Ex-President Rawlings has rejected claims that he is the father of democracy in Ghana. “There are some people who ascribe to me the title of the father of democracy in Ghana and by extension Africa; to these people I say no because democracy is neither new nor alien to Africa”.
According to Mr Rawlings, what he did for Ghana “was to disempower the dictatorship of the presidency and the central government into the hands of the people where it belongs”.
He said he empowered people with their right to moral outrage, restored to them their right to judicial consciousness, gave them back their right and capacity to demand accountability from leadership. “And I dutifully submitted myself to it and championed the cause of freedom and justice fearlessly”, he added.
In his address at the African House, New York, ex-President Rawlings explained that the number one resource of every nation or continent for her development is her people; hence democracy is at the centre of mobilizing the African people for economic development. “Democracy means more than queuing and voting once every four, five or seven years for our leaders,” he said.
He, however, expressed worry that the “introduction of western style democracies has virtually consigned our cultural and traditional personalities to an oblivious existence along with the democratic institutions and value systems”. “I believe African cultural and value systems have played a meaningful role in our past and must be allowed or helped to feature prominently in our democratic dispensation so that it can bridge the political divide where necessary and provide the unifying force in mobilizing the African people for economic development,” he added.
Mr Rawlings questioned the possibility of mobilizing and developing the African people if the issue of corruption that has been the bane of development on the whole continent is not discussed. “How do you mobilize a people for development when they know that a few can take all they have worked for and deposit it in western banks?” He questioned.
In order for the African people to rediscover their collective sense of patriotism and energy to mobilize for development, he suggested, they must envisage things that would make life much better for them. This, he believes, “would lift their spirits, bring them hope for the future and give true meaning to freedom and development as it is known in any civilized society.” “I want fairness, justice, improved living conditions, opportunities in education, healthcare, jobs and true happiness for my people”, Mr Rawlings noted.
