Rawlings Tells Nana Addo: No More "Tia Tia" Tag...I May Not Play Active Role In Campaign

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Category: Politics

Created on Thursday, 11 October 2012 20:18

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Rawlings Tells Nana Addo: No More "Tia Tia" Tag...I May Not Play Active Role In Campaign

Founder of the ruling National Democratic Congress and Former President of the Republic, Jerry John Rawlings, has revealed that he will not be playing an active role in this year's campaign.

The former president made the disclosure when flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo and his campaign team paid a courtesy call on him at his Ridge residence. He was accompanied by the party’s National Chairman, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey; First Vice Chairman of the NPP, Fred Oware; Press Secretary to Nana Addo, Herbert Krapa; and a host of other staffers.

{sidebar id=10 align=right}According to PeaceFM's Naana Ntiri, who was present at the meeting which lasted for some 20minutes, the discussions focused primarily on the impending general elections.

The NPP flagbearer explained that his visit to the former President was to assure him of his commitment to peace in the upcoming elections as well as ensure that Ghana’s democracy was entrenched and strengthened.

"…the time has come in our country where the principal actors in the political scene found the way to talk to each other rather than at each other which has been the case in our country for a very long time," Nana Addo said.

He gave the assurance that should he become President, he would be fair to all manner of Ghanaians irrespective of their political party coloration. He added that his party activists have been admonished to eschew violence ahead of the election in order to ensure that people vote in peace and tranquility.

According to Nana Addo, he believes there is “a way of working to make sure that things continue to work in [the appropriate way] and then we all move together in a united manner.”

The former President, on his part, said he was hopeful that their discussion will be used as a launch pad to encourage supporters to be watchful during the elections.

“I am hoping that this meeting will also send a clear signal to our supporters that we’ll be expecting nothing less than a very vigilant and free and fair election devoid of provocation and avoid violence in pockets of areas that we may consider strongholds,” he admonished.

He revealed that it is likely he will not be deeply involved in this year’s electoral campaign and therefore assured the NPP flagbearer that he will probably not hear the “tia tia” to wit short man tag again.

“..the next point I will like to draw your attention to is that, I may not be active on the campaign trail. So you can rest assured that…you probably wouldn’t be hearing the ‘tia tia’ (short man)…,” Mr Rawlings said amidst spontaneous laughter.

The former president pointed out that the NPP flagbearer and President John Mahama appear to be the favorites in this year’s election, and thus sought assurances from Nana Addo that NDC supporters will enjoy equal security under his presidency.

“Should you be able to win this election, can the NDC supporters enjoy the same degree of security and freedom under your government as the NPP has enjoyed under the Mills and Mahama government?” he asked.

He appealed to Nana Addo to work to minimize corruption should he win the elections and become President. He said it was worrying that Ghana was endowed with resources but corruption was eating into the resources to the detriment of the nation.

“…(corruption) is eating away at the fabric of our society and it is absolutely unnecessary. We must be able to enhance to increase the degree of respect between ourselves and the international community.”

According to him, the lack of integrity in the NDC led to the formation of the National Democratic Party of which his wife is likely to lead into the December polls.

“In-fact that led to the formation of the NDP, actually. Wait a minute; I am not saying the NDC doesn’t have its strong point,” he stated.

Source: Nana Kwadwo Asante/Peacefmonline.com

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Asiedu-Nketiah Taunts NPP

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Category: Politics

Created on Wednesday, 10 October 2012 20:18

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Asiedu-Nketiah Taunts NPP

{sidebar id=10 align=right}The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah says free education is not a philosphy of the United Party (UP) tradition hence Ghanaians must reject the free Senior High School (SHS) campaign pledge of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

According to him, a free SHS system is not an antidote to Ghana's education problems and that stakeholders must rather ensure access to education, especially at the basic level.

Mr.Asiedu-Nketiah was addressing NDC activists and sympathizers in the Elembelle constituency during the launch of the 2012 campaign of the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, at Kikam.

The General Secretary said what the NDC seeks to do is to train more teachers because there are more than 50,000 schools without teachers.

A Deputy Minister of Information, Mr. Samuel Okudjato Ablakwa said the NPP has no message that was why they have centered their campaign on free SHS to woo the electorate.

He said as part of the NDC government's avowed commitment to education, a third University is being considered in the Eastern Region, after building two Universities recently in the Volta and Brong-Ahafo Regions. Mr. Ablakwa asked the NPP to "concentrate on other sectors of the economy because Ghana is not only about secondary education".

He said 10 Training Colleges will be built soon and that one will be in the Western Region to deal with the shortage of teachers.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ellembelle, Mr. Daniel K. Eshun said the Assembly had sponsored 150 teachers to the Teacher Training Colleges and registered about 300 remedial students to write the November/December examinations, out of which about 50 percent of them passed in Mathematics, English and Science.

Mr. Buah pledged his support for quality education delivery in a bid to push the development agenda of the area forward and maintained that he will retain the seat.

Source: GNA/Ghana

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Rawlings assures Akufo-Addo he may not campaign against him

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Category: Politics

Created on Thursday, 11 October 2012 00:00

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Rawlings assures Akufo-Addo he may not campaign against him

{sidebar id=10 align=right}In a move seemingly alien to Ghana's tempestuous and sharply divisive and accusatory politics, opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo Thursday called on the founder of the governing NDC, Jerry John Rawlings, at his Ridge residence in Accra.

Former President Jerry John Rawlings and the flag-bearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party engaged in such an unusually friendly chat, showed great deference to each - former foes - that even Mr Rawlings himself conceded "This is real bonanza; we've never seen this in Ghana before."

Welcoming the NPP flag-bearer and his entourage, the former President said, "Nana, I will be playing the role of my own linguist, and to ask, amanea" to-wit, what is your mission?

The purpose of the visit, Nana Akufo-Addo said, was to start a good dialogue because "the time has come in our country where the principal actors in the political scene found the way to talk to each rather than at each other which has been the case in our country for a very long time."

He said he was sure that all the political leaders were concerned about the need for the December polls to be conducted in good spirit and in a transparent and peaceful manner.

The NPP flagbearer said his visit was also to "assure you of my own commitment to a credible [electoral] process in this country."

He said it was about time the increasingly chaotic and divisive politics gave way to a situation where "we all move together in a united manner."

Former President Rawlings on his part assured the NPP flag-bearer he may not be deeply involved in this year's electoral campaigns and that he should rest assured he will not be called a short man on the campaign platforms as he (Rawlings) had done in the past.

Referring to the fact that the NPP flagbearer and President John Mahama are the front runners in the election, Mr Rawlings demanded assurance that NDC supporters will enjoy equal security under an Akufo-Addo presidency as NPP supporters were currently enjoying.

"While we expect either John Mahama or Nana (Konadu) to win this election, should you be able to win this election can the NDC supporters enjoy the same degree of security and freedom under your government as the NPP have enjoyed under the Mills-Mahama government?" the ex-president asked.

Responding to Mr Rawlings' request, Nana Addo stressed it was time for Ghana's democracy to mature to the extent where "the change of power in itself doesn't pose a threat to any particular section of our society", promising he was personally very keen on ensuring that was guaranteed.

"...There is nothing for anybody to be afraid of..." Nana assured and Mr Rawlings replied, "I'm really glad to hear that..."

From: Myjoyonline.com

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Nana Addo Questions Prez Mahama’s Claims Of Being Caring And Working For Ghanaians

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Category: Politics

Created on Wednesday, 10 October 2012 20:18

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Nana Addo Questions Prez Mahama’s Claims Of Being Caring And Working For Ghanaians

{sidebar id=10 align=right}Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has questioned President John Dramani Mahama’s claims of being caring and working for Ghanaians, whiles at the same opposing a developmental policy, the free Senior High School education.

The NPP leader opines that President Mahama, having benefitted from the free SHS, ought to be an “apostle of the policy”, rather than stridently opposing it.

According to the NPP flagbearer, President Mahama reportedly took advantage of the free education intervention introduced by Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah for people of northern decent, when his (Mahama’s) father who was then a minister at the time and could have afforded to pay for his (Mahama’s) education, sent him to the north; upon completion of his basic school at the famous Achimota School to take advantage of the free secondary education.

Nana Akufo-Addo made these pronouncements at a rally held at Kaase in the Asokwa constituency as part of his tour of the Ashanti region and also to introduce the party’s candidate for the constituency, Patricia Appaih Agyei to the electorate.

It was day of rare act of spontaneity and naturalness of the responses of the enthusiastic people as they defied all odds just to catch a glimpse of Nana Addo and to assimilate and imbibe at first hand, the main man behind the much touted proposed Free SHS.

In all, the NPP flagbearer visited three places within the Asokwa constituency to restore hope.

Nana Addo told the gathering that should he renege on his avowed promise of actualizing the free SHS concept, Ghanaians should take him to the cleaners.

When she took her turn, Madam Patricia Appiagyei told the crowd to vote massively for the NPP to enable Nana Addo put things right and make their dream a reality. She said Nana Addo has carefully thought through the policy and done all the calculations and hence will implement it if given the mandate.

She promised that as Member of Parliament for the Asokwa constituency she will work assiduously to continue the good works of her predecessor, Maxwell Kofi Jumah.

Perhaps the highlight of the rally was the visible cordial and peaceful relation between Hon. Maxwell Kofi Jumah and Madam Appiagyei.

When the incumbent MP, Hon. Maxwell Kofi Jumah took the microphone to address the crowd, he pointed out that the seat is not the bonafide property of any individual and since his tenure as MP for the constituency had come to an end, they need to vote massively for Mad. Patricia Appiagyei and Nana Addo.

Similar community gatherings also took place at Gyinyase and Atonsu Dompoase all within the Asokwa Constituency.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

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