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Let us be fair to
ourselves - Kennedy urges colleagues
Kweku Asare,
Accra
For the first time in the nations’ history, a critical
factor which usually comes up long after most candidates
have been elected has come up, the usual story of what you
ever did, were doing, or intend to do before you sought
public office.
In the heart and mind of Dr Arthur Kennedy, one of about 22
New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential aspirants, candidates
vying for the position should publicly declare any criminal
conduct of their competitors instead of resorting to
innuendos.
Dr Kennedy in an interview with journalists was refering to
the anonymous circulation of text messages raising serious
questions about the candidature of Foreign Minister Nana
Akufo-Addo.
Dr Kennedy warned that if care is not taken, mudslinging and
personal attacks will mar the campaign ahead of the party's
congress to elect a presidential candidate on December 15.
"If somebody running for president has been engaged in
criminal conduct, the nation has an interest in knowing
that. But I think that we live in a system where there is
rule of law, so a man is presumed innocent until proven
guilty. I therefore dislike and I hope we all abstain from
the politics of personal destruction and innuendos and I
urge all aspirants if they have any evidence of wrong doing
regarding anybody, to put it on the table or shut up.”
Dr Kennedy said the mudslinging is not a good beginning to
the campaign season and expressed the hope that it is only
an aberration and therefore urged the party’s leadership to
take strong measures to discourage anybody from waging a
destructive campaign, “because all what it will do is to
give our opponents ammunition in the general election.”
The former student leader said the NPP party’s leadership
could formulate a guideline for the campaigns and clearly
reprimand anyone who is unethical in his approach, including
public condemnations.
Dr Kennedy said leaders ought to be scrupulously fair to all
the candidates – from the President to the lowest office
holder – and without strict evidence mere allegations of
wrong doing against anybody should not be permitted from any
of the camps, arguing that, “much as divergent opinions are
desirable, personal attacks cannot be acceptable.”
Kweku Asare, July 27, ACCRA, Ghanadot
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