I leave Ghana impressed — de Klerk
A former South African President, Mr F.W. de Klerk, has said he is leaving Ghana with a lot of positive impressions.
Advertisement
He has meanwhile urged Ghanaians to sustain the country’s enviable democratic credentials.
Addressing editors and senior journalists in Accra yesterday, he said as an outsider he observed so much despondency in Ghana but noted that “things are not so bad, and that things are going so well for the country.’’
Mr de Klerk left Accra last night after a two-day visit during which he delivered a public lecture on ‘’Fostering Peace, National Cohesion and Reconciliation after the ruling of the Supreme Court of Ghana.”
He has become one of the global figures and dignitaries visiting the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) to speak on a broad range of issues of relevance to Ghana, the West Africa sub-region and Africa generally.
Mr de Klerk encouraged Ghanaians to focus on what positives they could learn from the election petition and the divided opinion on the Supreme Court judgement.
Reconciliation
He described statements made by President John Dramani Mahama and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, flag bearer of the NPP in the 2012 election, soon after the Supreme Court pronounced judgement on the election petition as signalling the need for reconciliation in the country.
“In that sense I am leaving Ghana with the positive feeling that leadership is acting responsibly and in the right direction,” he stressed.
He said Ghana was moving in the right direction and had systems which were working well.
Recalling the experiences of South Africa just before the 1994 elections, Mr de Klerk said he led white South Africans into deep introspection, which provided the atmosphere and platform for fundamental change in that country.
‘’I recommend same for Ghana,’’ he said.
Electoral reforms
On the Electoral Commission’s request for proposals from the political parties on electoral reforms, Mr de Klerk stressed the need for a multi-party approach to building consensus.
By Kobby Asmah & Abdul Aziz/Daily Graphic/Ghana