Merry Christmas from ex-president

Fellow Ghanaians, as we celebrate the Christmas holidays I extend the

warmest greetings of my family and I to you all.

Christmas falls at a very important period on the annual calendar. It

coincides with the end of the year and ushers in a new year.

The celebration serves as a source of stocktaking for each individual as it

officially also marks the end of the working year for many.

The year 2008 has no doubt been tough nevertheless the proverbial Ghanaian

belief that God will provide has carried us through the year and Christians

and Muslims alike have to be thankful to the Almighty for His abundant

blessings.

Religious as the original celebration of Christmas may represent, the

festivities have also taken on a secular angle with various entertainment

events from parties to wild nights out.

One cannot begrudge the Ghanaian for choosing to celebrate the end of the

year with some entertainment, but let us do so with a decent element of

sobriety and thoughtfulness.

Such periods tend to unfortunately record huge motor accidents and excessive

abuse of alcohol and sadly to say other substances not fit to mention.

It is important that we recognise the religious significance not only of the

occasion but also of the particular period of the year. God being so

magnanimous has taken us through to the end of the year and we need not mock

His generosity by abusing our bodies.

Christmas is also a period of gift giving. As we offer token gifts to our

family, friends and loved ones we should not forget our biblical

responsibility to give to the less privileged in society.

Acts 20:35 aptly enjoins us:

I have shown you in every way by laboring like this, that you must support

the weak. And remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is

more blessed to give than to receive.

I enjoin Ghanaians to use the period for sober reflection particularly

because two days after Boxing Day we will be going to the polls to elect our

President in the election runoff.

It is important that we do not see the act of making Presidential choices as

one of enmity between two opposing factions. The choices we are making are

private choices based on our inner convictions and it is important we do not

allow ourselves to become vessels of anger, violence, intimidation and

fraud.

Let us rather use this occasion to sow seeds of affection, unity and

togetherness even if we belong to opposing political factions. We owe an

obligation to generations to come to make this process a success.

I call on all Ghanaians to stretch a hand of unity to each other and eschew

acts of dishonesty during the electoral process. The consequences of any

ill-motivated actions will bring a curse on our dear nation of ours.

To all political parties, security agencies, the Electoral Commission and

other arms of the state who will be responsible for the electoral process it

is important that we operate above reproach and exercise a high level of

professionalism, independence and fairness that will ensure that our

Christmas season will end in peace and tranquillity.

We deserve to elect a president through people?s power not through forgery

and fraud and all December 28 let us use our choices sensibly and desist

from using anything other than our single vote to make that choice.

Isaiah 9: 6 - "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the

government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful

Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Merry Christmas and a most Prosperous 2008 to you all.

Signed: Jerry John Rawlings