Akufo-Addo interacts with Rawlings

For years, the two political heavyweights who belong to different political persuasions have never met to jaw-jaw on national issues. With smiles and a warm handshake, former President Rawlings defined his role as a statesman when he welcomed Nana Akufo-Addo to his residence. The meeting, which was least expected and never thought of, centred on how best to secure a peaceful and united atmosphere during and after the December general election. It was also to ensure that corruption was minimised to generate enough resources to better the lives of the impoverished people of Ghana. Many reporters covering Nana Akufo-Addo did not believe it when they were told by the Nana Akufo-Addo Communications Team that the NPP flag bearer was to going visit former President Rawlings until the bus conveying them passed what is referred to as the ‘Boom Junction’ and entered the Ridge residence of the former President in Accra. Surprised at the great number of reporters and the historic nature of the meeting, former President Rawlings remarked, “I wish I had a camera to take a shot of this. I mean this is a real bonanza. We have never seen this before in this country.” Former President Rawlings, who is also the founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), wholeheartedly welcomed Nana Akufo-Addo and his entourage with laughter. The Akufo-Addo entourage included the NPP National Chairman, Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, and the Special Aide to the flag bearer, Mr Abu Jinapor. Both leaders exchanged pleasantries, to the amazement of the reporters present. Setting the tone for the cordial discussions in a crowded but cosy room, Nana Akufo-Addo said the time had come “when actors in the political scene found a way to talk with each other rather than at each other, which has been the case in our country for a long time”. He said the visit was to ensure that they found a way to secure peaceful elections and also give his reassurance and commitment to non-violent elections. Former President Rawlings described the meeting as a “privilege and honour” and expressed the hope that it would send positive signals to supporters of both the NPP and the NDC. He said what the supporters of both parties would expect was a very “vigilant, free and fair elections devoid of provocations, especially in areas that the two parties consider as their strongholds”. Former President Rawlings, who played a leading role in the NDC’s campaign to capture power in the 2008 elections, assured Nana Akufo-Addo, “I may not be active on the campaign trail so you can rest assured that you will probably not be hearing the [Papa] ‘tia tia’ comments.” In a very surprising remark, he indicated that he personally expected either President Mahama or Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP) to win the 2012 elections. “Can NDC supporters enjoy the same degree of security and freedom under your government as the NPP had enjoyed under the Mills-Mahama government should Akufo-Addo win the elections?” he asked. According to former President Rawlings, a great number of NDC members and supporters were nervous in case their party lost the elections because of the experience they had when they lost power in 2000. “That is part of the nervousness that is creating the stress and tension in our camp about going into opposition,” he stated, adding that it was important that the NPP assure Ghanaians that if it won the elections, there would be freedom and justice. He reminded the NPP that even the international community had realised that the 2012 elections could be “a make or break for the achievements of our country” and called for collaboration to ensure that Ghana did not slide into destruction like other countries. “Let us use this opportunity, irrespective of whoever wins these elections, to make the most and give this country the necessary lead she needs. Let’s prove a point that it could be done,” he pleaded. Likening elections to football matches, former President Rawlings said just as Ghanaians supported their individual football clubs at the local level but united to support the Black Stars, the national team, they should replicate that in the creation of government to engender unity and also be able to tap the best brains to solve the problems of the people, especially in the area of health and education. He pleaded with all the presidential candidates to ensure that whoever won the elections focused on the fight against corruption which was eating into the fabric of society and prevented the country from making the necessary developmental leaps. Nana Akufo-Addo described the former President’s concerns as welcome, saying they also reflected the concerns of the ordinary Ghanaian. He said the meeting was a new page in the political history of Ghana and noted that it was the responsibility of leaders to address the developmental challenges of the people and transform their lives for the better, especially better health care, quality, affordable and accessible education and more dignified living. For his part, an elated Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey commended President Rawlings for his great legacy for the country, especially setting in motion the Fourth Republic, managing the transition from military to civilian government and also leaving a legacy of integrity in government. He added that if Ghanaians would follow the legacy and demand integrity and accountability, Ghana would be able to develop, a comment which made President Rawlings remark, “That is what led to the formation of the NDP.”

Nana Akufo-Addo Pledges To Make Corruption Unattractive

The flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has promised to introduce stiffer punishment that will make corruption unattractive and very expensive at all levels of the society when he is voted into power. Consequently, he said, his administration would, among other measures, amend the relevant sections of the Criminal Code and Offences Act “to make corruption a felony rather than a misdemeanour”, to make the theft of state funds more expensive for the criminal. Addressing a section of faculty members and students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi Wednesday, he trumpeted his personal incorruptible nature, and said: “I bring to the table and to the Office of President of this great country an unblemished track record of personal integrity and fortitude.” He challenged the record of the NDC in fighting the canker within its almost four years. Nana Akufo-Addo is in Kumasi as part of his nationwide campaign tour to garner votes for the December 7 general election. The address was dubbed: “Why Ghana Cannot Afford Corruption”. Other moves he intended to undertake as part of his determination to fight corruption, if voted into office, would include the institutionalisation of what he called an “Anas Principle”. The flag bearer explained that the “Anas Principle” was where a special squad made up of the best and young talents, well trained and disciplined would be engaged by existing anti-corruption agencies to keep the fight against the menace constant at every corner of the country. He pledged to support and provide anti-corruption institutions such as Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ, Economic and Organised Crime Organisation (EOCO), the Financial Intelligence Centre and the Ghana Police Service, with greater financial resources to recruit, train, engage and retain more of the technical personnel to be able to investigate and educate against the menace. Regarding the controversial ‘Woyome-Judgement Debt Saga’, Nana Akufo-Addo said the NDC communication team had tried with difficulty to seek non existing equalisation of the “criminal behaviour” by claiming that all governments paid judgement debts. He explained that in the first four years of the NPP administration, when he was the Minister of Justice and Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo was the Finance Minister, less that GH¢4 million was paid as judgement debt, while the NDC, in its first term, had paid a whopping GH¢642 million, close to the GH¢678 million that his administration, if voted into office, would spend in improving facilities and teaching and learning at the various secondary schools in the country. Nana Akufo-Addo said although President John Mahama had promised a sole commissioner to thoroughly examine the judgement debt and negotiate settlement, Ghanaians were just expecting that the government retrieved monies which had been paid to some people without any justification. The NPP flag bearer stated that it was easy to appreciate why Ghanaians were having doubts about President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to fighting corruption, it was because of his involvement in at least, the two most controversial international transactions he led. He said the two transactions were the abortive $10 million STX Housing deal from Korea and the Embraer 190 Jet and the accompanying $17 million hangar from Brazil. Unlike the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which stated in its 2008 Manifesto that it would enact into law the Freedom of Information Bill to facilitate access to official information but had failed to do that, Nana Akufo-Addo said his government would pass the bill as well as improve the archival management, including record keeping and information retrieval systems in the public sector to facilitate transparency and accountability in public affairs. He sounded a warning to his party members saying, “If your idea is to make corrupt money in government, then there will be no room for you in my government. If you think of public office as a short cut to making money, then find some other venture to engage your time and energies because there will be no place under an Akufo-Addo government for self enrichment in politics”. Nana Akufo-Addo declared that the time had come for us a nation to end the business of going into politics because now we need to change the culture of seeking wealth through politics and seeing politics as a field for financial gains. “This approach to politics has debased what should be the essence of public office — the spirit of service for the common good. I as your President will lead by example and will not allow corrupt, greedy and self-serving politicians in my government”, and challenged Ghanaians to hold him to this sacred promise.

Akufo-Addo steps up tempo in campaigning

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has stepped up the tempo of his electioneering for the December 7 polls, visiting a number of areas in six constituencies in the Ashanti Region in a day. Not even the sparse location of the various locations, the pitch of darkness and the long period of time allocated for each visit could hinder his determination to ensure that each venue was given equal and ample attention as far as visiting traditional chiefs, interacting with the people on the streets and mini-rallies were concerned. Reporters in his campaign team and their colleagues from the Ashanti Region who followed the campaign which ended at 1.30 a.m. in the Effiduase Asokore Constituency could at some point not come out of their vehicles because they were tired, with a lot of them dosing off in their vehicles while the campaign was in session. The constituencies he visited were Amansie West, Bekwai, Bosome Freho, Asante Akyem North, Asante Akyem Central and Effiduase Asokore. In each of these constituencies, the parliamentary candidates met the campaign team at the boundaries of the constituency, stood side by side Nana Akufo-Addo in his open-top vehicle and responded to cheers before addressing the people at the different places. Although he passed through two other constituencies (Antwima Nwabeagya and Kwadaso), he only stood on top of his car and waved at the people, some of whom had blocked the road, insisting he addressed them. On the average, Nana Akufo-Addo visited four areas in each of the constituencies and introduced the party’s parliamentary candidates. He reiterated his commitment to implement the party’s flagship policy of free senor high school, revamp the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), fight corruption and transform the economy to create well-paying jobs and wealth for the people of Ghana. In all the places that he had the opportunity to address the people, Nana Akufo-Addo commended the people who turned up in their numbers at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium last Sunday when the party held a non-denominational church service dubbed ‘Jericho Must Fall.’ One striking thing was that the campaign team got to most of the places very late but the people came out in their numbers, with a large number of them wearing NPP paraphernalia. Introducing the party’s parliamentary candidates, Nana Akufo-Addo made it clear that he did know of any independent parliamentary candidate and that they should vote for him and only the candidates that the party’s Electoral College had elected. Red vuvuzelas, shaped in the form of a trumpet, which were blown to symbolically bring down the walls of Jericho at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium were everywhere. The vuvuzelas were a nuisance at times because those who blew them made the noise bury the sounds that were coming out of the public address systems. At Agogo, Nana Akufo-Addo in addition to his three-pronged message of free senior high school, revamping the NHIS and rebuilding the economy to create more jobs through industrialisation assured the people that the menace of the Fulani herdsmen would be dealt with in an effective manner to bring relief and comfort to the people. Most of the places visited were dotted with sites of galamsey operations and Nana Akufo-Addo used the occasion to debunk what he claimed as malicious propaganda by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that an NPP government would abolish galamsey operations. He reminded the people that as a government that would be seeking ways of offering employment to its teeming youth who were idling about, they would be the last to abolish galamsey. He explained that just as former President J A Kufuor initiated programmes to modernise the operations of the galamsey operations for efficiency and also to save the environment, the next NPP government would follow the footsteps of their predecessor and ensure that they gained greater benefit from their work while the environment was also not destroyed. Nana Akufo-Addo said the University of Mines and Technology would be tasked to lead the way in this direction by coming out with techniques, tools and machines that would be suitable for galamsey operations. Story: Donald Ato Dapatem