Absence of war does not mean peace

... Ghanaians think along tribal lines
Cape Coast, Sept. 2, GNA- Mr Boakye Agyarko, one of the Presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Sunday said the absence of war in the country did not mean that there was peace. He said people presently think along tribal lines to the neglect of national unity.

Mr Agyarko made these remarks, when he interacted with newsmen at the end of his six day tour of the Central Region, which took him to all the 19 constituencies of the party, at Cape Coast.

He said the party presently needs a leadership that would move the nation out of what he described as its "situation of fragile co-existence" to that of national unity and cohesion among the populace. The tour, which was his third since he launched his bid for the flabearership of the NPP was aimed, at among others, meeting the regional and constituency executives of the party to explain his mission and vision to them.

Mr Agyarko who was the deputy president of the Bank of New York, the oldest bank in the United States of America, for 22 years said "I am not a foreigner in NPP because I was one of its 100 founding members, when it was formed on July 28, 1992", a claim he supported with his membership certificate.

According to him, he was also the chairman of the North America and Canada branch of the party from May 1993 to November 1998, during which period he paid from his purse the salaries of the 18 junior staff members of the party working in its office in New York.

He additionally proved with documents transfers of 1,000 dollars he made into the party's account in Ghana during the same period every month, and has never defaulted in the payment of his dues, to date.

The aspirant stressed that, politics was not about "longetivity" but about a leadership that could energize the people to move the nation forward, adding that, "we need a leadership that is skilled, experienced, asserted and is willing to take the big risk in order to transform the nation".

Mr Agyarko debunked the notion that it was one of the big names in the flagbearership race of the party who would emerge victorious during the December congress, stressing that big names do not win elections. He cited the cases of Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Dr Hilla Limann who were little known in the country's politics when they came to the country but defeated the big names in the elections.

Mr Agyarko also argued that the 1992 Constitution of Ghana did not state in any part of it that a Presidential aspirant must live in the country for a certain number of years before he/she qualified to contest for it.

The presidential aspirant explained that politics was about the message the politician has packaged, its vitalization and realism and how it would address the needs of the people.

"The electorate would vote for you not because they know you but because of your capabilities and what you can do for them". Mr Agyarko stated that the important issue was for an aspirant to be in a good stead to address problems confronting the nation and that the contest for the flagbearership was about the kind of ideas and policies that one has and "not a matter of I have lived here for long".
He said considering the reception accorded him during his tours of the 10 regions of the country, it was clear that he has won the hearts of the rank and file of the party and come December 2007, he would emerge victorious at the congress to lead the NPP chalk another massive victory in the 2008 general elections.
The aspirant stressed the need for the party to show commitment to the welfare of the "foot soldiers", adding that, it was through their efforts that elections were won.
Mr Agyarko advised his colleague aspirants to indulge on issues during their campaigns and not to attack personalities because they are all struggling for the common good and cause of the party and not for their individual interests.
He also called on the media not to fan the flames of passion but endeavour to focus on the essentials and not indulge on trivialities, adding that they must also be circumspect in their reportage.