Ghana's new Man Of Power
Ghanaian President, Professor Attah Mills, yesterday advised African leaders to desist from trampling on the wishes of the electorate, saying it is the attitude of disrespect for the people of Africa that usually culminates in sit tight syndrome among leaders.
Mills gave this warning when he visited Synagogue Church of All Nations in Egbe, a surburb of Lagos.
The newly sworn in president, who said he was putting in machinery to better the lots of Ghanaians, expressed regrets that most African leaders take the people for a ride and would rather force themselves on the people, despite the handwriting on the wall that the people wanted them out of power.
He said when an election is free and fair, a good contestant should not be afraid of defeat, adding that the essence of conducting an election is to elect a leader that is acceptable to voters.
He said most African leaders who preach free and transparent elections, do not really believe in what they preach and encouraged other African leaders to cultivate the spirit of sportsmanship by learning to concede defeat, noting that in every contest, there must always be a loser.
He counseled his African colleagues to place the interest of the people above their's, saying when this is done, every other thing will work out without stress.
“Very often, we talk about free, fair and transparent elections, but some people just say it. They really do not mean it. If the election is free and fair, I do not see why you would not accept if you were declared a loser. When you go into contests, there is either a winner or loser and when you are a winner, you must be magnanimous in victory.
“But you see, the problem in Africa is the tendency of someone wanting to cling to power and you will ask: 'why would you want to cling to power when the people you are supposedly ruling have indicated that they wanted you to pave the way to someone else? I must say that we must put the interest of the people first. When we do that, we would see that all other things will come to place,” Mills reasoned.
Recalling that fortunes only smiled on him after two times of defeat, Mills said if he had failed to accept defeat in the past elections, anarchy would have prevailed in Ghana, adding that his ultimate goal was to be remembered as one president who maximised the resources of his country for the overall well-being of his people, as well as the development of his country, without attacking any individual or group of persons.
He also said he was encouraged to carry through his crusade at the election, because he knew the masses of Ghana were yearning for a change, arguing that if he had failed to participate at the election, there would have been crises in Ghana.
He commended past leaders of Ghana for the foundation they laid, which he said led to the restoration of the economy, which he recalled had collapsed in the 80's and promised to build on it.
Mills assured Ghanaians that equal opportunities would be provided, irrespective of their political affiliation or ethnic background and assured Ghanaian women that his administration would fulfil his election promise by ceding 40 per cent of political appointments to them, a pointer to which is his appointment of the first female speaker.
Explaining the rationale behind his visit to Synagogue, Attah Mills said consistent prayers of founder of the church, Prophet Temitope Joshua, sustained him during his campaign, adding that Joshua had prophesied his victory ahead of the election.
“If there is anybody who does not believe in God, I would say that our election should change that person's mind. We prayed for peace and stability to reign in our country before, during and after the election. We thank God because He is the Provider of all things and I make bold to say that God gave us more than we asked for.
“I must state here again that the man of God, Pastor T.B. Joshua, took special interest in what was happening. Not only him, others also prayed for what was happening in Ghana. I would, therefore, urge everyone to continue to pray, not only for Attah Mills, but for the country.
“There were times when I was weary during the campaign and other activities. He would call me and tell me to have faith in God. After the first ballot, I told him that the results were going to be announced. He answered me by saying that it was not going to be one election. He told me that what he saw were different elections and that the election result would be announced in January 2009.”