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Vote for a visionary leader - Dr
Addo-Kufuor
Cape Coast, Oct. 01, GNA - Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, a flag
bearer aspirant of New Patriotic Party (NPP) last Sunday
called on delegates to the party's congress in December to
choose a visionary leader.
He said flag bearer of the party for Election 2008 should be
able to transform the country from a "third world status to
a first world status".
"If you vote for an aspirant without such a vision, the
nation would remain in a third world status for a very long
time," he added.
Dr Addo-Kufuor, Former Minister of Defence made the call at
a forum organized by University of Cape Coast branch of
Tertiary-Education Students Confederacy (TESCON) under the
theme "The NPP and the Way Forward".
He said Africa had not performed well in terms of
development because it did not have visionary leaders to
manage its affairs adding "to be a leader you have to be
visionary and a nation builder".
Dr Addo-Kufuor briefed the students with video clips on his
achievements as Minister of the Interior for 14 months and
Minister of Defence for over six years.
He pointed out that during his tenure of office at these
Ministries, there was remarkable improvement of facilities
in the military.
These include Kofi Annan International Peace Training
Centre, which has trained people form over 90 countries,
expansion works at 37 Military Hospital and improvement in
civilian-military relationship.
Dr Addo-Kufuor commended the NPP government for its
achievements especially in the economy adding: "I am ready
to take responsibility for any failures or achievements of
the government of which I was a Minister".
Dr Addo-Kufuor said the economy had improved and when
elected as the flag bearer and later President, his
government would continue to ensure a stabilized economy and
ensured lending interest rates were reduced to enhance
private sector development.
On education, he said teachers would be provided with
subsidized accommodation and distance education would be
free.
He said jobs would be created for the youth through massive
construction works and cocoa produced in the country would
be processed locally.
On good governance, Dr Addo-Kufuor said his government would
continue to improve bilateral relationships, tackle
corruption with Ministers and government appointees
declaring their assets openly hence the offer for forensic
auditing of all contracts he had signed, and challenged
other aspirants to do the same.
He commended government for the efficient and effective
management of the energy crisis and pledged to build more
dams in the Western Region since they did not have river and
water problems.
On Agriculture, Dr Addo-Kufuor said food crop farmers would
be treated equally like cocoa farmers and provided with
credit facilities and ready markets for their produce.
Responding to a question on how to prevent any division
within the party after the congress and election of another
aspirant as the flag bearer, he said all the aspirants were
colleagues and friends and would conduct their campaigns in
a "clean manner" to safeguard the nation's future adding,
"peace is important to us and we would not do anything to
compromise the current peace prevailing in the country".
Mr Sampson Owusu Frempong, President of TESCON-UCC,
commended government for implementing pragmatic policies
that were impacting positively on Ghanaians, adding, "the
nation's future is bright with the NPP's continuous stay in
power so let us work hard to ensure that the party retains
power in Election 2008".
He said the large number of flag bearer aspirants was not a
problem to the party, since a competitive intra-party
politics was not new to the members and urged the aspirants
to conduct their campaign with civility, maturity and
decorum.
GNA
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