[ 2012-05-05 ]

We Must Aim At Building Nation For All - Bawumia
Dr Mahamadu Bawumia Ghana must aim at building a
nation in which none will be denied the
opportunities for maximising his or her God-given
potential, the 2012 Vice presidential candidate of
the New Patriotic Party, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has
declared.

In this connection, he said the country must be
prepared to take long term plans and decisions for
the benefit of all and not decisions driven by
short term political advantage.

“We should be prepared to tap into the talents of
Ghanaians within and outside Ghana regardless of
political affiliation for the economic
transformation of Ghana,” he told a high profiled
gathering at the Ghana College of Physicians and
Surgeons, when he delivered this year’s Ferdinand
O. Ayim Memorial Lecture in Accra on Tuesday.

The fifth in a series of lectures, Dr Bawumia
spoke on the topic “The State of our Economy”.

In attendance were former President John Agyekum
Kufuor, who was the chairman of the occasion, and
his Vice, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, presidential
candidate of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo,Members of Parliament, chiefs and
traditional leaders as well as members of the
diplomatic corps, representatives of other
political parties and the academia.

Delivering his first major public statement since
being selected by Nana Akufo-Addo as his running
mate for the December 2012 presidential elections,
Dr Bawumia said in moving to this new development
paradigm, it was important for Ghanaians to
understand that they were in competition with
countries like China, Malaysia, Thailand, South
Africa, Brazil, India, Singapore and South Korea.

He said Ghana’s businessmen and women,
contractors, teachers, nurses, engineers, among
others, must be considered the players on the
field of international competition.

“They are our Black Stars. We should support them
and provide them opportunities regardless of which
party they may happen to support. While we engage
in healthy political competition as part of our
democratic process, we should always remember that
ultimately our competition is not with each other.
It is with other countries in the global economic
space,” Dr Bawumia stated.

According to Dr Bawumia, Ghanaians must also aim
at building a country where access to quality
healthcare and education should no longer be a
luxury for the privileged few, but a right for
every citizen; a Ghana where every young person
desirous of working will find the skills and
employment with a decent wage.

Dr Bawumia was of the view that a future should
not only built for the youth, but they should be
built for the future, “a Ghana where our
hard-working entrepreneurs can easily access
capital. A Ghana where our young people will be
well-educated and empowered to better compete in
the global economy. A Ghana where each will be his
brother’s keeper.’

Dr Bawumia also provided detailed analysis of the
current state of Ghana’s economy and insights into
the economic issues that continue to confront us
as a society and cautioned among others that Ghana
could not be built or developed on the wings of

propaganda.
“The lesson from history for governments is that
you cannot manage the economy with propaganda. In
fact, you can engage in all the propaganda you
want but if the macroeconomic fundamentals are
weak, the exchange rate will expose you,”

His topic also underscored the importance of a
vibrant economy to the wealth creation agenda of
any nation.

He gave the assurance that under the leadership of
Nana Akufo-Addo, economic transformation through
dynamic and innovative management could be done
again and pledged his full commitment to
Akufo-Addo’s agenda and vision for the economic
transformation of Ghana.

He described his selection as a running mate to
Nana Akufo Addo as sending a message to the entire
nation on the need for unity and to build bridges
to each other and to the future.

“We are one people. We should not allow anybody or
group of people to tear us apart. We should all
recognize that notwithstanding our differences,
Ghana remains a shining example in this world of a
country where people live in harmony
notwithstanding our ethnic, cultural or religious
differences,” he stated.

In the view of Dr Bawumia,” an opportunity to
serve Ghana should not be turned into an
opportunity to serve oneself or one’s family,
friends or tribe”

He said it was an opportunity and a privilege to
serve all of Ghana, regardless of ethnicity,
gender, religion, education, income among others
saying “it is an opportunity to make Ghana better
for all! Not a Better Ghana for a privileged
few.“

This is what Nana Akufo-Addo means by building a
society of opportunities and aspirations in Ghana
and I am privileged to partner him to serve Ghana
if our party is given the mandate, he assured the
gathering.

Source - Daily Graphic

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