‘Don’t surrender nationalism to negativity’

President John Mahama’s New Year hope and philosophy for Ghana will be revolving around the “Glass half full” mantra.

In the President’s New Year message on New Year’s Eve, he admonished Ghanaians to shed the shroud of negativity and pessimism as 2016 beckoned.

“We are closer now than never before to realising the fruits of our patience so let us not surrender our perseverance and the pride of nationalism to negativity or pessimism,” he said.

He followed this up with remarks further urging optimism on the part of Ghanaians later that evening at the Living Streams Ministries in Accra where he attended their 2015 Watch Night service.

President Mahama said, “We need to be optimists, not pessimists. You find that those who have succeeded in life are born optimist because when they are faced with any challenge, the first thing that comes into their mind is, I can do it.”

President Mahama also stressed the need for peace and stability in this election year and tasked Ghanaians not to take for granted the tranquil and democratic atmosphere.

He said, “The fact that we sleep and wake up and we don’t have to run away from our country because of acts of violence is something we must appreciate and continue to pray for… As we enter 2016, may God continue to grant us that peace because without peace we have nothing. If we don’t have peace and stability, you have nothing.”

President Mahama concluded saying, “I’m sure all of us have faith that this democratic journey that Ghana is on will continues successfully. We will have an election. There will be no violence and Ghana will be continued to be favored by God.”