I’m shocked – Okudzeto Ablakwa

*I’m shocked NPP is still engaging in politics of death and sickness – Okudzeto Ablakwa*

A deputy Minister of Information Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says he is surprised the opposition New Patriotic Party(NPP) is refusing to learn from the mistakes which cost them the 2008 election.

He says members of the NPP are still repeating the same mistakes they made in 2008 that compelled Ghanaians to reject them.

‘’I’m shocked and disgusted the NPP campaign wing will continue to engage in this politics of death and politics of sickness, its so sad’’, he said.

He was responding to a publication by the New Statesman newspaper captioned, ‘’Ablakwa Contradicts Mills, says he is going for second opinion and not routine medical check-up’’.

The News statesman story read: ‘’Deputy Information minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says President Mills’ trip to the United States over the weekend was meant to seek second and third medical opinions, as opposed to the presidents declaration that he was going for a routine medical check- up’’.

According to the newspaper, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa made this revelation in an attempt to deflate criticisms over the president’s decision to undergo medical check-up abroad, which many have described as ‘a vote of no confidence ‘ by president Mills in Ghana’s medical system.

But the deputy information minister in an interview with Alhassan S. Suhuyini on the *Gold Power Drive* on Wednesday debunked the report, saying “I wonder how anybody can come to that conclusion’’.

He pointed out that he was called up by Accra based Citi fm on Monday as to whether President Mills’ trip to the United States of America for his medical checkup is a vote of no confidence in Ghana’s medical system.

He explained that the questioner sort to know whether President Mills did not trust the health delivery system in Ghana and that is why he opted for the USA.

Mr. Okudzto Ablakwa noted: “In my responds to the questioner, I made the point that this assumption is far from the truth. President Mills’ personal Physician is a Ghanaian doctor who works in the Ghanaian medical system”.

He added that ‘’there have been other presidents in Africa whose personal physicians are foreigners from other jurisdictions but not president Mills’’.

On the assumption by the New Statesman newspaper that his comments contradicts that of the president he strongly disagreed with that.

“In this particular instance you can choose to say that President Mills just prefers a second opinion so far as this medical checkup is concerned. That is all I said. That does not contradict the president’s statement to the people of Ghana”.

Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa believes the newspapers report predict s the agenda of the NPP.

‘’It is a clear that the Statesman just want to continue with the NPP’s larger agenda that the president is sick”.

“It is the same mentality that made their flagbearer issues a statement wishing the President well on his medical treatment when the president had stated categorically that he is just going for medical checkup. Since when did medical checkup warrant statements and calls for prayer from Ghanaians”? He asked.

‘’They did this in 2008 and said that President Mills will not fit and will not be able to survive the campaign but Ghanaians ignored them”.