The Office of the NDC Presidential Candidate, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills has taken note of the NPP Governments response to Prof. Mills? Address at the Public forum held on Tuesday, 2nd March, 2004 on the ?The State of the Nation ? The Way Forward.?
The NPP Government?s reaction is not only illogical, but fails to respond to the critical issues raised by Prof. Mills.
The reaction takes us back to the Administration of the PNDC and the NDC as if the 2004 elections will be a referendum on those administrations. But in 1992, 1996 and 2000, the electorate delivered their verdicts on those administrations. The forthcoming elections of December 2004 will be referendum on the performance of the Kufuor administration.
In his address at the Public Forum, Professor Mills raised a number of the issues that should be of concern to the electorate in the forthcoming elections. They included the loss of trust of the people in the Government arising out of its failure to deliver the numerous promises it made both before and after the 2000 elections. Other concerns were the severe economic hardships facing the people and the Government?s violation of civil liberties and human rights.
The frequent references in the NPP Government?s response to the performance of the NDC ?under the Vice Presidency of Prof. Atta-Mills? suggests that in the Kufuor administration, Vice President Aliu Mahama may be running the Government. Our understanding of the Presidency, such as operates in Ghana today, is that final executive responsibility rests with the President.
The NDC is studying the NPP Government?s response and will, in due course, come out with a detailed reaction.
Meanwhile, the NDC has initiated moves for the playback of the full recording of the public forum on GTV as soon as possible. This will afford Ghanaians the opportunity to appreciate for themselves the issues raised by Professor Atta-Mills.
4th march, 2004
