As outgoing President John Mahama took his final bow addressing Parliament Thursday, he said he has done his best and given his all in service to the nation.
He said he would allow history to be the judge of how he has served the nation in his last Sate of the Nation Address (SONA).
“I have done my part in running my lap of the relay. What that verdict will ultimately be, I cannot say,” he told Members of Parliament (MPs), members of the diplomatic corps and several dignitaries including ex-President Rawlings and J.A Kufuor.
President Mahama, whose four-year tenure expires on midnight of January 6, said he is holding the baton of leadership and prepared to pass it on with pride to pass it on to President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He urged Ghanaians to “cheer on” the incoming President as he runs his portion of his leadership relay for the nation.
Political opposition:
President Mahama delve into the nature of Ghana’s politics and why it has to be purged of acrimony and division.
Although he asserted that “political opposition and differences of opinion are vital to the health and growth” of Ghana’s democracy, he urged for balance.
He said political parties are formed when people of similar ideology come together to move their agenda forward in a way that best serves their country.
He, however, did not doubt Ghana was following the same trajectory, but said actions of both citizens and leadership should be in the interest of the country.
“Partisanship for its own sake, in the end, is no better than dictatorship. If we look around the world, we can so clearly see the deep divide that blind partisanship is creating in nations with democracies far older than ours,” he noted.
The political divide, he said is taking shape in Ghana and called the citizens to be mindful about that.
“Already, it has taken a toll on our morale and our sense of optimism. It has given way to a cynicism that is as dangerous to the incoming political party as it was to ours,” he said.
President Mahama said Ghana cannot afford to have citizens who would wish for the failure of their leaders because of partisanship.
“Ensuring accountability is not the same as leveling insults or encouraging apathy. We have history as proof that we have been better and we have done better. And we will, we must, do better once again,” he charged.