[ 2012-09-22 ]

Let's Discover Our Sense Of Patriotism - President Mahama
The President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has
challenged Ghanaians to restore the sense of
nationalism and patriotism that they are known for
and contribute selflessly to propel the country’s
socio-economic development.

He expressed worry that the sense of nationalism
and patriotism and wanting to die for the country
that Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah,
promoted was waning.

“We have to work to restore this sense of
nationalism and patriotism to make our nation one
that we can be proud of,” he said at a
wreath-laying ceremony in memory of Dr Nkrumah at
the Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra.

The ceremony, which was part of the Founder’s Day
celebration, was attended by ministers of state,
members of the Diplomatic Corps, traditional
rulers, family members of Dr Nkrumah and
Nkrumaists.

President Mahama laid a wreath on behalf of the
government and people of Ghana, while the Minister
of Defence, Lt Gen Joseph Henry Smith, laid one on
behalf of the security services, with Ms Samia
Nkrumah laying one on behalf of the Nkrumah
Family.

The acting President of the Ga Traditional
Council, Nii Dodoo Nsaki II, laid one on behalf of
traditional rulers, while the Liberian Ambassador
to Ghana and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Mr
Rudolf Von Palmans, laid one on behalf of the
members of the Diplomatic Corps.

Two minutes’ silence was observed in memory of the
Dr Nkrumah.

President Mahama said Dr Nkrumah promoted the
African personality, which was to encourage
Africans to have confidence in their complexion
and in themselves.

In the same way, he said, Dr Nkrumah encouraged
Ghanaians to be selfless and have the urge to die
for the country, noting that it was only when
Ghanaians began to show patriotism and nationalism
and a desire to sacrifice for the country that the
Ghana could develop and compete with other
countries in the world.

He said one significant achievement of Dr Nkrumah
was his contribution to building the human
resource of the country by investing much in
education.

He, therefore, affirmed the government’s
commitment to invest a chunk of the national
budget in the educational sector.

He stressed that any nation that committed a lot
of resources to education would create the kind of
human resource needed to support its development.

President Mahama said Dr Nkrumah’s investment in
the industrialisation of Ghana was still relevant
and mentioned the Akosombo Dam, the Accra-Tema
Motorway and the Tema township as some of the
visible signs of Dr Nkrumah’s vision.

He said it was that vision that put Dr Nkrumah far
ahead of his contemporaries, leading to some
animosity against him, both externally and
internally.

President Mahama said because of the enviable role
played by Dr Nkrumah, Ghanaians were held in high
esteem when they travelled outside the country.

The late President John Evans Atta Mills, by an
Executive Instrument, instituted the Founder’s Day
in memory of Dr Nkrumah in 2009 and declared it a
statutory holiday.

Source - Daily Graphic

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