General News of Saturday, 6 September 2008
Source: GNA
... urges Ghanaians to support gov't
Cape Coast, Sept 6, GNA - The President, Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, on Saturday urged all Ghanaians to exercise restraint and support efforts being made by the government, to ensure that the nation derived the desired benefits from her natural resources such as oil and gas, adding that "there are good times ahead".
He said it was therefore imperative to exercise restraint and refrain from acts that would derail the peaceful atmosphere in the country because of different political affiliations, and reiterated that political opponents were not enemies.
President Kufuor, dressed resplendently in a Kente cloth, made the call when he addressed a colourful durbar of chiefs and people of the Oguaa traditional area, to climax activities marking the celebration of this year's Fetu Afahye.
Equally resplendently dressed in Kente and accompanying the President who arrived at the durbar grounds at exactly 14:20 hours to loud cheers, were the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes and the Central Regional Minister, Nana Ato Arthur. Also present, were the Flag-bearers of the NDC and CPP, Professor John Evans Atta Mills and Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom respectively.
The running mate for the NPP flag-bearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was also present. The President said Ghana belonged to God, and was happy that unlike events in some countries, there was peace and tolerance amongst people of different religious persuasions, and said there was the need for all to help ensure peace, good governance and to exhibit patriotism. He observed that politics was just about the expression of divergent views and cautioned politicians against the use of inflammatory language and threats to cause chaos or mayhem if one loses the election, stressing that "not winning an election is not the end of the world". President Kufuor, who told the people that he was in the region and in Cape Coast in particular to join in the celebration of the festival for the last time as a sitting President, echoed earlier concerns expressed by the Oguaahene, about the falling standards of education in the Cape Coast metropolis. He told parents that there was the need for them to work hard to help address the situation, by taking advantage of government interventions to improve education, since cape Coast had a "big history" as the cradle of education, and pointed out that parents do not have to be rich before sending their children to school.