Vote for people who will serve your interest - JAK

Odumase-Krobo (E/R), Aug. 30, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Sunday asked eligible voters to give their votes to someone who would serve their interest as a President of Ghana.

He said they should also vote for Parliamentarians who would work with the President in the best interest of Ghana.

President Kufour made the call when addressing a durbar of the chiefs and people of the Manya Krobo Traditional Area at Odumase-Krobo on the second day of his four-day official visit to the Eastern Region. He said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) would not go into government to lord it over the people as slaves, adding, "ours is to serve but not domination over the people."

President Kufuor said since 2001, the government had been one of service and had not arrested or detained a single person outside the law, "the government will not do it."

He said the government had not hunted or persecuted anybody, saying, "All those arrested and prosecuted had been done through the due process of the law."

On the elections, President Kufuor said, "the government will not sit by to allow anybody to hijack the process but would ensure that at the end of the day when the votes are counted the people's choice will emerge."

"We will not abuse our incumbency to cheat anybody, but at the same time all the political parties should also play the game clean to ensure a free and fair election for the people to decide and choose their choice their rulers", he said.

On the land dispute between Manya Krobo and Osudoku over Akuse, President Kufuor advised the two traditional councils to adhere strictly to the laws of Ghana and judgement delivered by the Courts on the issue, saying the traditional councils could engage lawyers to begin proceedings according to law in seeking a redress. He appealed to them to restrain themselves no matter the provocation, adding, "You should not take the law into your own hands but respect the law."

President Kufour stressed that the government's duty was to keep law and order and would take measures to ensure that nobody flouted the law.

He gave the assurance that the Attorney-General's Department would be directed to research the issue and advise the government on the judgement delivered sometime ago on the dispute.

On the request for the creation of another district for the Upper Manya area, President Kufour said the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development had a criteria based on the size and population of an area to decide.

In and address read on his behalf, the Konor of Manya Krobo, Nene Sakite II, commended the government for the numerous development projects undertaken in the area, which had improved the living conditions of the people.

He called for an improvement in the supply of potable water to the people of Odumase since the pipelines laid about 50 years ago had rusted and was not able to satisfy the increased demand.

Nene Sakite stressed that the Akuse land belonged to Manya, which some persons were seeking to detach to the Osudoku and urged the government to intervene.