Ghanaians should meet conditions for partnership with the US - Manson

Sunyani, (B/A), Aug 4, GNA - Dr S. A. Manson, a philosopher, on Tuesday advised Ghanaians to eschew divisive partisan politics and strive to meet conditions for a meaningful partnership with the United States of America.

In a statement issued to the Ghana News Agency, he said the importance of President Barack Obama's brief but historic visit to Ghana could not be over-emphasised.

Mr Manson said the visit provided enormous opportunities for Ghana to use America as a true partner in all her endeavours". He noted that Obama selected Ghana for his visit because of her democratic posture as well as other economic and social reasons. Dr Manson, Member of Parliament for Dormaa in the Busia and Limann regimes said the message of Ghana's first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, under whose leadership the agitation for Ghana's liberation from colonialism assumed new and significant proportions, caught up well with the rest of the world.

He said: "Dr Nkrumah's message of Ghana's independence being meaningless unless it was linked with the total liberation of Africa caught up with other African leaders and spread like bush-fire to reach the United States, where racism was simmering with anger and hatred". Dr Manson said the attention was drawn throughout the world to Ghana as an emerging "spokesman" for Africa, providing leadership in combating racism.

He mentioned the sterling roles of Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings and Mr. Kofi Annan as bringing respect for the country.

"From agitation for independence and intellectual emancipation of the peoples of African descent, Ghana has produced men of calibre and had contributed in shaping men like Mandela and Obama who have made all of us proud," Dr Manson added.

Dr Manson said there should be a conscious effort to alleviate poverty, improve on education for the youth, ensure the independence of the judiciary and eliminate corruption. He said a new code of work ethics must be developed to make workers reasonably comfortable and called for the amendment of Article 46 of the Constitution which granted absolute powers to the President to nominate a Chief Justice.

"I think this is wrong as it compromises the independence of the judiciary. No Chief Justice will go contrary to the whims of the President who nominated him or her and expects to keep his or her position. The judiciary should be allowed to elect its own head and stay away from partisan politics," he said.

He said called for a comprehensive education policy that would overhaul the present educational system and ensure that polytechnic education was redefined to play its expected role in fashioning national development.

"Merely changing the names of different levels of learning won't do. Here I wish to add that it does not make sense to spend three years at the junior school level and four years at the senior school level. Rather the junior school should have four years and it must be seen as the foundation for future artisans and professionals. "We need advanced craftsmen and women as well as professionals and their education should not be confused with that of the university," he said.

Dr Manson said the election of President Obama as the first black American president should be a lesson for Africans who still engaged in ethnic conflicts and destroyed the continent.