“There is no reason why we cannot continue to stand united and to move forward together as one” Prez. Mahama

• Posted on August 15, 2012
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

President John Dramani Mahama has admonished Ghanaians to maintain the peace and unity that engulfed the country during the mourning period of Professor John Evans Atta Mills.

According to the president, “there is no reason why we cannot continue to stand united and to move forward together as one, there is no reason why our differences have to divide us or turn us into adversaries, especially not our political differences.”

“When it comes to the practice of peace and unity we Ghanaians have always been exemplary,” President Mahama said in an address to the nation Wednesday evening. “Whether we support Hearts of Oak or Asante Kotoko, when it’s time for the Black Stars to play we are indivisible.”

The President was giving his first national address after ascending the highest office of the land on July 24, moments after the death of President John Evans Atta Mills.

Intermittently inserting the popular words of the late professor “my brothers and sisters,” President Mahama indicated that “the reason we have always been exemplary in our expression of peace and tolerance is because we Ghanaians have always been aware that standing united is not the same as standing unanimously.

“We don’t all have to come from the same place or adhere to the same philosophy or to see situation from the same point of view in order to be of service to our country or to work together to create progress for our nation.”

He urged all political actors to “use the unprecedented event of Professor Mills’ passing, which so united our nation in grief to effectively refocus Ghanaian politics and alter its stone forever.”

He reiterated the need for Ghana’s political scene to be devoid of insults and negativity by calling for “decency and dignity. It is said that politics is a dirty game, I dare say that it is us politicians who make it so.”

The president also hinted that “in the next two weeks I’d present an agenda to the nation on some policy measures we need to take to consolidate the progress we’ve made.”

He painted a picture of what kind of country he would want to be a president of and said “I wish to precide over a country whose ethnically divergent people are its greatest source of strength, talent and innovation.”


Credit: Citifmonline