Kufuor Dismisses Opponent's Claims

Bolgatanga, Oct. 25, Graphic -- The President, Mr J. A. Kufuor, has dismissed claims by his political opponents that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has not been able to check corruption,as was espoused in the zero tolerance for corruption declaration.

He pointed out that while his administration had fashioned out adequate measures to fight corruption in the country, some political detractors were straining every nerve to discredit the government?s attempts to nip the problem in the bud.

?The challenge which our opponents have persistently thrown to the government to check corruption is baseless and we do not want to react but to reduce as much as possible the distortion of the facts,? the President stressed.

Mr Kufuor dispelled the notion when he addressed the annual review conference of regional ministers, metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) in Bolgatanga, the capital of the Upper East Region.

The four- day conference, which is on the theme, ?Peace and Stability ? Necessary Tools for Development?, will assess the stewardship of the participants as the first term of the mandate given by the people of Ghana draws to a close.It will also afford them the opportunity to share experiences that will broaden their horizon to enable them to handle various challenges that confront them.

The President emphasised that in spite of all the efforts being put in place by the government to deal with corruption in all segments of the society, others did not see anything good in such commitment and were rather twisting the facts, just to score cheap points and discredit the NPP government.

He pointed out that under his administration, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) had been adequately supported to check corruption more than they were in the previous government, while laws had also been passed to fight the problem.

President Kufuor, therefore, urged the regional ministers and the MMDCEs to be abreast of the Internal Audit Law and all other laws that were geared towards checking corruption.He announced that the government was institutionalising an apex body, to be called the Internal Audit Authority, which would ensure that the day-to-day expenditures of state institutions were checked.

The President observed that it was only during his administration, since independence, that real corruption was being combated, saying that corruption under the 20-year PNDC/NDC regime was indescribable and that the good people of Ghana could attest to that fact.

He threw the challenge to his political opponents to appreciate the commitment of the NPP admistration to deal with corruption, adding that instead of them coming along with the government to collectively fight the problem, they were twisting the facts.

President Kufuor stressed the need for the MMDCEs to respect the chieftaincy instution, describing chiefs as very important in the current admistration of the country, just as they had been in the past, stressing that the NPP would continue to provide due recognition to chiefs.

He said as captains of decentralisation and the devolution of power, the MMDCEs were to let the people know that the country had been ushered into proper democracy and that ?we are a democratic government, born out of a democratic party?.

President Kufuor again urged them to critically consider the issues of sanitation, revenue collection, and education, and disclosed that a new policy on education was to be introduced, saying that its success would depend on them.On the upcoming elections, the President urged the regional ministers and the MMDCEs to develop effective strategies that would enable the party to win them convincingly.

He emphasised the need for the elections to be free, fair, peaceful, transparent and without any intimidation so that the results would be accepted by all, including the international community, so that Ghana would really deserve to be called the ?beacon of Africa?.The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mahami Salifu, in a welcoming address, said the conference would afford the region the opportunity to market its potential in tourism, as well as art and craft.

Naba Martin Abilba III, the Paramount Chief of the Bolgatanga Traditional Area, who chaired the function, stated that under the NPP administration, the people had come to appreciate true democracy and expressed thanks to the government for the recognition offered to chiefs across the country.