Kumado calls for the creation of 10 more regions

Accra, March 29, GNA- Mr Kofi Kumado, a lecturer at Law at the University of Ghana on Thursday suggested the creation of 10 more political administration regions in addition to Ghana's present 10. The Law Professor, in a lecture in Accra, said more regional regional re-engineering would solve the problem of tribalism and develop the country more equitably.

The lecture, titled: "The Degree of Our Commitment to Our National Motto "Freedom and Justice" Since Independence: An Assessment" explained that "the unwieldy sizes of the existing regions "might be the bane of the nation's efforts."

The lecture, the third in a series of yearlong lectures organized by the Ghana @ 50 Secretariat as part of the activities to mark Ghana's 50th Anniversary celebrations, concluded on positive note that the nation, since independence had been committed to its "National Motto of Freedom and Justice" to an appreciable degree.

"That is the only explanation I can give to the fact that our nation did not disintegrate ... in the face of all the challenges, we as a people have experienced in the last 50 years," Mr Kumado said. He pointed out that Ghana did not lose its political freedom on March 6, 1884, with the signing of the colonial pact, the Bond of 1844, and it neither gained its independence on March 6, 1957, adding that the use of March 6, was really a symbolism and a psychological ploy to rally the masses to support the [independence] project.

Mr Kumado said Ghana became independent on July 1, 1960 when it became a Republic, but however added that March 6, 1957 was a significant day in the nations drive to manage its own affairs, and the nation was justified in celebrating its 50th Anniversary.

"If I may use the marriage analogy here, on March 6 1957, the engagement took place. Good enough for the couple to engage in certain activities without the usual eyebrows being raised; but they still remain under the watchful eyes of the elders.

"March 6 1957 is thus, like the engagement, just a dress rehearsal for the real thing, the marriage. The real marriage occurred on July 1, 1960."

Mr Kumado said Ghana owed its motto of 'Freedom and Justice' to the collaboration between Dr Kwame Nkrumah, [Ghana's first President], and Dr Joseph Boakye Danquah, [of the United Gold Coast Convention], and explained that in their usage, both Dr Nkrumah and Dr Danquah conceived of the two words as both emotionally linked and indivisible. "So merged, Freedom and Justice meaning political and economic independence and a belief in fairness, constitutional democracy, human rights and respect for the Rule of Law as platforms that would allow the Ghanaian in particular, and other Africans and oppressed peoples world-wide to take their proper places in the comity of nations." Mr Kumado, who is also the Director of the Legon Centre for International Affairs said the nation allowed itself to be "recolonised", through internal forces from 1964 with intermittent glimpses-1969- 72; 1979- 81- through one party rule and military dictatorships till January 7 1993.

He postulated that Ghana's commitment to internal political freedom had grown from strength to strength since the 1990's because the majority of Ghanaians wanted a political system based on constitutional democracy principles, the overwhelming support for the 1992 constitution, and the [peaceful] way Ghanaians handled themselves after the disputed Presidential elections results in 1992.

"Those of you, in this hall, who were present in Ghana, at the time will admit that I do not exaggerate when I say that those times were the nearest we came to a civil strife situation as a nation. The tension in the country was more than anything we experienced between 1956 and 1957.

Mr. Kumado, who was also former Chairman of the National Media Commission, said two developments: the timely intervention of religious leaders, and the decision of the then opposition New Patriotic Party to write a book, apparently in reference to the "Stolen Verdict", saved the nation and demonstrated exceptional commitment to internal political freedom.

He said the nation also demonstrated its commitment to internal political freedom through the smooth and peaceful handing over of power by the then ruling National Democratic Congress by the then President, Flt Lt Jerry Rawlings to the NPP and the current president, Mr John Agyekum Kufuor on January 7 2001.

Mr Kumado described the smooth transfer of power as "important political milestone in the nation's quest for political freedom that ranked alongside March 6, 1957 and July 1, 1960.

" We should, during these 50th Anniversary Celebrations, build a permanent monument to this day to mark it out for future generations. I will go a step further and urge that we should name one of the two new stadia we are building for CAN 2008 after this day."

He criticized the growing lack of dishonesty in the national fabric saying, " I do not insult the nation when I say that the tendency nowadays is for each one of us to want to cheat, He accused the University of Ghana for engaging in non-transparent and closed recruitment in appointments to teaching and other non-teaching professions.

Mr Kumado also referred to President Kufuor's trips outside the country and said added, "complex and global though the world has become, the work for which we elected him is to be carried out here in Ghana. "We want to see him traveling the length and breadth of the country more often, especially now that he has less than two years to go into a well deserved retirement." 30 March 2007