Kufuor's Greatest Legacy Is Peace
On Sunday, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor gave thanks to the people of Nkawie in the former Atwima-Nwabiegya Constituency for giving him his first opportunity in politics.
There will be time for Ghana to thank the President for his service to our country over many years but the debate about his legacy has already started.
Some said his greatest legacy would be the National Health Insurance Scheme and they may be right.
Others think it was the historic increases in funding for education that had given so many young people a chance to go to school.
Many also think it would be either the many roads or the expansion in our freedoms.
A sizeable number argued persuasively that it was the management of the macro-economy that made all these possible.
While each of these arguments was reasonable, my choice is peace — peace and stability.
Dr Busia's government was a good one but it did not last. President Limann's Third Republic had a constitution considered by many to be better than our current one but it did not last either.
President Kufuor is leaving all the achievements we tout because there had been peace and stability under his watch.
Events over the last few months have started to cloud the President's legacy.
Indeed, the events of the last week in Tamale and Gushiegu have brought home to all of us the fragility of our stability and the importance of peace to our political process.
To recap, a week ago, an NPP rally to welcome the NPP running mate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, was underway at the Jubilee Park in Tamale when some people started throwing stones, and gun shots were fired in the air.
This action led to violence, leading to destruction of property and deaths, with both NPP and National Democratic Congress members being involved. Since this outbreak of violence, a number of things have happened.
First, the former President, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, had convened a meeting of his former security capos to discuss how they could contribute to the restoration of the peace and stability.
It would also be good if the former security capos could ask to meet the current security chief as well.
Second, the NDC had sent a fact-finding mission to the north to investigate the violence and this mission, as expected, had exonerated the NDC and its operatives from any blame in the disturbances.
Third, the Interior Minister, Dr Addo Kufuor, had visited the north and pledged to enforce law and order and to deal with those fanning the violence.
I say “It is about time!” It is time for the nation's security forces to protect peaceful citizens trying to take part in our political process, from lawless elements determined to destabilise our democracy.
Fourth, the media and the clergy have teamed up in an effusion of hand-wringing and appeals to both the NPP and the NDC to exercise restraint in a manner clearly calculated to give the impression that both parties are equally to blame.
That is unfortunate. The appeals coming from the media and the clergy for peace and tolerance are commendable.
However, they should have been prefaced with a forthright denunciation of the NDC for their role in fomenting the violence.
Since the beginning of this election-year, one party had been calling for a clean and peaceful election while another has been fervently invoking the examples of Kenya and Zimbabwe.
Thus while in fairness, one cannot accuse the NDC leadership of planning the Tamale and Gushiegu disturbances, they are accountable for it.
Let our media and religious leaders preface their call for patience and tolerance with a forthright condemnation of the intellectual authors of the violence that had engulfed the north in the last week — the NDC.
Well-meaning calls for tolerance that ignore wanton acts of provocation by one side will be ignored.
Let our security agencies, as the Minister of Interior had pledged, enforce the law with firmness and fairness.
Let the public turn its back on the politics of violence. Nana Akufo-Addo, the NPP flag bearer was right when he asserted that no blood should be spilled by anybody or party in pursuit of victory in this election.
Unfortunately, his call had been disregarded leading to our common tragedy.
Let all of us join the NPP in preaching peace and tolerance and all shall be well.
Finally, even as we console the widows and the mothers of those who have needlessly perished in this election year, let us vow to put political violence behind us.