An NPP presidential aspirant, Dr. Barfour Adjei-Barwuah has said it would be hypocritical for any body to accuse President Kufuor for supporting an aspirant. This he said is because “the party can never have a level playing field in the contest”. Speaking to the ADM in an exclusive interview in his office, Dr. Barwuah said, “The playing field is never going to be level because in between the contestants we operate differently, so nobody can basically call for a level playing field.”
He said as a leader of the country and of the party, it would be unnatural for anybody to believe that the president would not be interested in who comes after him. “That is not to say that the president should mount a platform and say I support this person or that person.” he said.
If the president is saying he is not supporting anybody, he said, “we all have to be either charitable enough or respectfully believe what he is saying because he honestly cannot be expected to sit in front of his colleagues in the party and mention the name of the one he supports”.
Dr. Barwuah, who is also a Ghana’s Ambassador to Japan, said the issue of the President supporting someone is not the issue to be deliberated on at the moment. The critical issue, he said, is “which people have the right to vote.” He revealed to the ADM that when the president met the aspirants, an aspirant suggested that the voting process should be changed.
“Some of the aspirants said the process is going to be contentious and want only executives of the various constituencies to vote…meaning that only the ten executives will vote against the current rule that stipulates that four executive members and six others selected within the party should vote…I quickly stepped in and told them that the party is ruled by a constitution and therefore if any of us finds the constitution bit faulty, we have to take the right steps and make amendments, but not in the heat of an election.”, he said.
“That is the process that has been used all the time, so why change it now?” Dr. Bawuah quizzed. He was the chairman of the United Kingdom/Ireland Branch of the NPP for 10 years. He told ADM that he joined the NPP race because he wanted to “serve and serve properly”.
On his popularity compared to other aspirants, he said the race is not a popularity contest or an imaging exercise and that someone can be popular but would not have what it takes to lead the country. His vision, he said, is to strengthen the party by making it an effective instrument for governance and to secure the development fortunes of the country.
“We have made a lot of progress under this current administration, but we have to do more; in the education sector, agric, health and other areas,” he said.
He said Ghana is one of the few countries that is endowed and has no reason to be poor. “It’s necessary for the country to reposition itself in the global scheme of things to be able to accelerate its development. Even though we are widely acclaimed to have made progress, we have to move faster. We cannot continue to be referred to as ‘developing country’ for over 30 years. Things must change," he said.
The 65year old ambassador said the country needs a leader who will change the minds of Ghanaians to 15% degrees. “We need a change of mind…That is the only way we can develop.” he said.
He said the NPP on the basis of its performance in government, owes it to the country to ensure that there is continuous development, stability and security in the country. "If we fail, we have failed ourselves and the nation and Ghanaians will not forgive us. It therefore requires a leader who appreciates the development of the country with the global context of development”, he said.
Among the aspirants, he said he has the widest scope of experience as a lecturer, chief executive, development consultant and ambassador, and therefore has what it takes to run a country.
Question: What would you do if you lose?
Answer: It means the people have made a mistake.
Question: You mean they would have made a mistake if they don’t vote for you?
Answer: Yes
Question: Why?
Answer: I am the best person
