Ghana president-elect John Atta Mills is a former UBC visiting professor

> By Clement Apaak  

The president-elect of Ghana, John Atta Mills was once a visiting professor at UBC's Liu Institute for Global Issues.  Mills was declared the winner today in a closely fought election.

While here, he participated with me as a delegate in  a Canada-wide consultation in 2002 before Canada hosted the G8 summit under then-prime minister  Jean Chretien.

Mills  is a social democrat with great admiration for Canadian values and the Canadian  political system.

Simon Fraser University president Michael Stevenson hosted Mills for a lunch meeting, at which I was invited.

I asked  Mills to consider going back home to run for president, because I thought he would be a good choice.  

At the time, he seemed reluctant, but did. He lost in 2004 to John Kufour, but now he is the president-elect.  

Mills led the  National Democratic Congress  back to power on a populist platform that focused on the public interest, which stood in contrast  to the losing  New Patriotic Party  and its candidate, Nana Akufo-Ado.  

The victory of Mills and the NDC is a clear rejection of the right-wing, private-ownership agenda that  the NPP pursued under Kufour.

Based on the ideological stands of both parties and their leadership candidates, it is clear that the people of Ghana decided they were uncomfortable with the U.S.-style politics of the NPP.  

In the past eight years, the NPP pursued policies that favoured the rich and educated elite, and also went on a binge of retribution against former NDC government officials.  

However, the biggest complaints have been that the NPP was arrogant, insensitive, and had allowed the return of corruption in high places.

The president-elect is a social democrat and an expert in tax law. Mills brings the right set of skills and knowledge at this critical time in global economic history.

With his extensive background and admiration for the Canadian system of social democracy, he should perform well. But as he has said many times, he will be the president of all Ghanaians, not just the NDC.  

Mills  stated in his victory speech that he will not allow revenge by extreme elements in his party, who want payback for what has happened in the past.
 
It is great to see Ghana, which is in West Africa,  select its leader for the  fifth time since 1992  through the ballot box, in peace, and with no bloodshed.

I am hopeful that the democratic process has moved forward  a step in Ghana, and  across Africa.

It is also important for Canadians to know that Africans can hold peaceful, democratic elections.  

The perception is that all of Africa is like Sudan, Zimbabwe, or Kenya when it comes to politics, which is not the case.

Let us hope that this positive trend in Ghana will reach other parts of Africa.

With his social-democratic political philosophy, Mills should help Ghana develop and implement progressive policies in general, and  particularly with recently discovered oil resources of Ghana.  

On a personal note, I  would like to ask Canadian to plan to visit Ghana soon, for the president of Ghana is one of us.  
 
Clement Apaak is a former Simon Fraser University student president from Ghana who recently obtained his PhD; he is also the producer and host of African Connection on CJSF 90.1FM.