On December 7, 2000, the people of the Republic of Ghana will go to the polls to elect a new President. There has been controversy and much written about President Rawlings as he prepares to move on. As a resident and a friend of the people of Ghana for the last ten years, I must say that during the Rawlings� administration from the days of the PNDC (Provisional National Defense Council) to the NDC (National Democratic Congress), Ghana has enjoyed nearly twenty years of stability. Even though the economy fluctuated up and down, Ghana remained peaceful. There were a few small internal problems in the northern region, but nothing on the scale of what we see in other African nations.

We know that the June 4 revolution brought pain to some people who lost loved ones, but there is a saying that is used in the west, "I felt bad because I had no shoes, until I met the man who had no feet."

Those who look at Ghana who know Ghana and who love Ghana must put things on a scale. I am taught in my faith tradition that on the scale of justice your good must outweigh your bad and the ultimate judge, knowing that man is not perfect and will make mistakes, will weigh your good deeds against those that are not so good. If your good carries the most weight then you are rewarded accordingly. I am not writing this article because President Rawlings has been a friend of the Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan, and I am not writing it only because in 1986 President Rawlings opened the door for the Nation of Islam to establish its first office on the African continent, but I am writing it because Africa needs our concern, love and involvement.

President J. J. Rawlings has given Ghana international recognition economically, politically and socially. Even those who disagree with his politics has to agree that as Head of State Rawlings has made a difference in Ghana. It takes a certain strength and tenacity of will to be an effective Head of State in Africa. Differences are natural. Disagreements are natural. It would be unnatural to agree with an individual on every point. The test is how disagreements are handled and managed. What we don�t see in many African Nations is the proper management of disagreements or points of view. A disagreement does not mean that you go get the gun, but you come to a table and you discuss it with the council, with the elders, and those who have experience. When we consider Africa and leaders such as former President Siad Barre and the country of Somalia, there were disagreements and some considered him a dictator. After Barre was overthrown look at what has occurred in Somalia. After years of civil war, killing, starvation and suffering a new Head of State is trying to unite the country. Many may have denounced Siad Barre as a no good dictator, but he had the strength to hold a government together.

When the strong man at the center steps down those that come behind him should take his good and build on it. They should accentuate the positive. Eliminate the negative, but don�t focus on his negatives and condemn the man or those who went before you. If we look at the Ivory Coast, just next door to Ghana, there is chaos and strife. Again, it takes a certain type of strength for a leader on the African continent to hold a society together.

I am hopeful that my brother and friend President Rawlings will use his expertise to help Ghana and Africa. As he steps away from the awesome responsibility of a president, I hope that those who come behind him from (either the NPP or the NDC) will council with him, get his views, and, yes, even take his advice given his experience and successes over the past 20 years.

It would be foolish to re-invent the wheel and not consider Rawlings� experience for the sake of Ghana. I have met Ghanaians all over the world and I can say without a doubt that I haven�t met one that disliked his country. There is a love for one�s country and the soil that nourished them. This same love is with President Rawlings. I would hope that his memoir would be a book that would contain not only a record of what he has done, but a record of his experiences. This is a turning point for Ghana. So we ask that God�s blessing and guidance go with our President J.J. Rawlings, his family and the people of Ghana.