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Politics of Monday, 18 October 2010

Source: Samuel Ablordeppey

President Mills is an achiever - Asiedu Nketiah

The general secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Asiedu
Nketiah has described allegations in the political circles to the effect that
President Mills is not performing and that he should be changed before the 2012
general elections as baseless and legless.
According to him the allegations boils down to the presidential ambitions by
various candidates, and in their quest to change a sitting President they think
that the way to do it is to create the impression that the President is not
performing. ‘’and that is why the party finds it extremely dangerous for anybody
to begin campaigning at this stage’’ Mr. Nketiah said.
Asiedu Nketiah who is popularly known in political life as general mosquito said
people should not use their ambitions to discredit the performance of President
Mills. ‘’I don’t think that those allegations are well grounded, I want to
believe that the President is performing extremely well within the constraints
and conditions he finds himself’’. General mosquito said.
General Mosquito said it is wrong for anybody to compare President Mills to
former President Rawlings, Nkrumah or Kufuor because every President has its own
style. ‘’ If you become President and all you need to do is to repeat everything
your predecessors has said then you are not worthy to be President’’ because
country’s circumstances change, conditions change ‘’so if you are expecting
President Mills to operate in the same manner as Dr.Nkrumah, Dr.Rawlings or Mr.
Kufuor, then one is refusing to accept that change is part of society.
‘’I am endorsing him as a President who is performing, and I think that he is
performing extremely well’ Asiedu Nketiah stated.
In an exclusive interview with Radio Gold Mr. Asiedu Nketiah indicated that the
President’s decision to retain some members of the NPP at post makes him a
different President.
‘’ Right from independence all who assume the reign of government hunts all
opponents from the system-who knows if that is not the bane of our
underdevelopment at this stage. So if President Mills is doing things
differently we can only wait and see the outcome’’ Mr. Nketiah said.
On whether or not this new philosophy of retaining opponents at post will
impact negatively on the NDC or not in the 2012 elections, General Mosquito
said, ‘’though it comes with a price, we must also appreciate that we are not in
power for ourselves but for Ghanaians’’
When asked to share his thoughts on the ramifications on the party with regards
to some individuals within the party who had started campaigning in their bid to
contest President Mills for the 2012 elections, Mr. Mosquito said the party
constitution does not permit anybody to campaign.

‘’the party’s constitution demands that we choose our Presidential candidate 1
year to the election when we are in government but 2 years to election when we
are in opposition, whatever the case may be we are less than two years in
government so he time is not right for anybody to want to contest elections’’
General Mosquito stated.
He noted that, ‘’the party has empowered me to send circulars around the country
to alert everybody that anybody who is doing anything that is unconstitutional
should not enjoy the support of the rank and file or from party
structures’’.Asiedu Nketiah warned.

Story by: Samuel Ablordeppey
samuelablordepey@yahoo.com