President Obamah’s State of the Union Address – Has Ghana Anything to Learn From It To Accelerate Our Development through Job Creation and reduce Unemployment?

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Here is the State of the Union speech as prepared for delivery by President Barack Obama on Tuesday night before a joint session of Congress:

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought ? and several thousand gave their lives.

We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world. For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. Most of al Qaeda’s top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.

These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness, and teamwork of America’s Armed Forces. At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They’re not consumed with personal ambition. They don’t obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.

Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs. A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world. An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.

We can do this. I know we can, because we’ve done it before. At the end of World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known. My grandfather, a veteran of Patton’s Army, got the chance to go to college on the GI Bill. My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth.

The two of them shared the optimism of a Nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism. They understood they were part of something larger; that they were contributing to a story of success that every American had a chance to share ? the basic American promise that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement.

‘Defining issue of our time’
The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. What’s at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. We have to reclaim them.

Let’s remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren’t, and personal debt that kept piling up.

In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn’t afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people’s money. Regulators had looked the other way, or didn’t have the authority to stop the bad behavior.

It was wrong. It was irresponsible. And it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hard-working Americans holding the bag. In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly four million jobs. And we lost another four million before our policies were in full effect.

Those are the facts. But so are these. In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. Together, we’ve agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion. And we’ve put in place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a crisis like that never happens again.

The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too far to turn back now. As long as I’m President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.

The president calls opportunity for all the “defining issue of our time” in his State of the Union Address.

No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last ? an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.

Focus on manufacturing
This blueprint begins with American manufacturing.

On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world’s number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs.

We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back.

What’s happening in Detroit can happen in other industries. It can happen in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Raleigh. We can’t bring back every job that’s left our shores. But right now, it’s getting more expensive to do business in places like China. Meanwhile, America is more productive. A few weeks ago, the CEO of Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back home. Today, for the first time in fifteen years, Master Lock’s unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.

So we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it. Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.

We should start with our tax code. Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it.

So let’s change it. First, if you’re a business that wants to outsource jobs, you shouldn’t get a tax deduction for doing it. That money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies like Master Lock that decide to bring jobs home.

Basic minimum tax
Second, no American company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. From now on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax. And every penny should go towards lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here.

Third, if you’re an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. If you’re a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making products here. And if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers.

My message is simple. It’s time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America. Send me these tax reforms, and I’ll sign them right away.

The president calls for lower taxes on lower-income wage earners but asks for wealthier taxpayers to pay more.

We’re also making it easier for American businesses to sell products all over the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years. With the bipartisan trade agreements I signed into law, we are on track to meet that goal ? ahead of schedule. Soon, there will be millions of new customers for American goods in Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. Soon, there will be new cars on the streets of Seoul imported from Detroit, and Toledo, and Chicago.

I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products. And I will not stand by when our competitors don’t play by the rules. We’ve brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration ? and it’s made a difference. Over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires. But we need to do more. It’s not right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated. It’s not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they’re heavily subsidized.

Tonight, I’m announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. And this Congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing finance or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you ? America will always win.

I also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the United States but can’t find workers with the right skills. Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that ? openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work.

That’s inexcusable. And we know how to fix it.
Commitment to training
Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid off from her job as a mechanic. Then Siemens opened a gas turbine factory in Charlotte, and formed a partnership with Central Piedmont Community College. The company helped the college design courses in laser and robotics training. It paid Jackie’s tuition, then hired her to help operate their plant.

I want every American looking for work to have the same opportunity as Jackie did. Join me in a national commitment to train two million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job. My Administration has already lined up more companies that want to help. Model partnerships between businesses like Siemens and community colleges in places like Charlotte, Orlando, and Louisville are up and running. Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers ? places that teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing.

And I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people like Jackie have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help they need. It’s time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work.

These reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. But to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education has to start earlier.

For less than one percent of what our Nation spends on education each year, we’ve convinced nearly every State in the country to raise their standards for teaching and learning ? the first time that’s happened in a generation.

But challenges remain. And we know how to solve them.

‘Teachers matter’
At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers. We know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every person in this chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies ? just to make a difference.

Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let’s offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. In return, grant schools flexibility: To teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace teachers who just aren’t helping kids learn.

We also know that when students aren’t allowed to walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. So tonight, I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.

When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college. At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July. Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves middle-class families thousands of dollars. And give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next five years.

Of course, it’s not enough for us to increase student aid. We can’t just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we’ll run out of money. States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down. Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents who’ve done just that. Some schools re-design courses to help students finish more quickly. Some use better technology. The point is, it’s possible. So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can’t be a luxury ? it’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.

Let’s also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge: The fact that they aren’t yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.

That doesn’t make sense.
‘Take on illegal immigration’
I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That’s why my Administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. That’s why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office.

The opponents of action are out of excuses. We should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now. But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let’s at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, and defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.

You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country. That means women should earn equal pay for equal work. It means we should support everyone who’s willing to work; and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.

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After all, innovation is what America has always been about. Most new jobs are created in start-ups and small businesses. So let’s pass an agenda that helps them succeed. Tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. Expand tax relief to small businesses that are raising wages and creating good jobs. Both parties agree on these ideas. So put them in a bill, and get it on my desk this year. Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally-financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched. New lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Don’t gut these investments in our budget. Don’t let other countries win the race for the future. Support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the Internet; to new American jobs and new American industries.

Nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy. Over the last three years, we’ve opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration, and tonight, I’m directing my Administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. Right now, American oil production is the highest that it’s been in eight years. That’s right ? eight years. Not only that ? last year, we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past sixteen years.

But with only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, oil isn’t enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy ? a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.

We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly one hundred years, and my Administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. And I’m requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use. America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk.

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The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don’t have to choose between our environment and our economy. And by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of thirty years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock ? reminding us that Government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground.

Clean energy
What’s true for natural gas is true for clean energy. In three years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world’s leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries. Because of federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled. And thousands of Americans have jobs because of it.

When Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture, he said he worried that at 55, no one would give him a second chance. But he found work at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan. Before the recession, the factory only made luxury yachts. Today, it’s hiring workers like Bryan, who said, ?I’m proud to be working in the industry of the future.?

Our experience with shale gas shows us that the payoffs on these public investments don’t always come right away. Some technologies don’t pan out; some companies fail. But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. I will not walk away from workers like Bryan. I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here. We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough. It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits and create these jobs.

Obama stands by energy initiatives amid GOP criticism

We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there’s no reason why Congress shouldn’t at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven’t acted. Well tonight, I will. I’m directing my Administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power three million homes. And I’m proud to announce that the Department of Defense, the world’s largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history ? with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.

Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. So here’s another proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings. Their energy bills will be $100 billion lower over the next decade, and America will have less pollution, more manufacturing, and more jobs for construction workers who need them. Send me a bill that creates these jobs.

Building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair America’s infrastructure. So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We’ve got crumbling roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy. An incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small business owner in rural America from selling her products all over the world.

Construction project red tape
During the Great Depression, America built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. After World War II, we connected our States with a system of highways. Democratic and Republican administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody, from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use them today.

In the next few weeks, I will sign an Executive Order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we’re no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home.

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There’s never been a better time to build, especially since the construction industry was one of the hardest-hit when the housing bubble burst. Of course, construction workers weren’t the only ones hurt. So were millions of innocent Americans who’ve seen their home values decline . And while Government can’t fix the problem on its own, responsible homeowners shouldn’t have to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief.

Obama: Millionaires should pay at least 30 percent in taxes

That’s why I’m sending this Congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by refinancing at historically low interest rates. No more red tape. No more runaround from the banks. A small fee on the largest financial institutions will ensure that it won’t add to the deficit, and will give banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust.

Let’s never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a Government and a financial system that do the same. It’s time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody.

We’ve all paid the price for lenders who sold mortgages to people who couldn’t afford them, and buyers who knew they couldn’t afford them. That’s why we need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior. Rules to prevent financial fraud, or toxic dumping, or faulty medical devices, don’t destroy the free market. They make the free market work better.

Obama lays out economic blueprint

There is no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too costly. In fact, I’ve approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his. I’ve ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that don’t make sense. We’ve already announced over 500 reforms, and just a fraction of them will save business and citizens more than $10 billion over the next five years. We got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill ? because milk was somehow classified as an oil. With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk.

I’m confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder. But I will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf two years ago. I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury pollution, or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.

Wall Street rules
And I will not go back to the days when Wall Street was allowed to play by its own set of rules. The new rules we passed restore what should be any financial system’s core purpose: Getting funding to entrepreneurs with the best ideas, and getting loans to responsible families who want to buy a home, start a business, or send a kid to college.

So if you’re a big bank or financial institution, you are no longer allowed to make risky bets with your customers’ deposits. You’re required to write out a ?living will? that details exactly how you’ll pay the bills if you fail ? because the rest of us aren’t bailing you out ever again. And if you’re a mortgage lender or a payday lender or a credit card company, the days of signing people up for products they can’t afford with confusing forms and deceptive practices are over. Today, American consumers finally have a watchdog in Richard Cordray with one job: To look out for them.

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We will also establish a Financial Crimes Unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people’s investments. Some financial firms violate major anti-fraud laws because there’s no real penalty for being a repeat offender. That’s bad for consumers, and it’s bad for the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do the right thing. So pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count.

And tonight, I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans.

A return to the American values of fair play and shared responsibility will help us protect our people and our economy. But it should also guide us as we look to pay down our debt and invest in our future.

Right now, our most immediate priority is stopping a tax hike on 160 million working Americans while the recovery is still fragile. People cannot afford losing $40 out of each paycheck this year. There are plenty of ways to get this done. So let’s agree right here, right now: No side issues. No drama. Pass the payroll tax cut without delay.

When it comes to the deficit, we’ve already agreed to more than $2 trillion in cuts and savings. But we need to do more, and that means making choices. Right now, we’re poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households. Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.

Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else ? like education and medical research; a strong military and care for our veterans? Because if we’re serious about paying down our debt, we can’t do both.

The American people know what the right choice is. So do I. As I told the Speaker this summer, I’m prepared to make more reforms that rein in the long term costs of Medicare and Medicaid, and strengthen Social Security, so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors.

But in return, we need to change our tax code so that people like me, and an awful lot of Members of Congress, pay our fair share of taxes. Tax reform should follow the Buffett rule: If you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes. And my Republican friend Tom Coburn is right: Washington should stop subsidizing millionaires. In fact, if you’re earning a million dollars a year, you shouldn’t get special tax subsidies or deductions. On the other hand, if you make under $250,000 a year, like 98 percent of American families, your taxes shouldn’t go up. You’re the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages. You’re the ones who need relief.

Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense.

We don’t begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it’s not because they envy the rich. It’s because they understand that when I get tax breaks I don’t need and the country can’t afford, it either adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference ? like a senior on a fixed income; or a student trying to get through school; or a family trying to make ends meet. That’s not right. Americans know it’s not right. They know that this generation’s success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other, and to their country’s future, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility. That’s how we’ll reduce our deficit. That’s an America built to last.

Washington gridlock
I recognize that people watching tonight have differing views about taxes and debt; energy and health care. But no matter what party they belong to, I bet most Americans are thinking the same thing right now: Nothing will get done this year, or next year, or maybe even the year after that, because Washington is broken.

Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical?

The greatest blow to confidence in our economy last year didn’t come from events beyond our control. It came from a debate in Washington over whether the United States would pay its bills or not. Who benefited from that fiasco?

I’ve talked tonight about the deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall Street. But the divide between this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad ? and it seems to get worse every year.

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Some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in politics. So together, let’s take some steps to fix that. Send me a bill that bans insider trading by Members of Congress, and I will sign it tomorrow. Let’s limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact. Let’s make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can’t lobby Congress, and vice versa ? an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington.

Some of what’s broken has to do with the way Congress does its business these days. A simple majority is no longer enough to get anything ? even routine business ? passed through the Senate. Neither party has been blameless in these tactics. Now both parties should put an end to it. For starters, I ask the Senate to pass a rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days.

The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it’s inefficient, outdated and remote. That’s why I’ve asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.

Finally, none of these reforms can happen unless we also lower the temperature in this town. We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction; that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around common sense ideas.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama calls on leaders to work for a “smarter, more effective government.”

Smarter, more effective government’
I’m a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more. That’s why my education reform offers more competition, and more control for schools and States. That’s why we’re getting rid of regulations that don’t work. That’s why our health care? law relies on a reformed private market, not a Government program.

On the other hand, even my Republican friends who complain the most about Government spending have supported federally-financed roads, and clean energy projects, and federal offices for the folks back home.

The point is, we should all want a smarter, more effective Government. And while we may not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can make real progress. With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow. But I can do a whole lot more with your help. Because when we act together, there is nothing the United States of America can’t achieve.

That is the lesson we’ve learned from our actions abroad over the last few years.

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Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies. From Pakistan to Yemen, the al Qaeda operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they can’t escape the reach of the United States of America.

From this position of strength, we’ve begun to wind down the war in Afghanistan. Ten thousand of our troops have come home. Twenty-three thousand more will leave by the end of this summer. This transition to Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, so that it is never again a source of attacks against America.

As the tide of war recedes, a wave of change has washed across the Middle East and North Africa, from Tunis to Cairo; from Sana’a to Tripoli. A year ago, Qadhafi was one of the world’s longest-serving dictators ? a murderer with American blood on his hands. Today, he is gone. And in Syria, I have no doubt that the Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change can’t be reversed, and that human dignity can’t be denied.

How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain. But we have a huge stake in the outcome. And while it is ultimately up to the people of the region to decide their fate, we will advocate for those values that have served our own country so well. We will stand against violence and intimidation. We will stand for the rights and dignity of all human beings ? men and women; Christians, Muslims, and Jews. We will support policies

that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty.

Facing Iran
And we will safeguard America’s own security against those who threaten our citizens, our friends, and our interests. Look at Iran. Through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program now stands as one. The regime is more isolated than ever before; its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as long as they shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent. Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better, and if Iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community of nations.

The renewal of American leadership can be felt across the globe. Our oldest alliances in Europe and Asia are stronger than ever. Our ties to the Americas are deeper. Our iron-clad commitment to Israel’s security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history. We’ve made it clear that America is a Pacific power, and a new beginning in Burma has lit a new hope. From the coalitions we’ve built to secure nuclear materials, to the missions we’ve led against hunger and disease; from the blows we’ve dealt to our enemies; to the enduring power of our moral example, America is back.

Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn’t know what they’re talking about. That’s not the message we get from leaders around the world, all of whom are eager to work with us. That’s not how people feel from Tokyo to Berlin; from Cape Town to Rio; where opinions of America are higher than they’ve been in years. Yes, the world is changing; no, we can’t control every event. But America remains the one indispensable nation in world affairs ? and as long as I’m President, I intend to keep it that way.

Obama lays out economic blueprint

That’s why, working with our military leaders, I have proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world, while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget. To stay one step ahead of our adversaries, I have already sent this Congress legislation that will secure our country from the growing danger of cyber-threats.

Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it. As they come home, we must serve them as well as they served us. That includes giving them the care and benefits they have earned ? which is why we’ve increased annual VA spending every year I’ve been President. And it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our Nation.

With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we are providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets. Michelle and Jill Biden have worked with American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and their families. And tonight, I’m proposing a Veterans Job Corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters, so that America is as strong as those who defend her.

‘Learn from the service of our troops’
Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who’ve been sent here to serve can learn from the service of our troops. When you put on that uniform, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white; Asian or Latino; conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or straight. When you’re marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails. When you’re in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving no one behind.

One of my proudest possessions is the flag that the SEAL Team took with them on the mission to get bin Laden. On it are each of their names. Some may be Democrats. Some may be Republicans. But that doesn’t matter. Just like it didn’t matter that day in the Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates ? a man who was George Bush’s defense secretary; and Hillary Clinton, a woman who ran against me for president.

All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought about politics. No one thought about themselves. One of the young men involved in the raid later told me that he didn’t deserve credit for the mission. It only succeeded, he said, because every single member of that unit did their job ? the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out of control; the translator who kept others from entering the compound; the troops who separated the women and children from the fight; the SEALs who charged up the stairs. More than that, the mission only succeeded because every member of that unit trusted each other ? because you can’t charge up those stairs, into darkness and danger, unless you know that there’s someone behind you, watching your back.

So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I’m reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those fifty stars and those thirteen stripes. No one built this country on their own. This Nation is great because we built it together. This Nation is great because we worked as a team. This Nation is great because we get each other’s backs. And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great; no mission too hard. As long as we’re joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong.

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

Source: MSNBC NEWS
Culled by Dr. Gabriel A. Ayisi

Articles by Gabriel Ayisi, Dr.

After Betty Mould-Iddrisu’s Resignation; what next?

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The Minister of Education, Betty Mould-Iddrisu has resigned from office over developments associated with the Alfred Woyome judgment debt saga.

She presented her letter of resignation to the Office of the President Monday evening and the President has accepted the resignation.

A press statement signed by My Koku Anyidoho, Director of Communication at the Office of the President, on Tuesday said President Mills accepted Mrs Mould-Iddrisu’s resignation and thanked her for the ?services rendered to the people of Ghana during the period she served in Government, and wished her well?.

The former Education Minister thanked President Mills for the opportunity to serve in his administration and also insisted that ?she is resigning with a clear conscience and is confident any investigation will exonerate her,?

There were speculations last week she might speak publicly to defend her name after some party activists and supporters suggested she be sacked because she mishandled the affair while she was the chief legal officer of the state, with some going as far as claiming she might be complicit. The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) also called for her head for failing to do due diligence in the matter.

Close associates of hers told yours truly that her decisions on the Woyome case had been based on what appeared sound counsel from legal brains and technocrats at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and elsewhere and that in due time she would tell the entire country what she knows about the case.

Betty Mould-Iddrisu was previously the Head of Legal and Constitutional Affairs of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London before she was made Ghana’s first ever woman Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

She becomes the second cabinet minister in the present administration to have lost her job over the Woyome judgment debt issue following closely on the heels of sacked Attorney General, Martin Amidu.

Amidu was last week dismissed from office shortly after the president issued an ultimatum for him to prove corrupt allegations against persons in the government or resign.

Hon. Betty Mould-Iddrisu’s resignation is an honorable one and the hallmark of any decent politician. She has done what millions of politicians not only in Ghana but around Africa finds very difficult to do. It takes a principled, courageous and honest person to resigns from his or her position.

Resignation in our part of the world is very rare. How many people have the gut and the courage to resigns their positions even when the odd is against them? I see Betty Mould-Iddrisu’s resignation as a mark of maturity, courage and inspiration.

It is also a mark of good leadership. I hope everyone who aspires to be a leader will learn from the actions of Madam Betty Mould-Idrrisu. At least President Mills didn’t send her to another ministry just to cover up her mistake or otherwise.

Ghanaians want to know the truth about this judgement debt saga and I hope her resignation will pave way for proper investigations and will also allow her more time to help EOCO unravel the truth.

Until then, people can put a spin on this, but I careless. Betty Mould-Iddrisu is a heroine in our generation and I hold her to high esteem.

Emmanuel Dela Coffie
www.delacoffie.wordpress.com

Disclaimer: “The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Modern Ghana. The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). Modern Ghana will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this article.” ? Emmanuel Dela Coffie.

AN OPEN LETTER TO MODERN GHANA.COM

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I have read several of the ravings and rantings of the so-called Professor Afrikazata Deku with great concern. I don’t know why Modern Ghana.com (editors) allows him to spew his poisonous, prejudicial, ethnocentric, and racist remarks in this medium. The Afro-centric professor has condemned himself for using the Internet, which was created by “the white man” that he hates with vengeance. My first question to the Prof is what universal language do we speak in Africa? How have both English and French made Africans slaves? Who are ruling African countries today? Who are responsible for the current corruption, greed, avarice, and self-promotion, and ineffective governance in Africa particularly, Ghana today? Do we blame the white man for our current economic woes, lack of infrastructure, electricity ration, and poor medical care, and facilities in Ghana?

I don’t know which planet the Professor lives. I would like to know where he got his educational training. From experience, I have observed that when some Africans encounter unpleasant treatment from a few Caucasians or whites in their sojourn in Western countries, they tend to form a general negative opinion and conclude that all Caucasians or Whites are evil. However, such a premise has one fundamental flaw. The fundamental flaw is that you do not judge a race of people by the conduct or behavior of a few people. I think this is the problem that the professor has. He suffers from illogical thinking and action.

I have another concern about the influence of the avowed hatred of the Professor for whites. I don’t know his line of work. However, if he is teaching in one of the reputable universities of Ghana then, he is sowing a cancerous seed of hatred and racial prejudice in the hearts and minds of the future leaders of Ghana. Education is meant to enlighten the mind and help students to harness and horn the latent talents and abilities in them so that they can make significant impact wherever the Lord places them. I am afraid that this Professor would undermine such potentials in our future leaders if he is not confronted to examine the harm and the seed of hatred that he is sowing in the minds of these impressionable students. I also pity his wife and kids if he is a married man with children. Evil begets evil and hatred begets hatred unless the Lord intervenes in the lives of the children, they will grow up to be like their father.

The Continent of Africa has much to contribute to the rest of the world. In the same vein the Western world has much to contribute to Africa. We were not created to live in isolation. Therefore, it doesn’t matter where one plants his/her life. We are interdependent human beings that should not allow the color of our skin to draw a wedge among us. However, I am afraid that professor Deku is fanning the flame of racial prejudice and hatred that if left unchecked will wreck a havoc in the not distant future. Therefore, I suggest that while we enjoy the freedom of the Press, Modern Ghana.com should exercise its judicious right to curtail or refuse to publish such misinformation and racial rantings of Professor Deku. If he has nothing positive to contribute to to the literary world of sound ideas that would make the world a better place then, his incessant and vilifying articles should not be published.

Thanks.
Kennedy Ahenkora Adarkwa, PhD.

By: Kennedy Adarkwa.

THE BODY OF CHRIST TODAY

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?All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were been saved.? ? Acts 2:44 to 47

A critical probe of churches today, reveals many findings; which are not of the way the body of Christ should be. Why am I saying this? Most of the 21st century churches and their various congregation seem to miss the mark; thus the benchmark laid down by our Lord and master Jesus for his flock to follow.

It is really indeed heartbreaking the way some Churches are tending to customize Christianity to suit their own interest thus to precisely say to strive for these changes to a level where it reconcile with their personal ideologies in life. For many congregation, in these present times, the prefect Christian personality is portrayed as one who is involved in social as well as financial activities of the church and how much one can logically deduce meaning from the Bible; which obviously can lead to formulation of theories which are way out of line and off the actual meaning and inspiration the message carries. Most churches in modern times seem to be more conscious of what is allowed or not in the church based on their doctrines rather than proclaiming the gospel. And these are continuously increasing the chances of unwanted behaviors finding its way to the church.

Christian communities have a vital role to play in terms of shaping the morality level of the world. And when it comes to influence, the Christian communities should have the upper hand on ?the world? (as in the Biblical context ) but not the other way round. Is improper to see things as it is now; where for the sake of increasing a congregation’s number, some churches won’t mind turning a blind eye on certain critical issues in the church. Most Christians of late are sinning based on a popular saying, ?Christianity is all a matter of heart not appearance.? Before I even precede let me hasten to state that ?genuine? appearance counts in Christianity. An instance is the reason people convert to the Christian faith through a particular Christian’s lifestyle or one alienating him or herself from a Christian congregation based on the action or inaction of an individual.

Stakeholders of the Christian faith’s inability to address issues which concerns personalities such as high contributors to church confers is creating a bad image for the entire Christian community. This explains why people who are even shy to proclaim their faith as Christians outside the confinement of their church premises are made elders in their churches due to that individual’s financial, academic or social status. And no wonder certain conditions in a church make it hostile to poor people. There are so many people, who worship in a particular church for long period of years but are neglected, when they are in trouble, due to their poor financial status hence their genuine inability to contribute to church confers, as they are expected to by the church.

Due to these conditions in the body, people whom are not chastised for the sake of their social standing in the church feel untouchable in their churches. Some because of these have emerged as dictators of their various churches. And it is mostly some of these people that spearhead splitting up of churches. What hurts much about these split ups is that, these people who causes them because of their influence on the formal church they were in, create a band wagon effect in their church after the split in order to draw members from other churches instead of unbelievers of the faith.

To hit the nail on the head, all what Christians should remember is that many sacrifices have been made to bring the body of Christ this far. The growth of the Christian faith, which has strive this far is base on the watering by the blood of the holy lamb as well as that of the apostle of ancient time, need not be put into disrepute. We are not in any competition among ourselves neither are we in an exhibition of spiritual gifting to see who is the best nor is it our mission to pave another way other than the one of Christ but we rather have a cooperate responsibility to go into the world and reach out for the perishing and care for the dying. The timing is just right to reach out a helping hand to a neighbor and also let him know of the love of Christ for mankind without our personal interest attached.

This article was written by Dominic Osei Boakye in the Department of Economics in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Email ? [email protected]

By: Dominic Osei Boakye.

Is it necessary to make hay while the sun shines in corporate?

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How true or meaningful, the popular idiom / proverb is ‘make hay while the sun shines’ in corporate? Do plants and animals also follow the above idiom in their life? The truth is that, all the life forms do follow the above proverb in letter and spirit. The habit of ‘make hay while the sun shines’ hence may be linked to the evolution of all life forms in nature.

The above phrase / statement is not just a quotable quote, but is one the fundamental evolutionary principles on which the fabric of life is woven.

All the plants in the right season, shed leaves, flush, flower and fruit in order to maximize the opportunity. Unless they sense the opportunity in advance, their survival, propagation and procreation may suffer.

The opportunistic and true pathogens do make ‘their’ hay while the sun shines. They also know to recognize the opportunity and use it appropriately.

If, we study the evolution of animal behaviour, we can understand that, nature has favoured all animals with suitable features to ‘use/maximize the opportunity’ fully. The colour advantage of predators, cheek pouch in monkeys and cud-chewing adaptation of herbivores are some of the examples of the ‘opportunity optimization’ ability provided by evolution to animals.

How different is the above behaviour of animals or plants from corporate man? The biological need is the compelling factor in all animals and plants to ‘make hay while the sun shines’. In the case of corporate man, it is not the biological need, but ‘selfish existential’ need only makes him display such behaviour.

When all animals and plants contain and connote a positive meaning for the above proverb in their life, some corporate men attribute negative and ‘mean’ meaning to it. Another important difference is that, the habit of ‘make hay while the sun shines’ is instinct dependent in animals and plants, but in corporate man, it code his corporate talent or smartness.

Other important difference is that, in all animals and plants the behaviour of ‘make hay while the sun shines’ is limited to their individual need, directed towards the opportunity and never meant to score over its fellow creature, be it plant or animal. But the corporate men always display such behaviour against their fellow being to out smart or outwit him in the corporate ecosystem. All animals and plants use their strength or self belief or innate ability to gain support from the above behaviour, but the corporate man, use his inability and inefficiency to support the above habit.

Make hay while the sun shines as you cannot make hay during a rainy day. Let the collective wisdom of your corporate prevail over self gratification.

Articles by S. Ranganathan, Dr.

BOKO HARAM: THE ENEMY WITHIN

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Boko Haram say they have ”no problem with Jonathan” yet they are killing his people like flies, destabilising his country, bringing his government to it’s knees, destroying national unity and cohesion, waging a relentless religious and ethnic war against the state and committing genocide and ethnic cleansing against a section of the population.

These people, and those at the highest level of government and the society that secretly support and encourage them, are seised of the devil and there is no truth in them. They have come only to kill, steal and destroy. They and those they represent need to be crushed and exterminated like cockroaches. Like the Agagites and Canaanites of old they and their pagan gods need to be wiped out and removed from the face of the earth. They are the darkness that seeks the darkness-demons in human flesh that have no regard for human life and that delight in the shedding of innocent blood.

They are utterly evil and they have no place in God’s glorious light or in the land of the living. And make no mistake about it. Boko Haram and their secret backers, supporters and financers are everywhere. They are the enemy within. They are in our Armed Forces, our security agencies, our Central Bank, our intelligentsia, our government and our political elites. They are heartless vampires all. And in the name of God the Great, the Living God, the Lord of Hosts, the Glory of Israel and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah they shall be exposed and destroyed.

By: Femi Fani-Kayode.

NIGERIA’S BOKO HARA, LET SOUTHEAST GOVERNORS MEET

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It is reported that the Southeastern states (Igbo states) governors are scheduled to meet in Enugu in a few days’ time in order to take a collective stand on the killings of their people, Igbo and other Christians in the Islamic North of Nigeria by the jihadist group Boko Haram. It is believed by many that this meeting will define this generation of Igbo leaders. One cannot help but wonder if the intended attendees see it that way because that is what it is. The meeting will be the most important of all the meetings that these leaders will ever hold. It will define the direction and the future of the Igbo nation. And everyone is eagerly waiting. Are the leaders going to fail the led? The next few days will tell. No one envies the position of these leaders at this very challenging period in their people’s history. Since the last several months every day that passes see hundreds of dead bodies of their people being transported back to Igbo land from the Islamic North part of Nigeria. This is not counting the deluge of millions of refugees pouring in from the same Islamic North of Nigeria. There are over 3 million stranded in Kano alone, waiting to be evacuated. Today’s Igbo leaders have their plates full and probably ill-equipped to deal with the present dilemma.

Why do we say they are ill-equipped? Because only forty years ago Igbo and other Biafrans got defeated in a genocidal Biafra War in which 3.1 million of their people perished. And like a people’s history is being recycled, every event of today is a sinister replay of all the sordid events of the 1960s that led to the Biafra ? Nigeria War. The decision to go to war in the 60s was quicker not because the magnitude of the atrocity was higher but because Igbo leaders then had not been defeated in war in the living memory. They sincerely believed they could take on the world and win especially as they knew they were fighting a just cause; self-defense and self-determination. But eventually they discovered the hard way that victory does not always go to the just. They found out that many times, especially in the world of yesterday, that in the real world cunning, lies and might were the most important assets. So they fought the Biafra War armed only with their belief in the justness of their cause and failed. With this in the background, any of us can easily guess what is going on in the minds of today’s Igbo leaders. Naturally no one likes to fail repeatedly especially when the future and wellbeing of an entire nation of over 50 million people are at stake.

Considering this bitter past of the people’s recent history it is not difficult to see why the terribleness of the situation is failing to elicit the urgent response from Igbo leaders as expected. Their reticence is almost understandable since they don’t want to make the same mistakes again, some people have argued. Those arguments of course can be appreciated since mistakes of this sort can be too costly and responsible leaders always weigh both short and long term effects of their actions. But a time comes when leaders that worth their salt must take their stand in every matter that concern their people. A time comes when making mistakes while acting to solve problems are better than inaction. And right now is that time in the life of the Igbo nation. The Igbo leaders of today as the custodians of the collective wishes of the people cannot afford to toy with this sacred duty of theirs at this time. They must meet and they must take decisions. They must speak the mind of their people to the world. This time calls for bold action. Every true leader knows that his greatest fear is not about mistakes and failure but it’s about not doing something when the situation requires and the people expect to hear what their leader has to say. The next question after asking about what happened has always been what does the leader, supervisor, manager, etc. say or do.

At this time in Igbo people’s history, when they are being killed and looted in their tens of thousands by the Islamic North of Nigeria the question on people’s lips is what does the Igbo leaders say. The leaders in answering the question must not only say something now but they must do something for this generation of their people and for those yet unborn. For the Igbo leaders this is the greatest moment of their lives. How do they want history to record them? This Igbo governors’ meeting of course is belated but must be convened. We hope that the meeting should be merely to formally declare what more than 98% of their people want to hear: The separation of their people and land from the Nigerian state? Anything short of that announcement will definitely be unacceptable and a letdown of Igbo people.

This moment does not call for any timid disposition, half-measures or sentiments from any Igbo leadership. This time calls for bold decisions and truth telling. Apologizing for being alive such as the one heard from Mike Udah, the Press Secretary of Peter Obi the Anambra State governor is demeaning and should be eschewed. The report has it that Mike is denying a story in the Nigerian Compass of January 23, 2012 which quoted Peter Obi as saying that ?Boko Haram may divide Nigeria, says Southeast Governors.? Peter Obi happens to be the leader of the Southeast Governors. Mr. Udah repeatedly denied that the governors did not make any reference to the breaking up of Nigeria. He almost made a fool of himself in his very pathetic efforts at self-denials. At the end of watching this undignified display of abject foolery by the Press Secretary many people began to ask the inevitable questions; who is this apology supposed to serve? Where does Igbo leaders’ allegiance lie? Whose interests are they serving? Is it those of the Islamic Northern interests or Igbo people’s interests?

Many people were therefore quick to conclude that if the Igbo governors did not mention the need to break up Nigeria as a result of the activities of the terrorist Islamic Boko Haram group against the Igbo and other Christians in Nigeria then they said nothing and cannot be taken serious. If the governors did not say that Nigeria should be broken up now because over 5 million Igbo lives have been unjustly killed by the Nigerian state and the intolerant Islamic religion of the North and West of Nigeria since 1945 till date, then they must have forgotten an important part of their message, and Mike Udah should have been grateful to the reporter who wrote the story for reminding them of the right things to say at this most important time in Igbo people’s history. He should have been especially grateful to Nigerian Compass for calling to the Southeast governors’ attention the reason why they were elected to be leaders over their people at this particular time. There could not have been a better time to tell the leaders that this is the time for their glory or damnation. What the governors do today on behalf of their people in this situation will define them forever. We hope they will do the right thing and help speedy up the dissolution of the unworkable Nigerian union and free their people forever. Let’s divide Nigeria today.

By: Osita Ebiem.

BOOK REVIEW: Title: Reforming Leadership in Africa

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BOOK REVIEW

Title: Reforming Leadership in Africa

Author: J. William Addai

Publisher: Publishers Graphics Indiana, USA, 2009

Price: US$24.99 plus shipping

Reviewer: Kofi Akosah-Sarpong

Increasingly, leadership has emerged as a key factor in Africa’s progress. Bewildered leadership schemes have seen a good part of post-independent Africa sinking, some leading to horrible civil wars and state paralysis. Africa’s leadership jam reveals that African elites have not understood their environment in relation to Africa’s progress, especially how to draw leadership materials from within their raw cultural values. Nigerians, Kenyans, Guineans and Central Africans will tell you they have everything but leadership.

This acknowledgement was revived when I read Reforming Leadership in Africa, a contribution to the on-going discussions continent-wide for the need to appropriate Africa’s cultural values and institutions into Africa’s progress, as a matter of psychology, confidence, dignity and logic. Such appropriation will help the continent’s progress by fostering the required self-assurance considered necessary for progress. The schism in Africa’s leadership organization has come about because the ex-colonial structures have not been harmonized skillfully enough with Africa’s indigenous ones, especially in the on-going decentralization exercises and the talk of developing new leaders for tomorrow’s Africa.

The propaganda have been that the ex-colonial structures are generally thought to be superior (though wrongly) to that of Africa’s, not only by the ex-colonialists of yesteryears but also Africa’s elites of today. Visit African bureaucracies and you will shocked whether they operate on African soil ? the leadership organizational values (the nuances, for instance) are heavily non-African. The trick in resolving these contentious African leadership issues, argues the author, is to develop skills to appropriate the differences to bring out the best in Africa’s leadership potential. The author, an Ashanti himself, draws heavily from Ashanti traditional leadership values and institutions, which he describes as his ?research test tube,? to explain the leadership reforms Africa feverishly needs to drive its progress.

In his bold attempts to locate where the African leadership-progress inadequacies come from (that’s lack of Africa’s cultural inputs), it is easy to see where Africa’s developmental troubles come from ? leadership mired in the notorious authoritarian, individualistic Big Man Syndrome cooked in ex-colonial European systems against Africa’s traditional consensus building systems. If Africa’s development challenges are first and foremost leadership, then what value of leadership? Leadership that for historical and cultural reasons, flow from Africa’s innate traditional values, and simultaneously balanced with Africa’s ex-colonial heritage. The question is how African elites, as directors of progress, can draw from Africa’s cultural values to reform their trembling leadership tests today. And short of that; continue to suffer, as African leaders repeat the old mistakes that have disturbed them and their people’s progress.

Against the backdrop of global intercultural leadership studies, Joseph William Addai, an administrator, a religious and international development scholar, puts in extensive scholarly and practical work to provide matter-of-factly answers to Africa’s leadership predicament. These are enriched by his participation in diverse programs in North America, Papua New Guinea, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Of particular note is his drawing from the Ashanti Kingdom’s Manhyia Palace and the late heavyweight Ghanaian neo-liberal conservative political leader William Ofori-Atta (Paa Willie).

It is clear from Addai’s work that from scratch African states were in leadership dilemma ? that’s if they are aware of that and that it is a pressing development issue, and how to reconcile ex-colonial Europe’s individualist-oriented leadership organization with Africa’s traditional group-oriented system. Underpinning all these systems are the foundational values of each society as drivers for effective leadership organization for progress. Africa has leadership difficulty at the moment because its foundational cultural values do not flow dexterously into its modern state organization, as the Japanese have successfully done.

In dealing with both inadequacies of the European leadership system imposed on Africa and the shortfalls of Africa’s traditional leadership organization, Addai compellingly discusses various leadership theories and practices (as an opener to Africa’s) and come out refreshingly with the view that some sort of hybridization of the European and the African systems is needed to make progress.

Perhaps, Addai’s thesis, with the prominent argument that an understanding of African cultural values is indispensable to Africa’s leadership organization and progress, will be of help to attempts to review Ghana’s on-going 20-year old decentralization exercises, which have been more about the ?political and fiscal? without weaving into it Ghana’s cultural receptivity as an organizational necessity and progress mechanism.

Development / Ghana / Africa / modernghana.com

Book Review. Rhapsidies On ‘Kindness’

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The sacred and profane of state power in the black star of Africa: By Kwesi Yeboah. Rhapsodies On Kindness is a literary and historical work that addresses problems facing contemporary Ghana. This book is very readable, erudite, and engaging. It is anchored on theoretical musings, solid empiricism, and the political economy of the very recent Ghanaian past. Although Ghana is the focal point of analysis, the thematic preoccupations of this book are applicable to Africa as a whole and other regions impacted by the virus of neo-colonialism, dependency, and hegemonic control.

The author, Kwesi Yeboah, a native of Ghana and a product of Achimota College, Achimota, Ghana, has an unusual gift as an activist, public intellectual. He trained at the University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana, as a Classicist and an Historian, and studied Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, and the Physical Sciences at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, and McMaster University, Hamilton both in Canada. This academic cross-breeding underscores his ability to move from the precincts of superb, intellectualized rhapsodizing to the grounds of sound scientific analyses and theoretical meditations. True to his craft, Yeboah pays flawless attention to detail and seeks coherence and wholeness in satire, caricaturization, theory, and empiricism.

Yeboah is clear about his intention ?to shock, to vigorously jolt the memories and minds of Ghanaians into re-examining that which we have always taken for granted, our attitudes, accepted practices and prevalent mentalities…? (P. xi). These objectives are amply attained throughout this book. Yeboah besmears the noses of his readers with vast metaphorical stretches of excrement, putrefaction, decay, and social flatulence, all symbolizing what has gone wrong in Ghana. On the whole, this book is a theater where Ghanaians are summoned to see the dramatization of the follies and foibles of the Ghanaian past, transposed onto the current political precipice of uncertainty.

Domiciled overseas, Yeboah owes a debt of gratitude to the Ghanaian media forms: they provide a substantial number of the topical news items that inform this book. But it is also obvious that Yeboah makes use of overseas sources that deal with Ghanaian and African affairs, for example, he makes reference to Daily Telegraph’s articles, BBC articles on Africa and African news sites on the world wide web. It must be said that Yeboah’s work is not an intelligent culling of journalistic reminiscences, nor is it based on sympathetic quarrying of topical media news. Rather with remarkable breadth and perceptive synthesis, he brings fresh empirical reflections to illuminate essential historical and contemporary processes.

Rhapsodies is arranged in three parts and each is divided into verses that are not periodized and also do not follow any precise thematic format. Part One is entitled ?The Shock?, Part Two is called ?The Awe?, and Part Three is ?The Sacred and the Profane?. There are forty-five verses and each has notes and references. Simply the structure of this book, essentially the verses, mirror daily topical issues on recent developments. Using the most recent social, political, and economic developments as his scale-pan, Yeboah pries back and forth into the history of Ghana, drawing on various historical incidents and political milestones. Hence, he is able to appraise specific issues while caricaturizing specific historical actors. Overall, a thread of consistency conjoins the varying parts o! f the book and enables him to grapple with various topical issues without straying from his stated objectives

The richness of this book is derived from its subject matter and the stylistic approaches employed by the author. Yeboah employs history as a vehicle of literary deployment. For instance, by echoing the sycophantic accolades of Ghanaian heads of states, he is able to bring readers to the frontiers of history, while at the same time conveying his message of power-drunk leaders. The solid scholarship that undergirds this book is demonstrated, for example, by Yeboah’s references to Milton’s epic, The Paradise Lost; the American War of Independence and the American Civil War; Nkrumah’s ideological construction of Neocolonialism; IMF policies and their implications for development/underdevelopment; and the policies of African leaders, including Joachim Chissano of Mozambique, Thabo Mbeki o! f South Africa, and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria. Similarly, his literary allusions range from the Classics through Shakespeare and Dickens and Conrad to Achebe and Ayikwei Armah

The joy of reading this book also comes from Yeboah’s assiduous use of satire, humor, self-invented phrases, childhood reminiscences, comparative perspectives, caricaturization, allusions, and derisive songs. As a Ghanaian writing this ? Foreword?, I must say that my ears have enjoyed the derisive songs the most. For example, Part 1, Verse 19, entitled, ?The Epiphany of Jurassic Joseph Henry ? is not only a mockery of time-worn, dinosaured public officials, but also provides some insights into the failure of the state to disengage from antiquated practices seeded in the heyday of colonial rule and at the dawn of neocolonialism. In the end, such derisive songs provide an ample relief that is at once joyous and compelling.

Rhapsodies is not all about the hopelessness of the Ghanaian situation. Interspersed with the dredges of pessimism are embers of hope and optimism for the future. Indeed, this book is not only about mountains of overt criticism of the Ghanaian political debacle. It contains oases of hope and inspiration as well as practical solutions regarding, for instance, the cassava industry, road-building, the application of science and technology to better everyday life, education, governance, and democracy. It is a book for Ghanaians who care about where they had been, where they are going, and how they plan to get there; and certainly, public officials and the elites, those indicted the most in this book, can benefit from Yeboah’s practical solutions.

Several interesting topical issues are discussed in this book. It is obvious, in some cases, that Ghanaians would rather Yeboah had not washed their dirty communal linen in public. For example, Part 1, Verse 1, entitled ?Of Underdevelopment and Human Excrement? Yeboah rubs the noses of Ghanaians in their own collective excrement. Among others, Yeboah states that ?Take the bucket latrine for instance. In this day and age, this twenty-first century of unbelievable technological wonders, and still in Ghana, people, are paid by the state to carry other people’s excrements in buckets, and on their heads.? (P. 8). Although, it is the state that is blamed here and certainly fingers can be pointed at those who are responsible, this is not a story that Ghanaians would like to tell the whole world.

But there are other verses whose filth does not besmear every Ghanaian. Yeboah’s presentation of corruption, graft, theft, and ethnicized nepotistic brokerage of national resources and wealth singles out public officials. Thus, the citizenry is granted the comfort of blaming the elites in high places for the problems facing Ghana today. Indeed, Ghanaians who read this book would not need to cover their nostrils or shift a little in their chairs of passivity all the time because elsewhere Yeboah places the problem of underdevelopment at the doors of others. In Part 1, Verse 3, entitled ?In Search of Heroes,? for instance Yeboah points to neocolonialism and dependency as the causes of Ghana’s endemic problems. But it should stressed th! at he does not belabor the forces of neocolonialism and dependency, perhaps doing so would undermine his avowed theme of jolting Ghanaians to the reality of their own engineered underdevelopment.

Although Rhapsodies may appear to the untutored eye as a shopping list of the political economy of everything Ghanaian, there are specific major themes that ring out in the verses. These include Yeboah’s favorite topics: federation versus regionalism, dependency and underdevelopment, corruption and elitism, problems of chieftaincy, education and social change, and governance and democracy. These and other topics inform the verses and provide for their composite wholeness. The thrust of this book is political. Yeboah has critically dissected the public lives of numerous Ghanaians, including heads of state from Kwame Nkrumah to J. A. Kufour. But Yeboah does! not single out any one leader for praise or vitriolic attack. Rather, he points to their respective strengths and weaknesses, hence is able to provide a superstructure of balance and objectivity for this book.

Yeboah has dealt with controversial, sacred-cow topics in an engaging way. Crisp phrases, textual brevity, and hilarity, anchored on theoretical brilliance and empirical insights would push readers toward a higher level of analytical and conceptual thinking. His epistemological insights are interesting and generous, though we cannot say that for his treatment of most of the personalities that inhabit this book. If Ayi Kwei Armah’s literary capital jolted Ghanaians to the perils of the immediate postcolonial era, Kwesi Yeboah’s work would jolt Ghanaians to move beyond passive acceptance to active evaluation in their search for the seeds of success. I have read Rhapsodies with profit and strongly believe that even those who are caricaturized and satirized within the pages of this promising book would find it intellectually stimul! ating and morally engaging. I venture to say that Yeboah has more crusading epistles for Ghanaians, therefore, we should continue to nurse our backsides in anticipation of more laughter even as we scratch our heads for answers.

PS: The book can be previewed at akoben publishing

Kwabena Akurang-Parry, Ph. D.

Department of History & Philosophy

Shippensburg University

F.L. Bartels of Mfantsipim celebrates 99 years -Book Review

News Ghana
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was depressed by the sombre fate?.

There’s a sorrowful satisfaction in knowing that one is not alone in these thoughts. With a maverick lending his credence, posterity might develop a thick skin to avoid a future mishap. Let’s follow Mr Bartels’s strategic sense (as a member of an initial committee of four charged to shape the new university):

?I did my best to persuade [Commissioner Hagan] to consider building the new university on, and among, the hills of Cape Coast [to] function as an enabling institution [to] give as well as take, grow and become a part of the town and learn to assist it in solving its problems. The project’s possibilities were vast. Mount Hope could be a strategic point [to] begin and mesh with the slum clearance envisaged for the town? making it imperative for university personnel [to use] local amenities [and] in their own interest demand efficient management.

?The Cape Coast Castle could be converted into a research library and flats to promote academic tourism and a university extramural programme, [to] ultimately extend to the other castles and forts along the coast. The Cape Coast churches could be university chapels. Lastly, the Victoria Park ?might be turned into an open-air theatre to promote drama and other cultural activities for town and gown?.

The Plan

The plan implied a re-invention of higher education for ?hands-on? social and economic good. It was a masterpiece, and was sold in a way in which it had to be bought. But, the Commissioner was not moved; he craved ?another Legon?a self-contained showpiece [with] a separate existence?.

To Mr Bartels, ?Another Legon, Accra, was the last thing Nkrumah fancied. But he got it.? The Commissioner’s thinking was like that of David Balme, a classics scholar of repute, the founding principal of Legon, who admitted: ?You’ve asked me to establish a university. The university I know is Cambridge.?

Mr Bartels envisaged the thrust of the sciences ?to direct the thinking of students to education for work, using the environmental resources of the area, [for example] the fishery industry that was being developed at Elmina [and] the support it would require from the interdisciplinary research in Geography, Meteorology and Refrigeration Engineering?.

The plan was ignored. A later report from an ?International Commission [with] Geoffrey Bing? came out, placing reliance on prospects ?no different basically from Legon?.

In seeking a new deal for education in Cape Coast, Mr Bartels’s ideas, perhaps, created a discomfort, or worse, fear. The colonial mindset was shaken. The new thinking implied a shift from the obsolete lecturing-and-copying format, to a preference for a purposeful re-design of teaching and learning in the wider context of a hands-on urban renewal. Without an assertive, practical access to freedom of judgement and imagination, education itself is stale.

Cape Coast, as an education capital, stood to generate a livelier, intellectual, research, and superior tourist industry, with leverage for clusters of jobs. The intellectual, the economic and the social go together. With a better quality of life, professional people who deliver important services would stay. An urban renaissance created a dynamic and capacity strengthening a wider area.

A vision-gap is a costly thing. Many university towns have blazed that trail and flourished in the midst (not on the periphery) of urban renewals; for example, the connection between the University of California, Los Angeles and the city of Westwood (in the U.S.), and the penchant of that union for creating employment, and student jobs.

Mr Bartels’s vision, alas, shunned the habit of skimping on the maintenance of existing national assets, pouring good money into newish things, and setting in train a cycle of neglect. Possibly, the disregard for the plan mirrored two puzzles: one, the na?ve assumption that, somehow, distribution of benefits is a zero-sum game; and two, the elitists’ phobia for the teeming masses, and preference for the suburban nest and rest.

For a new, independent nation, the opportunity loss was worse than a study of reflexes in the aristocratic psyche. It was hard to escape the suspicion that what was bliss for Cambridge turned out to be bale to Cape Coast. As between liberation and servitude, Mr Bartels drew the line between visions of national self-assertion and timid copies of the archaic.

The past is all very well. But why misjudge the echoes of the times? The outdated wisdom that tertiary education has to be packaged, somehow, within enclosed quarters has become as insidious as the insistence that every phone has to have wires attached. Now the times give the proof that functional illiteracy is the virus to dismantle, and purge.

The Persistence of Paradox is a must read. As a biography, the canvas is full with the texture and colour of a life spanning almost a century. It draws seamlessly on a vast repertoire with anecdotes, some highlighted with fun (and slaps) in Akan (Fanti): (Nkye mobobo n’asowa mu ma w’atse). Mr Bartels’s other books include, the 2007 latest, ?Journey out of the African Maze: Indigenous and Higher Education in Tandem? (www.lulu.com); and ?Roots of Ghana Methodism? (Cambridge University Press, 1965).

In talking with Mr Bartels, his personal takes on key historic events and people, and the details in the making of those experiences, held one glued like a bond. More grease to his years. Mfantsipimfo, the Methodist Church, and the nation at large should be geared, properly, for Mr Bartels’s 100 years anniversary, 13th March 2010. He gave so much to broaden and elevate the nation’s collective thought. [This piece, published in a different form in 2004, is revisited for the anniversary].

[Anis Haffar, the author, is the founder of Gate Institute, a consulting service for continuous teacher education in English Language skills, and Methodologies for Leadership-centred teaching for primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.gate.ghanaschoolsonline.com]

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