Victory for Ghana
The court ruled that President Mahama was validly elected, thereby easing the tension that had been associated with the eight-month long electoral battle.
The court process and the judgement are a feather in the cap of Ghana’s efforts at establishing a functional democratic state.
Nonetheless, the process has been at a cost. Even if the exercise was good for the health of our democracy, that gain was achieved at a certain unquantifiable cost.
Democracy, they say, is very expensive, but if the people adhere to its tenets, the gains will be quite phenomenal.
The government responded to the judgement, saying that “...... the Supreme Court’s decision is a victory for our democracy and strengthens the rule of law in Ghana”.
For his part, Nana Akufo-Addo said he was disappointed in the judgement but he still respected the views of the learned judges.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) said, “Like the 2012 election itself, the victory we have just achieved at the Supreme Court is victory for democracy.”
We are delighted that the petitioners and the respondents acknowledge that the judgement strengthens democratic governance in the country.
Certainly, there is no law that can ban spontaneous jubilation by supporters of President Mahama and the NDC, but it is heart-warming that the NDC, in its statement on the judgement, made it clear that “this is neither an NDC victory nor an NPP defeat. It is a Ghanaian success”.
The Daily Graphic thinks we have gone through uncertain moments over the last eight months and the process affected economic and national endeavours, although we do not have figures to show the loss to the state.
That is why we appeal to President Mahama to use his affirmation by the Supreme Court to mobilise national support for national reconstruction.
We know that this exercise to build bridges of collaboration between the petitioners and the respondents will not be an easy task but when there is the will to build a truly unified state, deliberate efforts will be made to bring all the forces together.
As we said earlier, it is about time the political class changed its posturing on the governance processes, so that victors and losers will be part of nation building.
The Daily Graphic, therefore, appeals to the minority to extend a hand of co-operation to the government by offering ideas that can help build a stronger nation.
We expect the government to also be receptive to ideas from all Ghanaians to ‘kill’ the situation where minority groups prefer to sit on the fence, instead of joining hands with the government to carry out its programmes and policies.
We do not know yet the recommendations from the learned judges about electoral reforms. Others have suggested that there should be reforms so that future elections do not take us along the same path.
Now the judgement is here. The parties know their fate and just as they insist that the decision is victory for Ghana, let us eliminate the differences between the political divide, so that the government can mobilise all for nation building.
The Daily Graphic salutes President Mahama on the re-affirmation of his victory in the 2012 elections and in the same vein wish Nana Akufo-Addo better luck next time.
Daily Graphic/Ghana