Prayers mark 4th Republican anniversary
The nation’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of its Fourth Republican status was marked on Sunday with a colourful national thanksgiving service at the Independence Square in Accra.
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The occasion was graced by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the three surviving former presidents of the country in the persons of Presidents Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor and John Dramani Mahama.
Also in attendance were the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; the Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye; the Chief Justice, Ms Sophia Akuffo, ministers of state, Members of Parliament, religious leaders and a cross section of the public
Also present were top officials from the various political parties including flag bearers of political parties that took part in the 2016 general election.
25 years of uninterrupted governance
Ghana’a fourth republic has enjoyed two and a half decades of uninterrupted constitutional rule, the longest since independence in 1957.
The prayer session was in two parts; Christian and Islamic with special prayers also from traditional religious groups in the country.
In true statesman-like format, the three former presidents took turns to read scriptures from the Bible during the Christian prayer session with former President Rawlings reading from the book of Leviticus 25:8-17. Ex-Presidents John Kufuor and John Mahama read from Psalm 100:1-5 and Luke 12:16-21 respectively.
The Most Reverend Professor Daniel Yinkah Sarfo, the Anglican Archbishop of Kumasi, delivered the sermon during the Christian session while the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, delivered the sermon for the Muslim session.
The Fourth Republican Constitution was adopted through a referendum in 1992 after 35 years of a checkered political history after the country attained independence.
There have been seven successful elections Under the Fourth Republic, with seven parliaments, six speakers of parliament, and five chief justices.
One distinguishing feature during the period has been the smooth transfer of political power on three different occasions between four presidents from two political parties.
One outstanding attribute of the country’s democratic process came up in 2012 when in order to avoid a constitutional crisis a new president was successfully installed (John Dramani Mahama) few hours following the demise of a sitting president (President John Evans Atta Mills).
President pays tribute
Speaking at the ceremony, President Akufo-Addo paid glowing tribute to the former presidents for their contribution to the development of the country and for expanding the frontiers of democracy in the country.
"We commend the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), the 1991 Consultative Assembly, the Movement for Freedom and Justice (MFJ), the pro-democracy organisations and civil society and religious bodies whose collective efforts and agitations led to the birth of the 4th Republic".
"But todays celebration, above all, is to the great credit of the Ghanaian people, the ordinary men and women who make up the fabric of the Ghanaian nation. Twenty-five years ago, the Ghanaian people resolved to build, under God, a united nation, grounded in democratic values and the rule of law," he said.
President Akufo-Addo said the country had travelled a long way towards realising its current enviable status, adding that "I am confident that, with a spirit of reconciliation, fairness, integrity and hard work, the best days of Mother Ghana lie ahead of us. Together, we are laying the platform for the evolution of a new Ghanaian civilisation, which will give true meaning to the foundational values of freedom and justice on which our nation was conceived," he said.
He also paid homage to the various parliaments and institutions that had played various roles to consolidate the country's democracy, adding that the country had witnessed sustained development in the past 25 years in the areas of health, education, good governance, social justice, rule of law and economic growth.
The President acknowledged the challenges the country faced despite the gains made and indicated that the biggest challenge was the inability to eradicate widespread poverty in the country.
Beyond that, he said, the nation had had to grapple with "challenges in the performance of our public services; we face threats, traditional and contemporary, to our nation’s security and social stability, in the form of chieftaincy and land disputes, ethnic conflicts, vigilantism, cyber security issues, youth unemployment, economic hardships and corruption in our public life".
"But the fundamental commitment to resolving these challenges, within a framework of due process, must be unshaken. Primarily, we have begun to take a deep look at the structure of our economy, and transform it, from a raw material producing and exporting one to a value-added, industrialised economy, with a modernised agriculture to serve our needs better," he said.
An attitude of gratitude to God
In a sermon, the Anglican Bishop of Kumasi, Most Rev. Daniel Yinkah Sarfo, stressed that if Ghanaians were to count and number their blessings, it would not be difficult to realise that God had a special liking for Ghana and that God was a Ghanaian.
He said considering God’s unconditional love, goodness and faithfulness to the country over the years, it was prudent that the nation offered thanksgiving to God.
He recounted that one of the greatest acts of ingratitude to God was to ascribe achievements in life to the limited abilities of persons, warning that it was wrong because God shared his glory with no man.
He said the country’s journey to success was inextricably linked to the God factor and that God would continue to bless the nation so long as he was given praise and gratitude.
The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, said God created Ghana with such diversity that even with our differences we were not at each other’s throat but were living in the inherent beauty of that diversity in fulfilment of the desires of Allah.
He reminded Ghanaians that if we desire much more from God then there was the need to remain perpetually grateful and attached to him.
For that reason, he said, it was important to take stock of the great things that God had done for the nation and show appreciation accordingly.
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