he says, that in the country's impoverished interior, voters flock to political rallies in the hopes of getting a free T-shirt emblazoned with the candidate's face. It's not out of love for the candidate, says Aning, but because that T-shirt could well be the only piece of new clothing he or she will get this year.

"If people are so poor that a T-shirt, a bit of food and some music is enough to sway them to vote for one candidate, then can you really talk of democracy?" asks Aning.

"We can start talking about democracy when people have a good house, a good job and can relax and discuss the issues over a good malt whiskey — but we're at least a half century away from that."

President confers honour on Ghanaians

Mindful of the controversy this year's National Honours Awards had attracted, President John Agyekum Kufuor, on Thursday capitalised on his official speech to play up national reconciliation as the rationale behind the annual event.

President Kufuor who hammered on the new award: "Grand Order of the Star and Eagles of Ghana," which he created and became the first recipient, and the number of awardees of about 244, said it was a way of bringing all hands on deck for national development.

Addressing the large audience at the auditorium of the Accra International Conference Centre, he stressed that Ghanaians must reach out to one another, within the society, and bring every hand on deck for national development, irrespective of ethnic background, religion, gender, social status or political affiliation.

"This is the spirit in which nominations for this year's awards have been made to reflect government policy, the different area of the national economy and the urgent need for reconciliation."

The official list of the awardees initially included former President, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, flagbearer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor John Evans Atta Mills and other members of the Party.

The list was revised when members of the NDC turned down the offer, citing political vindictiveness from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

President Kufuor used his 30 minutes speech, which touched on the theme for the occasion: "Branding Ghana for a Prosperous Future," to urge Ghanaians to embrace efforts by his Administration to build and strengthen the various institutions of governance to make them strong pillars of democracy.

This, he said would promote peace and reconciliation and the welfare of the citizens.

President Kufuor said the National Reconciliation Commission was established in 2002 with the sincere belief that it would be the starting point of national healing and a sense of well-being, across ethnic, religious and the political divide.

"Unfortunately, the good faith of this necessary gesture continues to be spurned with contempt by some particular group. The government's commitment and sincerity will not be shaken."

President Kufuor asked Ghanaians not to lose focus under no circumstance and permit themselves from being distracted from pressing national assignments.

He said Government would continue to uphold the laws that apply to all without fear or favour.

"It is in an environment of peace, security and a sense of goodwill towards one another that Ghanaians can develop their fullest potential."

The awardees which included Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama comprised: "Order of the Star of Ghana," "Order of the Volta-Companion," "Order of the Volta-Officer," and the Order of the Volta-Member."

Source:

GNA

Presidential debates slated for October, November

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA Ghana) has fixed October 15 and November 12 for the Northern and Southern sector Election 2008 Presidential debates respectively. Tamale would host the Northern Sector debate, while Accra hosts the Southern sector, the IEA said on Tuesday.

The Debates form part of the Institute's efforts to deepen and consolidate multiparty democracy and promote issue based campaigns during the Election 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary process. In a statement signed by Mrs. Jean Mensa, IEA Ghana Administrator to the Ghana News Agency, IEA said the debate, unlike the "Evening Encounter" with flag bearers of political parties would be open to all presidential candidates.

She said the Presidential Debates would provide a forum for the candidates to come together on a single platform to dialogue and discuss their visions, policies and programmes to enable the electorate to make an informed choice as to who should govern the nation.

Mrs. Mensa described the flag bearers who have emerged so far as personalities who were fairly well-known to the Ghanaian electorate.

"What is not so well-known is what they stand for and how they intend to govern the country if elected to the high office of the Presidency.

"The Presidential Debate will therefore introduce an issue-driven approach and dimension to the electioneering campaign to enable the campaign to move away from one of personalities, acrimony, insults and attacks which have become the norm of African electoral campaigns." Mrs. Mensa said the Debate would also serve as a form of Policy Dialogue engagement at which the flag bearers would present their own viewpoints on issues and their own policies and programmes and point out weaknesses and flaws in the other flag bearers' policies and programmes and present alternatives to those policies and programmes. She said Election 2008 Presidential Debates would be unique from previous debates facilitated by the IEA in that it would be in two parts.

The first part would consist of a questionnaire which had been administered to the flag bearers for their written responses. Questions cut across key policy issues received from various organisations such as the Trades Unions Congress, Ghana Medical Association, Ghana Employers' Association, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, Ghana National Traders and Dressmakers Association, Ghana National Association of Teachers, Ghana Registered Nurses Association, Women in Law and Development in Africa, National Union of Ghana Students, National Association of Local Authorities, Ghana Bar Association, and Ghana Federation of the Disabled.

The rest are the Association of Ghana Industries, ActionAid, Private Enterprise Foundation, Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Ghana Hairdressers and Beauticians Association.

She said the Institute would compile the responses from the flag bearers into a pamphlet and circulate them nationwide. Their responses will also be published in the newspapers. This, the IEA believed, would further stimulate and provoke debate and discussion of the policy issues raised.

The second part consists of two live debates to be organised in Tamale and Accra at which two moderators would pose questions to the flag bearers. The debates would be covered live on major radio and television networks throughout the country and on the internet. The debates will also be covered by the international press.

Source:

Four "New" Ministers sworn into office

President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday swore into office four new Ministers and demanded from them hard work and dedicated service to assist him to end his tenure on a high note.

"You should work with me to satisfy the development needs of the people of Ghana, to prove that we are a Government of excellence," he said.

Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, the Interior Minister, Mr. Felix Owusu-Adjepong, Minister of Energy and Papa Owusu Ankomah, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Presidential Special Initiative (PSI, were all former senior Ministers, who resigned their positions to seek the presidential nomination of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the upcoming December polls.

Mr. Kwabena Mensah-Bonsu, Minister of State in the Office of the President, on the other hand, served as Ghana's Ambassador to Togo. President Kufuor repeated the Government's resolve to work with relentless zeal until the last day in office and said he was confident he could count of their support.
He drew attention to the challenges the new Ministers, individually would have to address.
To Dr. Addo-Kufuor, he said, his expectation was that within the short time, he would work to streamline and help to raise the image of the country's Police Service.

The Service, he noted, was a good one with good personnel but, its public image, unfortunately, had not been the best and asked the Minister, who for seven years headed the Defence Ministry, to do everything possible to help polish it. Additionally, priority should be given to the fight against the drug menace.

Mr. Owusu-Adjepong, on his part, was reminded of the new character energy was assuming in the country following the discovery of oilfields in commercial quantities of world class quality, and asked him to pilot the necessary laws and regulatory mechanisms to ensure transparency and efficiency in the management of the resource.

Again, President Kufuor said, he should apply himself to the task of ensuring a cut back on the inefficiencies, especially on the supply side of power generation.

Touching on the PSIs, he observed that the nation was yet to fully appreciate the importance of these interventions. He said through them, the country should be able to launch the diversification of its economy and that this was something, Papa Owusu Ankomah would have to work on with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

President Kufuor recognized Mr Mensah-Bonsu's distinguished service as Ambassador and asked him to remain totally loyal to help him to accomplish what was left of his tenure.

Responding on behalf of his colleague Ministers, Dr Addo-Kufuor said they were aware of the success story of the Government and pledged to serve well to and leave behind an enviable legacy.
Source:GNA

Gays To Boycott Elections?

A group calling itself Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Trans-sexuals of Ghana, have threatened to boycott the December polls if nothing concrete is done to bring them into the mainstream of socio-economic life in terms of recognition of their human rights.

The leader of the group, Prince MacDonald, said “we are discriminated upon because of our sexual orientation and no one dares talk for us.”He called on the various parties to factor them in their policies.

Mr. MacDonald said another area of concern to them is the treatment they receive from the nation’s health professionals, stressing that ‘if you have an infection and you go to the hospital, you will be told to provide your partner before treatment. How can I provide my male partner in such a wicked environment”.

According to him, he is surprised at the way human rights activists have all kept quiet pretending not to be aware of their plight while they jump on the airwaves making their voices heard on issues of what he considers to be less important. He said his people always leave the hospital with disappointment and go to the drug stores for drugs they think would help with their problems or see their friends for assistance, saying this makes them feel as if they are second class citizens in their own land of birth.

“In some cases, the drug stores will also ask you to go back to the hospital for treatment and you continue to suffer till you find a way to deal with your sickness or situation”, he told this paper.

r MacDonald said though gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender lifestyle is criminalized in the country’s criminal code, it does not say it is illegal for a man to have sex with another man nor vice versa clearly.On the other hand, he maintained that most of his colleagues too are dying from the deadly HIV/AIDS unnoticed, and sometimes subjected to beatings from people who call themselves straight in certain communities.

“We have no access to treatment when sick and we cannot wait any more for treatment, for our people are dying. It is election time and not even the ruling party or the other parties will say because we are lesbians and gays we should not vote” he noted, adding that “when they win, they forget we voted for them…we pay taxes and abide by the rules of the country so why are they worrying us”.He insisted that the group would vote only for a political party that has a policy which would be touching on “issues of our health and once they fail it means no vote for them”.

Source: gye nyame concord

Ghanaians Have No Respect for Time

The outgoing US Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Pamela E. Bridgewater, says she has been facing the same challenges that Ghanaians have been facing, during her three year duty stay in the country. According to Bridgewater, she was not exempted from the disturbing effects of power outages, short in water supply, and the flooding incidence in the country.

The Ambassador disclosed that during her three year stay, she observed that Ghanaians had no respect for time, but added that that attitude was gradually changing for the better.

Bridgewater made the observation, when she paid courtesy on the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, in Sunyani, as part of her two-day working visit to the region, to bid the people farewell.

Her Excellency disclosed that the visit was to share ideas about the region, and strengthen the cordial relationship, between Ghana and the United States of America, for future development.

Her Excellency Bridgewater expressed her happiness, when the Regional Director of Health Services, Alhaji Dr. Mohammed Bin Ibrahim, disclosed that Guineaworm infestation cases, as at the year 2007, in the region was 42, and hoped that after few years guineaworm would be eradicated totally from the country.

She was also pleased, when Dr. Bin Ibrahim stated that Brong-Ahafo would in five years be a net exporter of nurses, as the collaboration between the Ghana Health Service and the the Brong-Ahafo Regional Coordinating Council, had established more health education institutions.

Her Excellency Bridgewater gave the assurance that the American Embassy would continue supporting the Ghana Health Service, to help eradicate Guineaworm and reduce the prevalence of malaria in the country.

Mr. Baffour Awuah, on his part, noted that the relationship between the Embassy and the region had been cordial, ever since Her Excellency assumed office in Ghana, and wished that the cordiality would be sustained. According to the Minister, the region was a major food producer in the country, since 60% of the population was into agriculture.

He however noted that modernization in agriculture still remained a problem.

Mr. Awuah commended the America for its high credentials, when it came to democracy, saying Ghana looked forward to emulating her.

He, however, lamented about the high rate of school dropouts in the country, which could affect Ghana's democracy in the long run.

He stated that technical education in the region was inadequate, and called for a partnership with the Americans, to establish technical education institutes in the region.

The Ambassador and her entourage, later visited Berekum to ascertain the progress of work on Self Help Projects, and the construction of a Rehabilitation Center for the Physically Challenged, which was sponsored with an amount of $3,000 from the Special Self Help Program, instituted by the American Embassy.

According to the Coordinator of the Special Self Help Programe, Peace Adwoa Nunoo, the Ambassador would also present the leader of the Berekum Association of the Physically Challenged, Mr. Samuel Amfo Abankwa, with a motorized wheelchair.

She disclosed that the Embassy had been releasing an amount of US$70,000 annually, for the whole country, for the past three years, to support the less-endowed in society.

Source:

Ghanaian Chronicle

Four killed in renewed violence in Bawku

Four people have so far been killed and more than 12 houses burnt in the Bawku Municipality since violence erupted in the area on Sunday night.

The Security Personnel have arrested 32 people in connection with the conflict and confiscated five guns and ammunition, Mr Ofosu-Mensah Gyeabour, Upper East Regional Police Commander, told the Ghana News Agency in Bawku.

He said security personnel had intensified surveillance and the situation had been brought under control as at 1400 hours on Monday. The Police Commander said the Security Personnel were doing their best to bring calm to the area.

Mr Daniel Nar-ire, Deputy Coordinating Director of the Bawku Municipal Assembly, told the GNA that the violence started on Sunday night at about 1900 hours when some people attacked worshippers at a mosque.

He said the Security Personnel could not cover the entire place at the same time and people at suburbs that were not covered at a particular time continued to fight until the security brought the situation under control but this lasted just for a while and resumed again immediately the security personnel moved to other areas.

"However, the security has been reinforced with personnel from Tamale and there is hope that they would calm down the situation by afternoon," he said.

Today Monday, is Bawku market day but there would be no market for the people.

Meanwhile, the Interior Minister Kwamena Bartels said the Government was imposing a 22-hour curfew on Bawku Municipality, Zabzugu, Binduri, Pusiga, Zoosi and their environs with new curfew hours, from 0900 hours on Monday until 0700 hours on Tuesday. Mr Bartels reminded the public that the ban on all persons in the Bawku Municipal Area, Zabugu, Binduri, Pusiga, Zoosi and Garu Townships and their environs from carrying arms, ammunitions or any offensive weapon still remained in force, and any person found with any arms or ammunition would be arrested and prosecuted. He said a number of vehicles had been burnt in the fighting that started on Sunday when a Kusasi Opinion Leader was shot after prayers. The Kusasi Opinion Leader died while being transferred to the Bolgatanga Hospital.

Mr Bartels said reinforcements of security personnel were being sent immediately to control the situation.

The Government a week ago eased the curfew imposed on the Bawku Municipality and its environs from 2200 hours to 0400 hours to 2400 hours to 0400 hours, citing continued peace and stability in the area. It also commended the chiefs, elders, opinion leaders and all stakeholders in the Bawku Municipality and its environs for "the improved security situation in the area".

The Government again appealed to all the factions to help to consolidate the peace by exercising maximum restraint and tolerance and to partner the Government to bring permanent peace to the area.