Mills defends refusal of gifts

Former Vice President and NDC presidential candidate for 2004, Prof. J.E Attah-Mills is busy defending his decision to reject Christmas gifts from the state.

Prof Mills has been heavily criticised for his actions but he insists he had taken a decision long ago not to accept any gifts during the festive season for very personal reasons.

"For very personal reasons, I had decided more than a month ago that I didn’t want anything brought to my house under the guise of Christmas gift or not. I had instructed my guards on that," Prof Mills told JOY FM’s Super Morning Show.

The former vice president would not explain what those very personal reasons are but he said they were founded on very good reasoning.

"I hurt my friends because of that so I wasn’t going to make any exception for political expediency".

Prof Mills explained that his guards had kept religiously to his no gift order and turned away all gift bearers until Christmas day when they ushered the men from the state protocol in.

"I let them in but when they presented the gifts, I said thank you but this year, I don’t want anything".

Prof Mills’ explanation notwithstanding, the gifts saga has armed those who’ve always insisted he has never been his own man. He rejected the gifts within minutes of a similar action by ex-President Jerry Rawlings, prompting suggestions that he had been instructed by his former boss not to accept the gifts.

That suggestion saddens the former vice president who insists he and Rawlings’ actions were purely coincidental.

"The spin that’s been put on this saddens me. I had taken a decision long ago. The former president has not called me in a year and I would make my telephone records available to the public on any day for verification".

"I have a right to make a choice without violating the right of anyone and I did in this case. After all, I accepted protocol gifts last year. I made an exception to that this year for very good and personal reasons I am not ready to divulge".

The former Vice President was speaking to JOY NEWS anchor Akwasi Sarpong