1.
1
ADDRESS
TO
THE
NATION
BY
HIS
EXCELLENCY
JOHN
DRAMANI
MAHAMA
PRESIDENT
OF
THE
REPUBLIC
OF
GHANA
AND
COMMANDER-­‐IN-­‐CHIEF
OF
THE
GHANA
ARMED
FORCES
FLAGSTAFF
HOUSE,
ACCRA
THURSDAY,
29TH
AUGUST,
2013

2.
2
My
fellow
citizens;
My
brothers
and
sisters.
Good
evening.
History
defines
us.
It
determines
who
we
are-­‐
as
individuals,
as
families
and
communities,
and
as
a
nation.
Whenever
I
watch
images
of
our
past,
it
is
clear
to
me
that
it
is
our
shared
history
that
has
guided
us
through
our
most
critical
periods.
It
has
defined,
and
continues
to
define
our
mission
as
a
nation.
In
our
56
years
of
independence,
throughout
the
times
of
celebration
and
the
times
of
sorrow;
throughout
the
times
of
frustration
and
the
times
of
joy,
the
heart
and
soul
of
our
mission
as
a
nation
has
remained
steadfast:
to
create
a
free
and
just
society
for
our
citizens,
to
create
a
Ghana
that
we
can
be
proud
to
hand
down
to
our
children
and
grandchildren
and
all
future
generations.
Ghana
exists
today
not
by
accident
but
by
providence.
We
exist
today
because
of
the
vision,
hard
work
and
sheer
determination
of
our
foremothers
and
forefathers.
They
built
the
institutions
of
our
government
and
designed
our
very
democracy
with
our
nation’s
future
in
mind.
This
country,
our
country,
has
always
been
fuelled
by
patriotism.
It
is
a
patriotism
that
is
visible
all
around
us:
as
we
rally
together
at
football
matches,
as
we
join
hands
at
the
funerals
of
loved
ones,
as
we
support
each
other—even
strangers—in
times
of
emergency
and
disaster.
It
is
a
patriotism
that
is
also
expressed
in
our
everyday
lives:
in
the
respect
we
show
for
one
another’s
differences
of
opinion
and
religious
beliefs,
in
the
tolerance
we
display
for
the
different
political
persuasions,
ethnic
and
cultural
traditions.
Indeed,
Ghana
is
known
the
world
over
for
the
richness
of
our
diversity
and
our
harmonious
embrace
of
it.

3.
3
We
have
always
held
fast
to
the
fact
that
we
are,
first
and
foremost,
Ghanaians—
with
an
abiding
love
of
country.
We
have
always
held
firm
to
our
conviction
that
Ghana
will
work,
that
Ghana
must
work.
My
fellow
citizens;
My
brothers
and
sisters,
History
has
shown
that
Ghanaians
have
always
possessed
a
distinct
political
maturity,
one
that
has
promoted
stability
in
our
own
country,
and
has
inspired
it
in
other
countries
on
this
continent
and,
even,
throughout
the
developing
world.
“We
are
going
to
demonstrate
to
the
world,
to
other
nations,”
Dr.
Kwame
Nkrumah,
our
founding
father
and
member
of
the
Big
Six,
declared
at
the
dawn
of
our
independence,
“that
we
are
prepared
to
lay
our
own
foundation.
Our
own
African
identity.”
Since
our
rejection
of
colonial
rule,
Ghana
has
endeavoured
to
shape
a
system
of
governance
that
would
be
suitable
for
self-­‐rule,
a
system
of
governance
that
would
reflect
our
particular
history,
our
particular
African
cultural
inheritance,
and
our
particular
union
of
African
peoples.
Today
is
an
important
moment
in
the
life
of
our
nation.
Over
the
course
of
the
past
eight
months,
we
have
witnessed
the
evolution
of
the
democratic
process
this
nation
utilizes
to
fulfil
our
mission
of
creating
a
free
and
just
society.
Dr.
J.B.
Danquah,
another
member
of
the
Big
Six,
once
said,
“The
freedom
to
express
an
opinion,
and
to
act
in
terms
of
that
opinion,
is
not
an
abuse
of
power
in
a
democracy.
[…]Free
exercise
of
opinion
on
a
political
issue
is
the
maximum
expression
of
liberty
and
is
never
an
abuse
of
power.”
The
political
maturity
with
which
we
have
received
the
verdict
announced
today
by
the
Supreme
Court
coupled
with
our
ever-­‐present
patriotism
will
ensure
that
Ghana
is
the
ultimate
winner,
not
any
one
individual
or
political
party.

4.
4
Victory
must
always
speak
to
the
success
of
our
nation.
Victory
must
always
be
for
the
people
of
Ghana.
The
challenge
that
was
issued
to
the
Supreme
Court,
and
the
discussions,
debates
and
even
disagreements
that
it
has
inspired
can
only
strengthen
our
institutions.
In
a
democracy,
fair,
compassionate
and
decisive
leadership
must
operate
within
a
framework
that
is
fully
functional.
Strong
institutions
are
the
bedrock
of
strong
nations.
We
must
allow
this
exercise,
this
experience,
to
move
us
forward.
If
we
allow
it
to
do
otherwise;
if
we
allow
it
to
be
destructive,
rather
than
constructive,
then
we
would
have
failed
as
a
nation
to
learn
the
lessons
that
were
imparted;
we
would
have
turned
our
backs
on
this
rare
and
critical
opportunity
for
our
nation
and
its
institutions
to
evolve;
we
would
have
allowed
ourselves
to
become
enemies
of
our
own
progress.
My
fellow
citizens;
My
brothers
and
sisters,
Since
becoming
the
first
sub-­‐Saharan
nation
to
gain
its
independence,
Ghana
has
earned
praise
and
respect
in
the
international
community
for
its
leadership
on
the
African
continent.
We
once
again
find
ourselves
in
a
position
to
set
a
standard
for
the
rest
of
Africa,
to
lead
by
practicing
and
perfecting.
For
the
first
time
on
our
continent,
there
are
more
democracies
than
dictatorships,
more
free
and
fair
elections
than
coup
d’etats.
We
must
support
our
African
brothers
and
sisters
who
have
yet
to
enjoy
the
due
process
we
have
seen
today,
and
the
freedoms
we
cherish
here
in
Ghana.
We
must
pursue
a
day
when
democratic
governance
and
independent
judiciaries
are
the
norm
all
across
Africa,
not
the
exception.

5.
5
It
is
with
the
utmost
respect
and
highest
regard
that
I
commend
the
Supreme
Court
of
Ghana,
on
my
own
behalf
and
on
the
behalf
of
all
Ghanaians,
for
the
dedication,
integrity
and
professionalism
with
which
they
adjudicated
this
case.
We
have
all
been
captivated
by
the
proceedings,
and
it
is
with
awe
that
we
have
watched
the
advancement
of
the
jurisprudence
of
the
Supreme
Court
of
Ghana.
We
have
also,
in
the
process,
managed
to
turn
ourselves
into
a
nation
of
pocket
lawyers
and
armchair
judges,
and,
in
typical
Ghanaian
fashion,
let
the
language
of
law
enter
our
daily
vocabulary.
It
is
not
uncommon
now
to
hear
teachers,
professors,
and
senior
citizens
referred
to
as
“my
lord,
my
lord;”
for
taxi
drivers,
contractors
and
seamstresses
to
discuss
“pink
sheets”;
for
farmers,
doctors,
and
market
women
to
make
mention
of
“further
and
better
particulars.”
Even
children
are
now
familiar
with
the
term
“amicus
curiae.”
This
is
yet
another
example
of
the
interest
we
Ghanaians
take
in
issues
of
importance
to
the
betterment
of
our
nation,
of
how
deeply
we
are
willing
to
invest
in
our
self-­‐education
on
these
matters.
Ghana
is
our
home.
We
cannot
afford
to
be
cynical.
We
do
not
have
the
luxury
of
sitting
on
the
sidelines.
We
must
all
work
to
make
Ghana
work.
I
know
that
in
the
last
eight
months,
we
have
had
several
hurdles
to
overcome—
issues
of
Governance,
Labour,
Energy,
Economy
and
Education.
I
know,
too,
that
because
the
world
does
not
stand
still
when
a
goal
is
met
or
a
mandate
is
delivered,
over
the
coming
years,
from
time
to
time,
we
will
continue
to
face
our
fair
share
of
challenges.
There
are
various
reforms
that
must
take
place,
and
bold
decisions
that
must
be
made.
I
assure
you
that
I
am
prepared
and
committed
to
make
those
decisions
and
to
ensure
that
those
reforms
are
implemented.

6.
6
I
would
like
to
thank
my
legal
team
for
the
hard
work
and
long
hours
that
went
into
this
case.
I
would
especially
like
to
thank
them
for
their
unwavering
faith
in
the
rule
of
law
and
their
belief
that
in
the
end,
come
what
may,
justice
would
be
served.
I
thank
the
media
for
their
diligence,
for
constantly
striving
to
meet
their
own
ideal
of
accurate
and
responsible
reporting
and,
not
least
of
all,
for
holding
government
accountable
for
the
promises
that
we
have
made,
promises
that,
despite
the
hurdles
and
setbacks
that
were
faced,
we
have
begun
to
deliver
and
will
continue
working
to
deliver.
Most
of
all,
I
want
to
express
my
gratitude
and
appreciation
to
the
good
people
of
Ghana
for
your
patience,
especially
through
the
stretches
of
darkness
and
uncertainty.
The
days
ahead
of
us
will
be
brighter,
and
the
opportunities
for
prosperity
will
be
many.
My
fellow
citizens;
My
brothers
and
sisters,
This
afternoon
Nana
Akufo-­‐Addo
and
I
had
a
conversation,
and
I
am
assured
that
with
this
court
case
over
and
the
verdict
announced,
we
can
now,
all
of
us,
put
this
behind
us
and
turn
our
full
attention
back
to
building
this
great
nation.
This
government
is
ready
to
work
for
you,
for
all
Ghanaians.
It
is
my
expectation
that
all
Ghanaians
are
also
prepared
to
work
to
uplift
our
nation,
because
Ghana
must
succeed.
And
if,
together,
we
face
whatever
challenges
come
our
way,
our
systems
and
our
institutions
will
continue
to
be
strengthened;
our
democracy
will
continue
to
grow,
and
our
homeland,
Ghana,
will
succeed.
May
God
bless
you.
And
may
God
continue
to
bless
this
beloved
nation
of
ours.