Purging NPP of allegations of corruption

Addo-Kufuor calls for forensic audit
… into contracts signed by all resigned Ministers DR KWAME Addo-Kufuor, one out of the seventeen Presidential aspirants of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the immediate past Minister of Defence, has advised his colleague Cabinet Ministers who resigned in pursuit of their presidential ambitions to openly subject various contracts they signed during their reign as Ministers to a forensic audit to purge the party of allegations of corruption and make it easier for the party in 2008.

The aspirant who set the tone by offering all his signed contracts since his assumption of office as Minister in 2001 to a forensic audit through the Auditor-General and the Ghana Institute of Surveyors, said if all the resigned Cabinet Ministers did same, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would have no campaign message against the NPP as far as allegations of corruption were concerned.

Speaking to The Chronicle at his campaign office in Accra least week Friday, Dr Addo-Kufuor, who had just returned to the country after addressing party members in London, said his main reason of subjecting his contracts to forensic auditing was to purge himself of any corruption tag and make it easier for the NPP in 2008.

The aspirant who indicated that his interest to lead the nation was not for personal gain said governance of the nation calls for competence, dedication and ability to help provide jobs to the citizenry. Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, who urged the nation and the delegates to look at his ability to deliver instead of making mountains out of his relationship with the President, gave a copy of his vision to this Reporter.

“At a personal level, as former Minister, I offered all the contracts I signed since 2001 to Ghana Institute of Surveyors and the Auditor-General for forensic auditing,” his vision document stated.

Dr. Addo-Kufuor explained further his motivation for offering himself for forensic auditing. “I did it first of all, to purge myself of charges of corruption and also to make the campaign of the NPP easier,” adding, “If all of us who resigned as Cabinet Ministers could do it, then the NDC would be hard pressed to have any campaign message in 2008.”

The NPP aspirant, who stated that his conscience would have troubled him, had he not declared his intention to lead Ghana stressed that his government would ensure that all his appointees openly and publicly declared their assets. His vision document stated as “another initiative of Addo-Kufuor’s government, to publicly declare President’s assets and give directives for all appointees to do same.”

When it was pointed out to him that his move would be very difficult, he responded in affirmative but was quick to say, “I believe this is the best way for the nation. All the appointees should openly declare their assets and it would be published. It is a high standard.” Believing strongly that he was the man to beat, he spoke on the economy, the health sector, agriculture, the judiciary, where he condemned legal vacation, Education, Energy and a few others.

On the economy and his attempt to boast small scale businesses, he said, “one of the major initiatives of Addo-Kufour’s government would be to persuade the Bank of Ghana to put pressure on the commercial banks to ensure that prime and lending rates move in tandem.” Linking his vision to that of Britain where it was called “Moral Suasion”, he said, perhaps what had been lacking was a sense of urgency and effective implementation of government programmes.

On the judiciary, Kwame Addo-Kufuor, three times Member of Parliament for Manhyia in the Ashanti Region, said under his presidency, he would ensure that court automation was extended to all courts in Ghana and that a proposal would also be made to the Chief Justice for judges to take their annual leave individually and at different periods of the year so that the court would function effectively.

Touching on energy, the former Minister of Defence contended that the government had learnt a lot from the recent challenges and had taken positive measures by importing thermal plants and working on the Osagyefo Barge to augment energy position, the Bui Dam, West Africa Gas Pipe-Line, which the government was vigorously pursuing.

Addo-Kufuor further told this Reporter that his government would construct dams on major rivers like Pra, Ankobra among others in the Western Region because of the heavy rainfall pattern there and “access renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar.”

Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufour who believes in curbing the brain drain of health professionals said the negative attitude of some of them and the irresponsible attitude of certain registered members who moved from one health facility to the other and occasionally fronted for relatives among others, he underscored, were major challenges which would be corrected.