Mr. Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana, has observed that one major bottleneck in Africa’s democratic endeavours is the unwillingness of the various heads of state to vacate the political scene when their period of stewardship is over. He argued that democracy would grow on the continent as expected only when elected presidents are committed to leaving office after the expiration of their terms of office. According to him, one of the surest ways of encouraging presidents, whose terms are due, to voluntarily leave office is by providing a sumptuous retirement package for them for their security and comfort. Speaking at a symposium to mark the 10th anniversary of the enthronement of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, on Saturday, the former Botswanan leader indicated that when presidents refuse to leave the scene after completing their term and stay longer than necessary, they begin to lose vision. The high-profile international symposium, which was under the theme ‘Deepening Democracy in Africa”, also had Jose Maria Azinar, former Prime Minister of Spain; Olesugun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria; Ahmed Tejan Kabah, former President of Sierra Leone; and Ghana’s former President, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings. Festus Mogae pointed out that democracy could be said to be working when the continent’s natural resources are managed in a transparent and accountable manner. The former Nigerian leader, Olesugun Obasanjo opined that no two democracies in the world are the same, but quickly added that the most important consideration is that it must be relevant to the people on whom it is practiced. He noted that democracy could only thrive significantly well when there is education, transparency, good politicians, accountability, free and fair elections and above all eradication of corruption. The guest speaker of the august function, Jose Maria Azinar, observed that the world needs Africa much as Africa needs the world and that lack of honest political leadership was the cause of non-compliance of democratic tenets in the world including Africa. He said the strengthening of democracy could serve as panacea for eradicating poverty and diseases which have engulfed the continent, adding that real trade liberalization is the key to progress of the African people. For his part, former President Kabbah of Sierra Leone who was the last to speak, described democracy as the best option for national growth and prosperity, and therefore entreated all and sundry in the world, particularly Africa, to contribute their quota towards deepening democracy. Interestingly, the only person who seemed to have deviated from the topic, was Ghana’s J.J. Rawlings. Even though he spent over 40 minutes as against the 15 minutes allotted to him, Rawlings demonized former President Kufuor and his Ministers, and called on President John Evans Atta Mills to jail all corrupt former ministers. He also defended his two previous coup d’état, one of which toppled a democratically-elected government. “Because Mr. Kufuor was undemocratic he could not co-exist with democratic institutions such as the security service and the judiciary. I’ll continue to criticize President Mills till he begins to arrest the NPP criminals who looted the nation’s coffers,” he vowed. In a typical run-rioting fashion notable of him, ex-President Rawlings virtually incurred the displeasure of the huge gathering which included members of the diplomatic corps, political leaders, academia, traditional rulers and students when he shifted attention on ex-President Kufuor and described his 8-year rule as a perfect example of undemocratic governance. Ghana’s longest serving leader, who was accompanied to the programme by his wife and two children, was virtually booed by bored students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), who shouted, “Away, Mr. Former President; away Mr. Former President”. According to DAILY GUIDE sources at the Kumasi airport, he arrived in the Garden City on a chartered City Link flight in the company of his wife, son and Mr. Herbert Mensah. The chairman of the occasion, Prof David Abdulah, who is Dean of the South Africa University of Business and Leadership, in both his opening and closing remarks, emphasized that multi-party elections alone do not underpin democracy but the entire governance process. He expressed optimism that surely Africa will get to the ‘Promised Land’ of perfect democracy, stating that checks and balances were important elements if democracy was to thrive in Africa. Earlier, a brief but colourful ceremony was held to launch the “Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Charity Foundation”. The foundation seeks to support government in promoting quality education, heath care, and human empowerment for the Ghanaian people irrespective of tribe. The foundation, which has the blessing of Mr. James Wolfensohn, former president of the World Bank, is an initiative of the Asantehene. In his message, James Wolfensohn congratulated Otumfuo for his 10th anniversary, wished him long live in strength and wisdom and also promised to always support him in his various endeavours especially the foundation. The chairman of the board of trustees, Nana Pambuor who spoke on behalf of the members, promised Otumfuo that they would work above their energy to ensure that the foundation becomes lifeline and also affects the lives of many Ghanaians positively. Some individuals and cooperate organizations who contributed to the foundation included Mr. and Mrs. Kwame Mpianin- GH¢15,000, Mr. Alan Kyeremateng - US$10,000, Amal Bank- US$60,000, Anglo Gold Ashanti (AGA)- US$50,000, New Mont Ghana Limited- GH¢20,000, among several others. Source: Daily Guide