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Ghana�s former President, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings has criticized the politics of the opposition being seen as an enemy, stating democracy is about providing space to the opposition. He said: �In the politics of some countries, you are either a political friend or an enemy; there are no shades of grey in between. �This sort of mindset is exacerbated by the mentality � and the actual experience in so many instances � of �winner takes all�. Democracy is about losers having political space, and the genuine opportunity to win back power at the next electoral test.� President Rawlings made these remarks on Monday at the opening ceremony of a workshop on �Government and Opposition� organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Speaking to an audience of parliamentarians, political party leaders and civil society, the former President said politics involved the striking of balances and compromises between the Executive and the judiciary, between the Executive and the Legislature and between the judiciary and the legislature. Democracy, the former President noted, �does not come with one or two elections, it does not grow overnight. Further, democracy cannot just be about rhetoric. It must have meaning, strong foundations and vibrant institutions. It must be inclusive and touch the lives of people.� In a paper delivered to the workshop on the same day, President Rawlings charged parliamentarians to acknowledge that they have a responsibility to be selfless advocates, represent the truth, exercise utmost humility, and be ready to sow seeds of social, political, economic and cultural development for their people and country.