Accra, Nov. 5, GNA - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Wednesday congratulated US president elect, Barak Obama, on his historical electoral victory in Tuesday's elections, describing it as a "watershed event that would change the world".

In a statement signed by the Director of Communication, Ms Hannah Tetteh in Accra, the NDC also congratulated the people of the United States of America, who it said, had "demonstrated in clear and uncertain terms the strength, resilience, dynamism and legitimacy of the democratic process in expressing the will of the people". It said the election of Senator Obama "is a change for the better and is most certainly a change in the right direction".

The NDC noted that Ghana was a country that suffered the scars of the slave trade, and the forts and castles along the coast were a reminder of the links with the United States of America, especially the African American population.

"We can therefore legitimately take pride in his victory even though it is a uniquely American event, and perhaps only possible today in a country as great as the United States of America." The NDC said it appreciated the significance and symbolism of the victory and offer the president-elect "our heartfelt congratulations, prayers and goodwill, but also wish to express our appreciation of his success and his campaign efforts".

The NDC said though all of this was focused on the advancement of the United States of America, it also provided inspiration for Ghanaians, Africans and people of colour all over the world. "The Democratic Party of the United States of America like the National Democratic Congress is a party that believes in a progressive platform, and even though they may not describe it in those terms, they believe in the key tenets of Social Democracy.

"The Democratic Party recognizes the need to ensure equality of opportunity, and that Government has an important activist role to play in the development of a country, while accepting and promoting the private sector as the engine of growth.

"We of the NDC, share with the Democratic Party the belief that the welfare of the people in our respective countries should be pre-eminent. We believe that it is the responsibility of Government to provide the leadership, in creating a society that is fair, just and provides equality of opportunity for its entire people.

"We believe this is irrespective of gender, ethnicity, religion, political and any other differences they may have." The NDC said it had a representative in Denver at the invitation of the Democratic Party when now President-Elect Obama accepted the nomination of his Party as its Presidential candidate, adding that, they looked forward to continuing to build on the relationship with the Democratic Party.

The NDC noted that the Reverend Martin Luther King was present at Ghana's independence celebrations and after that memorable event, he preached a sermon eulogizing the independence as the birth of a New Nation, and giving expression to the hope that our independence gave to people of colour all over the world. "Reverend Martin Luther King also predicted this memorable day with his, 'I have a dream speech' - where he dreamt of an America where his children would be judged not by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.

The NDC said Ghana's first president Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah also spoke of showing the world that the African was capable of managing his own affairs.

"Today President-elect Barack Obama has taken all of us another major step further in realizing that dream not only in America, but also on our continent and the global stage.

"We as Ghanaians, in our up-coming election have the opportunity to advance the dream further. We will do this by demonstrating that not only are we the African Nation that was a trailblazer in the fight for the emancipation of the African people, but we will also be the trailblazer in entrenching the democratic process in Africa by conducting a Free, Fair and Transparent election. "The National Democratic Congress under the Leadership of Professor John Evans Atta Mills is committed to strengthening the democratic process and to continue building a positive image of Ghana on our continent and on the wider International scene as well as providing the leadership to take Ghana in the right direction."