Isaac Karikari bkkarikari@yahoo.com

I’ve been considering this for sometime now-how the Americans voted in the recent elections. Barrack Obama was voted the first black president of the United States.

Its not his blackness which has got me thinking though that offers us a lot to chew on-Americans, most of whom are whites voting for somebody of a minority race. A race which sometime ago were only thought of as being 50% human. The other 50%...?

Hmm, that leaves room for some guess work but anything human is not an option. Thus their voting pattern this time round gives great indications of a change that’s underway in the American society. Change not made evident in terms of infrastructural and technological development but change that has been made evident in terms of their thinking and appreciation and appraisal of issues. Now we can really say their thinking, appreciation and appraisal of issues to a far greater degree is not done along the lines of race and colour but substance and content.

Can the same be said of we Ghanaians now and will that be said of us after the elections?

I know I don’t want Ghana to be like America. I want Ghana to be better than America but the level of maturity they have shown is laudable and something we really have to emulate.

Obama’s full name is Barack Hussein Obama. Obama rhymes with Osama, bin Laden’s first name and Hussein makes him Iraq’s former leader, Saddam Hussein’s namesake. Yet the American people voted for him. Why?

Don’t you think it is because they considered issues and facts. It is because they chose to be open-minded and not shallow. How are we going to vote? In academic, business and social circles isn’t it common knowledge that sometimes your mere resemblance to someone or you having the same name as someone considered an “enemy” can cost you so much?

The Americans showed real maturity and I pray we do same here in Ghana. God bless and keep Ghana.