| For meaningful economic development to take place, | | | | sums that could have built a hospital, provided good |
| the human resource available must be mobilized. For | | | | drinking water and built schools and do some good in |
| effective mobilization to occur, leadership must be | | | | certain deprived communities? |
| seen to be democratic and understand human values | | | | How do you mobilize a people for development when |
| and their sensibilities. Democracy is therefore at the | | | | basic necessities such as good drinking water and |
| centre of mobilizing African people for economic | | | | three square meals a day are an unaffordable luxury |
| development. | | | | to them? Yet some corrupt leaders with whitewashed |
| I recently had a meeting with the Chairman of the | | | | images by the west continue to find friends where |
| Labour Party of Holland (PVDA) in Amsterdam and in | | | | they unperturbedly stash their loot. |
| the course of the discussion, she said 'I cannot imagine | | | | How come western institutions do not throw the |
| myself living without democracy'. The statement by | | | | searchlight on bank accounts of African personalities |
| this noble woman is very profound, very true and yet | | | | as they would in most instances where income |
| eluding many nations. | | | | sources cannot be easily ascertained, as in the case |
| The number one resource of every nation or continent | | | | of drug traffickers and gunrunners? |
| for her development is her people. At the centre of | | | | Why can't the worlds leading countries insist on value |
| mobilizing people as said earlier is true democracy. | | | | for money for the projects their contractors undertake |
| Democracy should not end after elections, democracy | | | | in African countries? |
| means more than queuing and voting once every four, | | | | Why will the world's leading countries not insist on |
| five or seven years for our leaders. | | | | social justice fair and accessible judiciary and |
| There are some people who ascribe to me the title of | | | | accountable governments for the African people |
| the father of democracy in Ghana and by extension | | | | rather than throwing money at these problems most |
| Africa; to these people I say no because democracy | | | | of which suffers the acts of corruption. |
| is neither new nor alien to Africa. What I did, was to | | | | In order for the African people to rediscover their |
| disempower the dictatorship of the presidency and the | | | | collective sense of patriotism and energy to mobilize |
| central government into the hands of the people | | | | for development, they must want to see some, if not |
| where it belongs, empowered people with their right to | | | | all of the foregoing addressed in ways that would lift |
| moral outrage, restored to them their right to judicial | | | | their spirits, bring them hope for the future and give |
| consciousness, gave them back their right and | | | | true meaning to freedom and development as it is |
| capacity to demand accountability from leadership. | | | | known in any civilized society. |
| And I dutifully submitted myself to it and championed | | | | Certainly, some of the measures and methods I have |
| the cause of freedom and justice fearlessly. | | | | prescribed here may be considered long overdue. But I |
| Several decades ago, Marcus Garvey wrote that he | | | | know some may be considered controversial and that |
| went around the whole world looking for a nation of | | | | is where I would like to take refuge in the words of Dr |
| black people and governed by black people, and he | | | | Martin Luther King when he said that 'the ultimate |
| could not find any. | | | | measure of a man is not where he stands in times of |
| He was going to create one. He did not succeed. That | | | | comfort and convenience, but where he stands in |
| failure was not for want of trying nor was he deficient | | | | times of challenge and controversy.' |
| in his efforts. He failed because there were nations | | | | I want fairness, justice, improved living conditions, |
| that existed on the African continent that were | | | | opportunities in education, healthcare, jobs and true |
| governed by traditional leaders. These were potential | | | | happiness for my people. |
| chiefs nominated and elected by the wise counsel of | | | | How do we resolve the task that would lead to what |
| elders, held to account by the people and suffered the | | | | we collectively want for our people? |
| humiliation of destoolment (being thrown out of office) | | | | Firstly, to request your involvement and partnership in |
| if they did not measure up to the task of leadership. | | | | bringing lasting pressure to bear on the many issues I |
| As I comb through the annals of history, I can see | | | | have enumerated. |
| several cultural and traditional systems of governance | | | | Secondly, once the partnership hand we extend has |
| whose existence art one point or another provided a | | | | been accepted by yourselves, we ask that you join |
| platform for unification of their peoples. More | | | | with us to make the following plea to the world's |
| importantly they rallied their peoples to resolve their | | | | economic powers: That henceforth, foreign |
| immediate problems and meet their needs, and they | | | | governments, donor agencies and the Bretton woods |
| were a beacon of unity. | | | | institutions will tie their aid to non-corrupt practices by |
| Yet, on the African continent today, particularly in my | | | | governments and not remove subsidies and safety |
| country Ghana, introduction of western style | | | | nets to the poor and vulnerable on necessities such as |
| democracies has virtually consigned our cultural and | | | | drugs, water, electricity etc. |
| traditional personalities to an oblivious existence along | | | | We want institutions to be challenged to make every |
| with the democratic institutions and value systems. | | | | effort to identify resources stashed away and |
| Must we not be allowed to retain some of these | | | | repatriate the loot so uncovered to Africa for |
| cultural and traditional practices, the good ones still | | | | development to benefit all. |
| relevant and marry them with the newly found | | | | We want our institutions of governance to be |
| western - style democratic dictates? Must we not hold | | | | strengthened by insistence on an impartial and fair |
| on to those cultural values that helped us deal with | | | | justice system, accountable governments and truly |
| conflict, famine etc and supplement them with the | | | | democratic parliament. |
| tenets of western democracies? | | | | We want our educational institutions to be |
| Must we give up what we have in order to access | | | | strengthened and enlarged to provide more |
| western style governance? I don't believe so, and I'm | | | | opportunity for our peoples. |
| not sure most if not all of you feel the same way. | | | | We want scholarships to be made available tenable |
| Much of the continent's political instability is caused by | | | | not only in foreign institutions, but also in African |
| the inability to fashion out workable political systems | | | | institutions. |
| for development of the individual countries. There are | | | | We want those who travel to pursue further |
| two living realities in my world, that's our traditional way | | | | academic work on scholarships to have such |
| of life, which is rich with the democracy and the | | | | scholarships tied to a conditionality that sees them |
| 'exported-from-the-west' way of multi party | | | | return to Africa to help it develop. |
| democracy. If we could adopt your style of multiparty | | | | We want our professionals to be assisted with such |
| practices without trampling on the civility, sensitivities | | | | facilities so that they will find it attractive to return to |
| and sensibilities in the logic of our rich culture, Africa | | | | serve the interests of their peoples and for such |
| could be teaching a thing or two about human values. | | | | assistance to continue so far as the conduct |
| As political leaders and statesmen, the onus is on us to | | | | themselves in the best interests of their fellow citizens. |
| pursue an agenda that would let this happen, but would | | | | We want for Africa and its people, what you want for |
| greed and the savagery of certain economic practices | | | | Africa and yourselves. We want to live and develop in |
| and the lust for power within and outside Africa allow | | | | dignity and not as paupers with begging cups in hand, |
| Africa to succeed in this priceless human quest? | | | | and fighting one plague or conflict after another. |
| To paraphrase the great African American philosopher | | | | We want to live the true meaning of the creed that all |
| and poet, Langston Hughes, the African continues to | | | | men are created equal. Even though this may seem a |
| yearn for a knowledge and understanding of his | | | | tall order, I am sure you will agree with me that it is not |
| ancestral past in order to ascertain where he has | | | | too much to ask for. |
| been, where he must go and how he will get there. | | | | The challenges facing the world to resolve the |
| I believe African cultural and value systems have | | | | economic plight of Africa - poverty - are daunting. |
| played a meaningful role in our past and must be | | | | Africa cannot solve its problems on its own. The |
| allowed or helped to feature prominently in our | | | | developed world, on the other hand cannot solve |
| democratic dispensation so that it can bridge the | | | | Africa's problems. A combined and renewed effort |
| political divide where necessary and provide the | | | | must be made by all to find the answers that ensure |
| unifying force in mobilizing the African people for | | | | the growth required to eradicate poverty while |
| economic development. | | | | minimizing the adverse social effect that goes with |
| We cannot have a meaningful dialogue about | | | | globalization. |
| mobilizing African people for development without | | | | Africa needs external support in the form of financing, |
| discussing the issue of corruption that has been the | | | | debt relief and revision of protectionist measures in |
| bane of development on the whole continent. | | | | developed countries. At the same time, some of us |
| How do you mobilize a people for development when | | | | need to clean up the misdeeds from the past (eight) |
| they know that a few can take all they have worked | | | | years- misdeeds that appear to have taken on a life |
| for and deposit it in western banks? | | | | of their own. Time is not our side. Let us take |
| How do you continue to mobilize the African people | | | | advantage of President Obama's and America's |
| for development when they see the western societies, | | | | attempt to restore political and economic morality into |
| whose governance systems they wish to learn from | | | | the fabric of governance. |
| and emulate giving shelter and protection to | | | | Thank you. |
| personalities who have squandered relatively large | | | | |