For once, no heckling in Parliament
For once there was decorum in Parliament as President John Dramani Mahama delivered the State of Nation Address to the House yesterday.
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In previous years, when the President delivered the address, the opposition used it as a forum to heckle, boo and bring proceedings to temporary halts that did not dignify the highest office of the land.
President J.A. Kufuor was shown some dishonour and was repeated several times during the Presidency of Professor John Evans Atta Mills.
The Office of the President without dispute, the highest office of the land, attracts much attention and commands a lot of respect.
And this year’s State of the Nation Address was delivered by the President in an atmosphere of harmony, peace and unity in diversity.
Monitoring the event on television showed, it was quite obvious that The House had an air of cordiality, respect and unity in diversity.
While many members on the Majority side wore white apparel, signifying that the state of the nation was good, those on the Minority side put on black attire, meaning the state of the nation was bad.
Cheer-ups
During the delivery, both sides of the House cheered at the promise the President delivered, shouted “yea yea” when President Mahama, for instance, stated that the government was working towards a 40-per cent reduction in poultry importation.
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At 11:27 a.m. when the President mentioned that he had inaugurated the Kpone water expansion project on Christmas Eve 2014 to provide water for parts of the Greater Accra Region and beyond, the august House expressed joy.
Again, there was a mild cheer at 11:31 a.m. when he outlined a number of road projects that would commence soon to facilitate the free movement of people and goods.
He added that the Tema Motorway would be expanded into six lanes, with an interchange which would facilitate the free movement of vehicles.
His statement that he would invite the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to the inauguration of roads in the Eastern Region was well received by both sides of the House.
Address
Delivering his third State of the Nation Address, President Mahama said cynicism and excessive partisanship were the greatest impediments to the collective national effort to overcome the challenges of under-development.
He said nation building was a long arduous task which could only be undertaken through collective effort.
Such effort, he said, should be anchored in “unconditional love for our country, hard work and an immutable sense of patriotism”.
He said such was the path treaded by those who, through sheer valor and sacrifice, sweat and blood, toiled to secure our nation 58 years ago.
“With patriotic zeal and a burning desire to ensure the progress and prosperity of our country, there will be no obstacle too lofty to surmount. No nation has attained greatness without these values,” he stressed.
Sporting a multi-coloured smock over a black pair of trousers, the President said, “The greatest impediments in the way of patriotism and collective nation building, however, are unbridled cynicism and excessive partisanship — two phenomena which we must guard against and expunge from our psyche.”
Unity
Looking confident, in spite of the prevailing economic challenges, President Mahama said, “We must not allow ourselves to be sucked into the vortex of criticism and extreme partisanship. Like the Black Stars, let us fashion out of the jagged rocks of fleeting setbacks smooth stepping stones to greater laurels.
“We owe it to our forebears, once again, to keep the unity and cohesion of our country. Together, we will build a strong and prosperous Ghana.”
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He urged families and educational institutions to continue to inculcate a sense of unity, patriotism and nationalism in the people.
“Destiny brought us together as one nation. Our ethnic and cultural diversity is a source of strength, not a weakness. We must reject any attempt to sow any strife and discord among us,” he urged.
Harmony
To enhance rapprochement and political harmony, President Mahama said, he would continue to dialogue and build bridges with the leadership and membership of the other political parties.
He said he had referred to the Attorney General a petition from the Council of Elders of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) asking for the return of properties seized from the party after the 1966 coup.
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Seconding the motion to adjourn sitting, the Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, congratulated the House on the comportment and respect accorded the President.
The real debate would be on Wednesday, he said, when the House resumed.