President J. A. Kufuor gave his State of the Nation Address for the last time as Head of State of Ghana on February 14, 2008. As usual, the President in my opinion was on the beat. He was partisan, self indulging and narrow in subject. It was like he just gave the ‘State of Kufuor’s world’ address, and not the state of the nation Ghana address. The address being his last one as president, he could have been brief and yet comprehensive and remarkable in many ways. It was an opportunity for him to have left unforgettable quotable quotes on the minds of Ghanaians. Sadly, however, the address lacked substance for what it is. He dwelt so much on what he considers successes achieved by his government and very little of what he had led us all as Ghanaians to achieve in the seven years that he has been president. He played to the gallery, something I have become convinced is his stock in trade. He is a master of the stage and loses no chance in displaying his part. And he is often aided to near perfection by well drilled propagandists in the government machinery and surprisingly but rather shockingly an array of private media houses, who appear in their disposition to look like government mouthpieces than newspapers practicing independent journalism. That is not to say newspapers should necessarily oppose everything that smells government, but they should be seen to be doing their jobs as ‘Fourth Estate of the realm’. Give praise where it is due, and criticize when necessary. President Kufuor did not mention any challenges his government had failed to overcome, and that posture gives the impression that his NPP government is invincible. His touch on corruption was rather cursory and blasé, particularly, looking at the state of corruption in this country. It is an open secret in Ghana today that one is more likely to acquire more wealth easily and quickly through corruption rather than from genuine hard work. And one’s chances of escaping punishment are higher, even when one is caught! And by simply pointing to the public sitting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament as a sign that the fight against corruption is being successful, while it is evident that none of those found by the PAC to have stolen state money have been successfully prosecuted yet is misplaced. This last address was an opportunity for the president to have inspired Ghanaians, show clearly where he has brought this nation to, from where we were, and thereby give Ghanaians a good sense of where this country could possibly head when he finally leaves office. But he did not. Mr. President missed the opportunity. Most Ghanaians who looked up to him for a motivational, and yet sober, incisive address that gives a good feel of the situation in the country were disappointed. He dwelled too much on rhetoric and political jingoism and therefore, he missed the essential points. His reference to the love affair between the Executive and the Legislature was too patronizing. What we expect between the Executive and the Legislature is a healthy rivalry, because by their structure and responsibilities as defined in constitutional democracy, the two institutions are supposed to keep the tab on each other. As a matter of fact, the two bodies are expected to watch each other’s performances warily. The President failed to talk about the country’s forests, much so because the issue of global warming is drawing attention to forestry matters. The country’s forests are undoubtedly dwindling faster than anyone could imagine. The Forestry Commission is under-staffed and poorly motivated to do its monitoring work. Ghana’s water bodies are drying up. Some of the country’s major rivers and streams are polluted as a result of industrial and household activities. The issue of e-waste is a public health safety and environmental concern, because of the growing trends in technological advancement and the attendant obsolete rate of electronics gadgets, computers, cell phones and so on. These should have caught the attention of the president because of their direct and indirect effect on economic and social development. But they did not. Agriculture, which is the backbone of the nation’s economy but has suffered and continue to suffer neglect, received no serious attention from the President. The labour front is not the best, despite the existence of the Labour Act 2003. The Act though was welcome when it was first passed, but it appears the law was passed to favour employers and not to build mutuality between them and employees. Rulings of the Labour Commission, which was set up by this law are not often upheld. And in most instances, their rulings have gone the way of employers, and this trend is creating suspicion in the labour front. A recent ruling by a judge in a labour dispute raises even more fears on the labour front. The judge ruled that employers can fire without explanation. Mr. President, what do you say about that? Again, Mr. President showed the government’s lack of appreciation of the role of sports in national development. He confirmed the long held concern of many sports enthusiasts and administrators in this country when he touched only on football, as if football is the only sport in this country. Ghana is an athletic nation. Boxing has brought this country great honour for a long time and our athletes have been consistent in gaining achievements for this country. The Beijing Olympics takes place this year, but the President did not even mention it in passing. One of the most neglected but growing sport in Ghana, baseball also became a casualty, despite the fact that the national baseball team, the Shining Stars won bronze at last year’s Africa Zone Olympic qualifiers, the president did not talk about it. I do not know how George Ntim and executives of the Ghana Baseball and Softball Association would feel, knowing how much work they are doing to nurture and develop the sport in the country. The arts, did not receive any mention either, but a nation’s spirit is not only kept high by a football tournament, which happens only occasionally but, music, the theatre and all associated expressions of the arts. Mr. President, looks like you just lost an opportunity of a lifetime to bow out in style. You confirmed your critics’ belief that you are not the best to happen to Ghana yet. Authored by: Emmanuel K. Dogbevi E-mail: edogbevi@hotmail.com