Re :Biometric registration and verification of voter identities

The core issue is that you liberal arts boys are worrying about the integrity and so forth but technologically, Ghana is not prepared for the Biometric system, Period!!

Look, Ghana ordered a $6 million machinery to monitor cell phone usage and tracking and the people who ordered the equipment had no clue about technology. An insider tells me they had to abandon the equipment and buy another one – and this time from the US Silicon Valley right here and I was there in Fremont, California to see the equipment and meet some of the engineers.

Look, ignorance is part of it but corruption and what people will get by buying certain equipment is killing us.

Due to our poor laissez-faire leadership, we are losing money in the tons of millions since some things the president may not understand and will not ask the right people, and some things the officials around him are simply thieves trying to steal through useless purchases!!

Performance of an equipment can break whatever intent they had in buying this sophisticated equipment that is not even being used in the Americas. Look, let me tell you all – some of these equipment will fail once electricity is interrupted and re-started and a voltage or current spike of more than say 10% hits the input circuits! I used to make a good living analyzing failed integrated circuits and I know what I am saying. These equipment, purchased for perhaps some $50 million or whatever, will not last in the dusty and humid atmosphere we live!! Period!! Electronic components may fail 2-10 times faster in high humidity and high temperature environments.

I wish people like President Mills will learn to accept that his colleagues who studied Science and Engineering overseas of his age and experience, are not doing “unskilled labor” as he thinks. I have to say that ignorance is costing Ghana hundreds of millions if not billions and our children and grandchildren will pay the price and the blame will go in history on the head of the presidents such as Mills and Kufuor and Rawlings who have set our nation to rot under ignorance and naivete and now being sold to Chinese or Koreans or Zimbabwean whites with no strong contracts to protect our people and nation!! It is in the latter that Kwame, Azar, some of you come in. However, when it comes to the technology to us, it is our area to tell you that what they are doing is bogus!! Period!! I’d like my old friend Dr. Afari Djan to communicate with me if I can find his email address. If I am wrong, of course I want to be proven wrong.
Michel,, are you there?

We need to help resolve this but I am afraid it’s too late they have already bought the equipment and taken their commissions.


Dr. Kwaku A. Danso

BIOMETRIC SYSTEM IS FAKE - WILL NOT WORK, PERIOD!!

Dr Kwaku Danso
GLU

Folks


We all live in a country where people’s basic home addresses are not even recorded in any database.

In 2004 when I moved to my house in East Legon my bills for water, electricity, etc were addressed to : Kwaku Danso, near Lake Side, East Legon. I laughed and cried, and later when I went to the Post Office, I asked them why they don’t deliver mail to the houses as done during the colonial days. The man and woman clerks looked at each other and said: “Yes, we can do it”. They gave me a phone number to call and set up an appointment and after paying my Ghc10 or so, the guy showed up on a motorbike and since then I get mail at home. They still don’t pick up mail, though, and one day I may have to go there again.



Look, the people managing the EC and the whole nation have no clue what they are doing and why they are doing this!

Can anybody challenge me and point to the person who made the decision to purchase the Biometric system for Ghana? Look, let me assure you all that some smart alec white sales man has sold Ghana a system that is perhaps worth $25 million for $75 million and somebody in high places have pocketed a huge chunk in some foreign bank account and they have no clue how the system works.


Look, from fundamental electrical engineering electronic systems principles you need:

1. An EQUIPMENT – A physical device on which you take the fingerprint or eye iris detection image;

2. STORAGE SYSTEM – a hard drive to store the data, and then

3. DATABASE /SOFTWARE system;

4. NETWORK SYSTEM – which allows comparison of the stored data with an existing data to make sure the data taken matches or does not match with an existing data for the voter.


All these need ELECTRCITY!!!

Can anybody convince me that we have reliable and stable electricity delivery in every place we vote?



Some of you are emotional about the 2012 elections. I am not.

I know that the elections is not going to be done any more efficiently than done in the last 4, 8, 16 years! Trust me that the equipment at most of these places in the rural areas don’t have electricity that is reliable, and neither is the one in East Legon.

Somebody has taken advantage of Ghana and pocketed a huge amount of money for the purchase of this Biometric system.

It is fake!! We pretend like we are at par with the rest of the world and we are not! We will never be until we build the fundamentals! If you don’t have an addressing system for property and for yourselves as individuals, how do you identify each other.

Tweaaaa!!

I found out that there are quite a few Kwaku Danso in Accra alone! Without a street address and National Identification number that is unique, and cross check that with my birth date, how the heck can somebody sit somewhere and claim they know Kwaku Danso voted in 2012?



Let anybody challenge me and send me the full details and I will be convinced.

I did not study electronics engineering and practice it for all these years to be fooled by some Liberal Arts people in Ghana who have no clue what they are doing! This system smells of corruption and thievery somewhere to me and will not work.

The only person in Ghana who I can count on to verify this for me will be Michel Bowman-Amuah and Sam Twerefour. These people have enough experience in technology to evaluate this system for us. Failing that, it is what they call a white elephant. It is not going to add any value to the 2012 elections. Most places will not work and they will end up using the same old system:

VOTER: My name is Akwasi Mensah, Here is my ID or I don’t have an ID but I live near the big tree by the chiefs palace – don’t you know me?

OFFICIAL: Okay,, Okay,, we know this person,, we play football together,, let him vote1

Please save this and quote me if you want, and don’t’ forget I warned you.

US EMBASSY USES GHANA POLICE TO VIOLENTLY ARREST 24 DEMONSTRATORS IN QATHAFI VICTORY MARCH

By Lord Hamah


The constitution of Ghana in Chapter five Article 21 section 1(d) it states, “All persons shall have the right of freedom of assembly including freedom to take part in processions and demonstrations.” This can be interpreted to mean that the power of demonstrations resides in the right of the Ghanaian people. As long as Ghanaians, who exercise this right and power, follow the Public Order Act 491 of 1994 the people shall maintain this right and power. The US/NATO Hands off Libya! Hands Off Africa! Coalition embarked upon a peaceful demonstration, whose theme was “Qathafi Victory March” on 21st September 2011, at approximately 11:00 am in honour of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's 102nd birthday. The Ghana Police Service stationed at the Regional Police Headquarters, Accra headed by Commander Rosie Atinga Biyuu illegally disrupted and stopped the demonstration. The US/NATO Hands Off Libya! Hands Off Africa! Coalition made up of Ghanaian progressive and revolutionary organizations had their rights and power usurped at the behest of U.S. neo-colonialist interest and influence in Ghana to the detriment of the constitutional rights of Ghanaian citizens.

On Monday 3rd September 2011, the US NATO HANDS OFF LIBYA! HANDS OFF AFRICA! COALITION delivered a public notice to the police, as required by law, to demonstrate by marching from Kwame Nkrumah Circle to the United States Embassy—the largest US embassy in Africa. At this point on Thursday, 6th September 2011 our coalition was called by the police on telephone and requested to meet with the Regional commander, of the Accra Police Service. Inside this meeting Rosie Atinga Biyuu informed the US NATO HANDS OFF LIBYA! HANDS OFF AFRICA COALITION they could not demonstrate on that day because there would not be enough police officers available, and moreover the area where the U.S. embassy is located “belongs to America, and it is called Little America.” Rosie Atinga Biyuu also stated that, “I and other officers went into the U.S. embassy, and they told us they did not want your coalition of demonstrators near their embassy.” Upon further discussion she added, “no one will be there to receive your petition, and if you want to demonstrate on another day with a different route to another place, the U.S. embassy would send someone to receive your petition.” As the discussion continued Rosie Atinga Biyuu stated, “Don't challenge me, and if you decide to go there you will be met with sniper fire and bullets!” The US NATO HANDS OFF LIBYA! HANDS OFF AFRICA! COALITION's public notice never requested to deliver a petition to the U.S. embassy, nor did we, by exercising our constitutional rights, ask to be shot!

After being told we would have to change the date and destination, the coalition members went back and discussed the issue with their organizations, and decided to resubmit another public notice on Monday, 10th September 2011. Since we were not given anything in writing to prevent us from demonstrating, we stated the demonstration would continue at the same date and time, with the same route, thus having the same target of the US. Embassy to express our opposition to the U.S. NATO bombing, invasion and war waged against Libya. Our coalition was called on telephone by the Ghana Police Service on Thursday, 15th September 2011 and was requested to come to the police station to take a letter dated 12thSeptember 2011 in response to our second public notice to demonstrate on 21stSeptember 2011. The Coalition was able to obtain the letter on Friday, 16thSeptember 2011, and our Coalition members (who went to receive the letter) were reminded verbally by the Ghana Police Service not to go near the U.S. embassy. The letter stipulated:

1. We have therefore deployed all resources available to us for the event. Besides there are other operational exigencies that day of which we are committed to provide security.

2. The Accra Regional Police Command would therefore not be able to provide you with the needed security during your intended demonstration stated for 21/09/11.

3. The command therefore requests you to respectfully postpone your intended demonstration to a later date.

4. In accordance with sect: 1 sub sect 5 of the Public Order Act 1994 (Act 491) you are requested to notify the police in writing within 48 hours of your willingness to comply with the directives in paragraph 3 above.

The US NATO HANDS OFF LIBYA! HANDS OFF AFRICA! COALITION, because of the significance of the day being Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's birthday, decided not to comply. The decision was taken while being fully aware of the consequences, valuing the pros and cons and for the following reasons:

1. The power and right of demonstration resides in the hands of Ghanaian citizens as outlined in the 1992 constitution of Ghana.

2. The Public Order Act 1994 (Act 491) sect 6 and 7 states:

(6) Where the organizers refuse to comply with the request under subsection (4) or fail to notify the police officer in accordance with subsection (5), the police officer may apply to any judge or chairman of a tribunal for an order to prohibit the holding of the special event on the proposed date or at the proposed location.

(7) The Judge or chairman may make such orders as he considers to be reasonably required in the interest of defense, public order, public safety, public health, the running of essential services or to prevent violation of rights and freedom of other persons.

This meant, since our demonstration was peaceful, and did not violate any of the interests of the people of Ghana as stated in subsection (7) of the Public Order Act 491, the HANDS OFF LIBYA! HANDS OFF AFRICA! COALITION was legally within its rights to continue with its planning of the demonstration because we had not received a court order to prohibit the citizens of Ghana from demonstrating.

On 21st September 2011, as we set off on the demonstration, there was still no sign of the Ghana Police Service, nor were we made aware of a court order to prohibit the demonstration. However, in the middle of the demonstration at the Ghana Broadcasting Company station two vehicles of the Ghana Police Service drove in front of the demonstrators and spoke to one of the marchers. The demonstration of people continued on, and after about 100 metres several police vehicles stopped in front of the demonstration and presented a court order dated 16thMarch 2011, signed by H/H patience Mills Tetteh (Mrs.) Circuit Judge, which stated, “It is hereby ordered that the organization calling itself US/NATO HANDS OFF and HANDS OFF AFRICA COALITION are hereby prohibited from demonstrating on 21st September, 2011. It is further ordered that the intended demonstration could come on at a later date when police have been notified.”

Aside from the incorrect spelling of the Coalition's name, the contradictions and the abuse of Ghanaian citizen's rights are clear. If the US NATO HANDS OFF LIBYA! HANDS OFF AFRICA! COALITION received a phone call on 15th September and the written police response to the coalition's notification on the 16th of September 2011, requesting the Coalition to comply with a change of date (the police letter is dated 12th September and no phone call was made until 15th September to the Coalition), why would the court order a prohibition on the same date, not allowing the Coalition to exercise its constitutional right based on the Public Order Act 491/94 to comply in 48 hours. Secondly, why did the police withhold the court order for five days without informing the Coalition that an injunction on the demonstration had been issued? Thirdly, why wouldn't the police issue a court order to prohibit the demonstration at the beginning of the march to prevent any violence, as opposed to in the middle of the march—if they were interested in public order, public safety, public health, the running of essential services or to prevent violation of rights and freedom of other persons [and all Ghanaians including the demonstrators]. Fourthly, why wasn't the US NATO HANDS OFF LIBYA! HANDS OFF AFRICA! COALITION allowed to redress the court to express their opinion with regard to the change of date and minutiae of the demonstration? Fifthly, since the demonstration discontinued their march at the point of being issued a court order prohibiting the demonstration, why were they arrested?

This illustrates that Ghana Police Service harboured ill feelings toward the demonstration with the intent of inflicting violence and bodily harm on Ghanaian citizens during the legal march. The evidence was displayed during the arrest of the demonstrators when three armoured vehicles with 20 to 30 police officers with riot gear armed with guns and tear gas guns passed by as demonstrators were being beaten, shoved to the ground, placards were roughly removed from the demonstrators hands and electric tasers were used to seize and destroy video equipment and film (particularly one E-TV cameraman who was tasered repeatedly and his genitals were also violently abused by the police to destroy his film of the purported court order being presented half way during the legal demonstration but dated five days prior) and to demobilize some of the demonstrators. There was also three Pajeros (suv) filled with police officers who drove in a straight line with the armoured vehicles that were ready and poised for violence as 24 demonstrators were illegally arrested whisked away through the streets of Accra, with sirens blasting, to the Regional Command Police Office of Accra. This evidence of over 100 police riding in vehicles passing by the demonstrators ready to inflict violence on a peaceful demonstration, debunks the lie of the Regional Command Police Office who stated there were not enough police to provide security and protect the constitutional right of Ghanaian citizens to demonstrate. The demonstrators were unlawfully detained for almost two days at the Regional Headquarters of the Accra Police and the Bureau of National investigations (BNI)—stripped searched thrown into mosquito infested prison cells, with no light and made to sleep on the floor on a thinly sponge mattress.

The other contradiction, which makes the injustice abundantly and crystal clear, is that the Regional Command Police Service of Accra was intent on violating the constitutional rights to demonstrate with what's stated in the court order in that “the intended demonstration could come on at a later date when police have been notified.” This was impossible because the court order was served in the middle of the demonstration which left no time for the US NATO HANDS OFF LIBYA! HANDS OFF AFRICA! COALITION to notify the police of a later date. This was a miscarriage of justice and an induced abortion of the rights of Ghana's citizens.

The injustice of the police actions are clear, but the underlying reasons for their actions are just as revealing, so far as Ghanaian citizens constitutional rights are concerned. The Regional Commander met with US diplomats inside their embassy, who made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that they forbid any demonstrators from coming near their embassy. The U.S. is the neo-colonial power in Ghana who has large investments in the gold, oil and diamond industries—the U.S. imports billions of dollars of finished products and machinery into Ghana. The U.S. and European capitalist class determine the price of cocoa on the international market. Ghana is in debt to US controlled financial institutions (International Monetary Fund and World Bank)—these institutions also determine the value of the cedi—Ghana's currency. The government of Ghana has signed military agreements with US Africa Command (Africom) in which the US uses Ghana's air force base as an exercise reception facility to train Ghanaian troops and other troops in West Africa. The US has an Oil Hub Initiative for the US military to protect its oil interest in Ghana, and Ghanaian military officers are trained in the School of the America's in the United States. The U.S. also has a program in which it gives grant to the government of Ghana to purchase its weapons.

Since the demonstration was a “Qathafi Victory March” in support of the Libyan Jamahiriya against the US NATO invasion and bombing of Libya, in opposition to the Ghanaian government's recognition of the National Transitional Council (NTC), who are mostly made up of CIA trained Al-Qaeda terrorist mercenaries, and stopping the ethnic genocide and illegal imprisoning of Ghanaians in Libya and other black Africans by the NTC, the U.S. exerted its power and influence over the Ghanaian Police Service by threatening sniper fire and bullets against Ghanaian citizens. They may have also used bribe or a conditioned willingness; in all cases the economic interest of the U.S. was made dominant over the constitutional rights of Ghanaians citizens. This is similar to the U.S. oil company Kosmo's attempted sale of its oil shares to Exxon Mobile and release of information about Ghana's oil discoveries which was also a violation of Ghana's law. This demonstrates that the struggle against U.S. NATO bombing of Libya to steal their oil, and the Ghanaian masses opposition to U.S. imposed neo-colonialism which is stealing their oil and gold, is one and the same. In the final analysis, however, the U.S. oil interest in Ghana, America's drive for Libya's oil, and recognition of the CIA trained Al-Qaeda terrorist mercenaries of the NTC is what made the government of Ghana tow the US line of violence and forced repression of decent in opposition to the constitutional right of the citizens to peaceful demonstration and freedom of expression.

The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) is on the U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organization as of 2004, and Abdel Hakim Belhadj, the founder of LIFG is the Tripoli Military Commander for security of the NTC. The LIFG fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the early 1990s along side of Al-Qaeda and was supported and trained by the CIA. They came back to Libya and fought armed clashes with Qathafi security forces, attempted to overthrow the Jamahiriya, and tried to assassinate Qathafi on several occasions. LIFG merged with Al-Qaeda in November 3, 2007. In 2007 the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in their West Point Analysts statistical study of Al-Qaeda records revealed that Libya provided more foreign fighters of terrorism in per capita than any other country. Further evidence shows from cables of wikileaks of the U.S. State Department to its embassy in Tripoli in 2008 entitled “Extremism in Eastern Libya” that anti-American terrorist were rife in this part of Libya. These are the forces that make up the NTC that the Ghanaian government has recognized as the government of Libya, who may one day send diplomats to Ghana that can recruit Ghanaians, if a certain amount money is involved, to terrorize the country with bombings endangering the security of

When the government of Ghana recognizes an undemocratic terrorist government in Libya (NTC) that is committing ethnic genocide against Ghanaians and other black Africans just to please its U.S. masters, and is willing to usurp the constitutional rights of its own citizens in Ghana in the name of democracy, we may ask, are we actually free with sovereignty, or are we a foot stool of America' foreign policy? Oagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah stated, “The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked with the total liberation of Africa.”

Are we a nation of laws whose priority is the protection, security, and safety of its own citizens, or are we a vassal nation fashioned to protect the profits and interests of U.S. imperialism?

Until these questions are answered there will remain “Dark Days in Ghana”. Unless we mobilize and organize to remove US neo-colonialism from Ghana and fight to restore our last remaining Pan-Africanist socialist government in Libya (the living embodiment of an Nkrumahist state) our problems will continue. For Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah states, “organization decides everything.” Every Ghanaian and every African must be in an organization working to remove the vestiges of U.S. and European neo-colonialism from our land, so as to bring in existence an All African Union Government under socialism!


Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Ghana Telescope.Com. The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). Ghana Telescope.Com will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this article.

Presidents Rawlings and Kufuor, end the era of errors

Myjoyonline
Kwame Yeboah/gyeboah@harding.edu

On the morning of September 21st 2011, I woke up with mixed emotions. But the strongest emotion I felt was pride. The previous day Ex-President Kufuor had cut the sod for the John Kufuor Foundation for Leadership, Governance and Development project at the University of Ghana, Legon. Among the dignitaries who accepted the invitation and attended the ceremony was Ex-President Rawlings.

It is not a secret to the wide world that the relationship between the only living former presidents of Ghana is anything but cordial. Unfortunately this is what we are stuck with in one of the few countries in Africa with ex-presidents, one of whom handed power peacefully to the other. This confrontational relationship between these former presidents is a reflection of the relationship that has existed between the two main political traditions of Ghana since the fight for independence accelerated with formation of the Convention Peoples Party from the UGCC.

Since then, the Danquah/Busia tradition (the UP) did everything including the use of violence to make it difficult for Nkrumah and the CPP that finally led to his overthrow by elements sympathetic to the UP tradition. As a way of confronting the violence, Nkrumah also resulted to some dictatorial tendencies including detection. This widened the relationship between the two parties further and the resulting confrontational attitude has been passed on from generation to generation to the Fourth Republic.

In other words, although, democracy was seen as the only means by which the appointment of a government can be regulated peacefully in the independent Ghana, the call to political competition (for example, in election campaigns) often led to an escalation of underlying tensions between the two parties leading to clashes between their leaderships and militant supporters.

The second cause of the non-cordial relationship between the two former presidents is along the ideological paths taken by the two parties and the resulting innate mistrust and rivalry that are associated with left-leaning and right-leaning ideological blocks. The result is that one tradition will always find fault with any programs embarked upon by governments of the other tradition.

During Rawlings rule including the democratic section of it, the NPP was one of his main adversaries, sometimes going beyond ordinary criticism to making governing difficult for him. Things became even worse after NPP took over power. The Rawlings family and anybody associated with them, particularly, people who held some form of political power were persecuted and prosecuted. Naturally, when the NDC took over power from the NPP, it was seen by the Rawlingses as payback time and everything was done including boom speeches to get the Atta Mills government to go along.

The passionate dislike and animosity that developed between the two leaders made compromises between the two parties difficult and accelerated the polarization we are seeing in the country right now. In fact the present wrangling between the Atta Mills’ government and Nana Konadu and the disunity in the NDC right now can be traced to the refusal of the Mills government to be involved in the “war” between the two former presidents. President Mills’ unwillingness to deal seriously with abuses by the government of President Kufuor and to pay back the persecution of the Rawlings family and followers probably has done more to contribute to the disunity.

So that single and simple show of solidarity of President Rawlings with President Kufuor on his day of honor is awesome and has made Ghana stronger, and it is time for the two leaders to lead the country to end the era of political persecution because to me it is an era of errors. The country never benefited from it and great patriots lost their lives and others were expended just to appease our anger and satisfy our vengeance. As the only surviving former presidents, treating each other with respect, diplomacy and conciliation in spite of all that has happened between them will be the best legacy they can leave the country.

That is the least we can ask of them.
How wonderful it will be if the world will see them working together on projects for the good of the world and man. We don’t need a visionary to tell us how good the people of Ghana will feel and how strong Ghana will be if these two leaders show solidarity to each other. Ghana will be stronger because we are always a strong people and country. We need their cooperation and leadership in solving the culture of insult and the polarization in the country where every issue between the two parties is treated with violent confrontation.

In Ghana, the problem with the use of violent confrontation strategies is that they quickly escalate to the point where the parties' only concerns are victory, vengeance, and self-defense. In these cases, the moral arguments of people who are being unjustly treated become irrelevant. What matters is that they have used violent strategies and their opponents are, therefore, justified in a violent response. This problem is complicated by the fact that both sides are usually able to argue that the other side started the violence. And it goes on and on.

In frustration, it is only natural that we often turn our focus away from the challenge of doing something about shared problems, and turn our attention towards describing each other’s limitations with insults. We are experts at pointing out the ways our fellows are constrained by the particularities of their perspective, their ideological and party commitments, their theoretical background, their self-interest, and their lack of understanding. Unwilling to dwell in a fractured world of multiparty democracy, we retreat to the comfort of social, intellectual and party islands where we share with peers a common language and set of categories.

Alternatively, we exercise whatever form of power is at our disposal to impose a singular problem understanding or plan of action, in essence declaring: “this is the solution!” as if by command we could make it so.
Nevertheless, if there is to be any hope of making progress on the problems that will unfold in our own lifetimes and the lifetimes of our children, neither intellectual retreat nor singular party domination are useful responses to the frustrations that arise when multiple partial perspectives fail to coalesce into a unified understanding. Instead, we must find ways to collaborate in spite of conceptual dissonance and lack of a unified understanding. This does not mean succumbing or abandoning principle. It means wisdom does not lie in only one head.

Today, I find relief and closure as I take a step back to remember all those Ghanaians who were subjected to political violence and were beaten or killed for having different political beliefs or belong to different political parties. I hope this meeting will set the stage for a new phase of relationship between the parties and their leaderships and particularly between their followers.

Despite considerable socio-economic hardship, Ghanaians have shown an admirable willingness to carry out reforms and to let democracy-orientated institutions and structures flourish. The Global economic uncertainty and our own sociopolitical problems and our lack of moral compass to deal with these complexities, encourage the search for scapegoats usually from the previous governments and opposing parties. Their solidarity with each other will go a long way to show Ghanaians and the world how far Ghana has come and our vision of the future. We may be living in a problem and under developed zone of the world but the Ghanaian has a high moral character and is a very civilized man.

My call is not to ask any of them not to express his opinion or concern about matters affecting the country and in a forceful manner he may feel. Rawlings still has a militant and revolutionary character and as members of parties with different ideological orientations, they may not agree on any program or ways of implementing any program. That is understandable and fine with Ghanaians. The discussion of their dissenting views will be good for the country to reach consensus. While we all might not agree with each and the other party’s policies, we must respect each other’s right to have those opinions and to be able to express them. What we may not encourage is for us to “do” each other particularly in public.

Our old ladies admonish us to know that if one builds a system to prevent one’s fellow man from achieving nine, the system will not allow one to achieve ten. The proverb does not mean ganging up against the people, but it is a call for collaboration with each other so we can overcome our own partiality for the common good.

It is heartening to learn that Ex-President Kufuor has established a foundation for leadership training. But the best form of training of leadership in Ghana is for us to have the opportunity to learn from the Rawlingses, Kufuors, and Kofi Annans of Ghana. We want to have future leaders who can seek and inspire broad participation from citizens and restore the shared sense of opportunity, privilege, and responsibility underlying civic participation in a democratic society.

What we don’t want is leadership that ignores our interests and nullifies the fundamental premise of democracy – a nation that encourages the full participation of the citizenry in government. In other words, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

So Presidents Kufuor and Rawlings let your single gesture of acknowledging each other be the beginning of the end of the era of errors. Ghana deserves better.