GhanaReview International - The Leading Ghanaian News Agency
London New York Accra
GRi Latest News
Friday 29 March 2024

2021-04-07

[N] As Majority Leader be circumspect with your utterances

2021-03-19

[I] Goldman Sachs staff revolt at ‘98-hour week’
[I] Over half of staff go back to workplace
[I] Health chiefs confirm Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid jab safe to use
[S] Kotoko Signs Second Brazalian Player
[N] It Is A Blatant Lie That I’ve Declared My Prez Ambition-Agric Minister
[S] Accra Mayor to change face of sports in Greater Accra
[S] Ambassador Lutterodt charges GOC prez to tackle Martha Bissah issue
[S] Ben Nunoo-Mensah hits ground running for GOC
[S] Black Stars to Engage Uzbekistan In International Friendly
[N] House of Chiefs calls for collaboration with MMDCEs for development
[N] Baby Harvesting: More suspects picked
[N] Police pledge commitment to bringing Sheikh Maikano’s murderers to book
[B] ARB Apex Bank admitted to Ghana-Sweden Chamber of Commerce
[N] Desist from starting race ahead of time - Obiri Boahen to NPP presidential
[N] Gov’t announces construction of five interchanges in Ashanti
[N] Controversial textbooks: NPP urges NaCCA to enforce rules without fear or favour
[N] Staff working on Tamale interchange call off strike
[N] Newly proposed taxes a huge hindrance to businesses’ recovery
[N] Government can’t take a unilateral decision on salaries for public workers
[N] Ghana records 2 new Covid-19 variants; experts call for immediate action

2021-03-17

[S] First GFA safety and security seminar takes place today
[B] NDPC holds consultation medium term framework for 2022-2025 in Oti
[B] More investments recorded in Western Region despite COVID-19
[N] Ghana records 698 COVID-19 deaths
[N] NDC’s Ofosu Ampofo behaves like a toddler – Allotey Jacobs
[S] Don’t tax sports betting, ban it – Ato Forson to government
[N] Ama Benyiwaa Doe slams Allotey Jacobs; says he has no influence
[N] Approving Akufo-Addo’s ministers ‘regrettable and unfortunate’ – NDC caucus
[S] Don't rush Satellites players, warns GFA coaching boss
[N] Eastern Regional Hospital detains 246 patients for non-settlement of bills
[N] COVID-19 vaccination in Ghana: 1,000 reports received on adverse effects
[N] Ignore reports of rift between local, foreign staff at AfCFTA secretariat – Govt
[N] Remain calm, support our leadership in Parliament – NDC Council of Elders
[N] Ghana hasn’t recorded any case of blood clots from COVID-19 vaccination – FDA
[N] 9-year-old boy burnt to death as stepfather sets house ablaze
[B] Budget cuts for legislature, judiciary won’t be entertained – Speaker
[I] Half of UK managers back mandatory Covid vaccines for office work
[I] Brussels to propose Covid certificate to allow EU-wide travel

2021-03-16

[I] Nick Candy leads £1m drive to oust London mayor Sadiq Khan
... go Back
 
General News

[ 2014-11-23 ]

Strenthening freedom and democracy; meeting new challenges”
STATEMENT BY NANA AKUFO-ADDO, 2016 PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE OF THE NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY, AT THE
CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEMOCRATIC UNION
(IDU) IN SEOUL, REPUBLIC OF KOREA, ON 21ST
NOVEMBER, 2014

ON

“STRENGTHENING FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY; MEETING
NEW CHALLENGES”

It is with considerable pleasure that the Ghanaian
delegation from the New Patriotic Party has come
all the way from Accra, capital of Ghana in West
Africa, to this splendid city of Seoul, capital of
Korea in East Asia, to attend this year’s IDU
Conference. Korea is one of the great success
stories of the modern era, a country which, within
a generation, transformed itself from a poor,
agrarian economy into a leading industrial power,
and, happily, it is a sister party, the Saenuri
Party, that has the democratic mandate to manage
its affairs.

It is now generally accepted that we, who are
gathered here and other like- minded people, have
won the ideological battle that raged for much of
the twentieth century. We, who advocated for a
multi-party system of government, backed by the
rule of law and respect for human rights and a
market economy, driven by private enterprise, have
won the battle of ideas. But the war to build a
better world by strengthening freedom and
democracy is far from over.

Let me use our experience in my country, Ghana, to
tell you some of the challenges that we now face
as we seek to strengthen freedom and democracy.

My party, the New Patriotic Party, though
technically only twenty-two years old, is born of
a political tradition that goes back some seventy
years. That tradition has been principally
responsible for leading the fight for democracy in
our country. Even at the height of the Cold War,
our political forebears never wavered, even at
great personal cost, in their insistence that
democratic ideals and a market economy represented
a surer path to progress than the authoritarian,
one-party socialist model then fashionable in the
so-called Third World. They rejected the view that
you had to give up many freedoms to be able to
have rapid development.

Hence in 1992, at the inauguration of the Fourth
Republic, when we formed the NPP, we adopted the
slogan “Development in Freedom” as our
catchphrase to reflect our philosophy.
Elections, and dare I use the cliché, free and
fair elections, remain the bedrock of a true
democracy and the running of credible elections
pose a big challenge to many democracies.

The need for credible elections is critical. It
allows the popular will to be accurately
reflected, which, in turn, reinforces the
legitimacy of democratic institutions.

New technologies have largely helped to eliminate
the age old problems with fraud in the electoral
process in many parts of the world. We still have
problems with the credibility of our electoral
register and the voting process.

My party went to the Supreme Court to contest the
results of the 2012 elections and, even though the
Court in the end gave a 5-4 split decision against
us, there have been a lot of unintended
consequences for the country. One was that, for
the first time in our country’s history,
judicial proceedings were televised to the public
and this has helped to demystify the justice
system to the ordinary people, which can only
strengthen freedom and democracy. The proceedings
also revealed the imperfections of our electoral
system and led even the majority on the Court to
call for reform.

I am proud to say that, today, Ghana ranks high in
the freedom of the press league and the NPP can
claim that we led that fight. When our party came
into government in 2001, we quickly repealed the
Criminal Libel Law which had inhibited the press
for years from doing its work as a public
watchdog. My modest self had the honour, as
Attorney General, of piloting the passage of the
repeal through our Parliament.

The opening of the airwaves to private enterprise
has improved governance in general and led to a
feeling of inclusiveness among the population.

Mass poverty remains the biggest problem that we
have as a nation and it poses the most serious
challenge to freedom and democracy. This is what
gives my party the strong desire to work to win
power at the next elections in December 2016 to
continue the work we did to critical acclaim
between 2001 and 2008. We believe that the example
of Korea, which began life as an independent
nation at the same time and in the same shape as
our own, is one we can effectively emulate in
Ghana to spearhead the rapid transformation and
modernisation of our economy and society, and,
thereby, raise rapidly the living standards of our
people.

Finally, a lot of work needs to be done to ensure
that the operation of the regional and continental
organisations – in the case of Africa, such as
ECOWAS and the AU – which increasingly dominate
many areas of our lives, is imbued with the
democratic ideals and values that binds us
together in the IDU, so that freedom and democracy
can be strengthened to meet the new challenges of
our times.


DEVELOPMENT IN FREEDOM

Thank you for this opportunity for the Ghanaian
delegation.

Source - NPP Directorate



... go Back

 
Add YOUR View here

Ghana Review International (GRi) is published by Micromedia Consultants Ltd. T/A MCL - a wholly Ghanaian owned news agency. GRi is an independent publication and is non-aligned to any political party or interest group, within or outside of Ghana. It is a reliable source of information for Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians alike. This magazine will be of interest to any person with an interest in Ghana, Ghanaians and Africans, wherever in the world they live. This website is the on-line arm of the publication. It contains news and reviews on Ghana and the international communities.

All pages are © Copyright Ghana Review International (GRi) 1994 - 2021