He may have lost the elections; but he has not lost his dignity; he may have been an afterthought for a plurality of Ghanaians, but Mr. John Dramani Mahama’s love and passion for and commitment to the country he governed for six years remain steadfast.
This was clearly evident in his farewell speech to the nation on Thursday; Mr. Mahama’s last address to his countrymen and women was super patriotic. He put aside any lingering bitterness from the elections and called on all Ghanaians to rally behind the President elect Mr. Akuffo Addo.
While the speech touted the NDC’s achievements in the areas of health, agriculture, infrastructural development and education, its recurring theme was national unity. “Help him to succeed for the sake of the country,” Mr. Mahama pleaded.
The speech was, admittedly, emotional and one could not help but shed a tear for the nostalgia and strong feelings it invoked for a man who by all measures is a good man, and who, if he had been given the opportunity again to govern , would certainly have adopted an entirely different approach to governance. Politics, they say, is the art of the possible.
Mr. Mahama had his opponents across the aisle; which politician doesn’t? He was called all kinds of names in the book, but through it all, he showed a levelheadedness that is rare these days among those who choose politics as a career.
Which explains why his speech cemented his credentials as a great statesman and history will judge him as such. Some will take umbrage at Mr. Mahama being called a great statesman for purely partisan reasons.
But before these fellows spoil the party, it would be appropriate and instructive if they juxtapose his decision on election day 2016 to graciously concede to his opponent who on election day in 2012 chose to contest the results in court.
Lets face it, if Mr. Mahama had chosen to delay accepting defeat as some of his advisers very much wanted him to, or worse, if he had sought to litigate the results of the elections, Ghanaians would have been dealt a bad hand yet again by their politicians.
In fact, the nation would have been thrown into a period of acute suspense. It would have been 2012 all over again. But Mr. Mahama chose the highway and we are where we are today as a nation largely because our national interest was paramount on his mind.
As he walks off into the sunset at a relatively young age of 58, Mr. Mahama still has a lot left in him; politics may not be one of his options, but the world is now his stage and he can play on it if he so chooses.