'President's Address Thought-provoking'

Parliament yesterday acclaimed President John Agyekum Kufuor's last State of the Nation Address to the House as a thought-provoking one that sets the stage for genuine national unity and cohesion.

 The House said the address was an elixir of hope that should be embraced by the various political forces in the country for accelerated national cohesion, development and progress.

Echoing the views of the House, both the Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, and Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, described the address as refreshing, especially coming just after the country's general election.

 According to Mr Aidooh, the address epitomised the real challenges confronting the nation and the opportunities that abounded in the various sectors of the economy.

Seconding, Mr Alban Bagbin said the President's speech was accommodating and offered food for thought to all the political parties and their rank and file in the country.

 He said the country should not allow partisan political considerations to create cleavages among the people, a situation that would not augur well for the country's forward march.

 Mr Bagbin said Parliament would continue to deepen consensus in the House during its fifth term to ensure the enactment of quality laws that would improve the quality of life for the broad masses of the people.

The Minority Leader explained that Parliament had learnt veritable lessons during its current term and would strive to improve upon its delivery in the next term, which he promised would be an exciting period.

The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Upper West Akyem, Mr Samuel Sallas-Mensah, in his reaction, described the address as being laced with positive ideas for national development.

He said the country had reached the crossroad where individual and corporate ideas were needed to advance its social, economic and political well-being, for which reason he described the address as a step in the right direction.

Mr Kojo Armah, the CPP MP for Evalue-Gwira, said the address contained time-tested ideas that, if adopted and implemented by the incoming NDC administration, would enable it to prosecute the economic reconstruction and social renewal of the country.

Mr Armah said the country stood to reap unlimited benefits from the oil industry if the next government heeded President Kufuor's advice to consider the idea of establishing a complex petro-chemical industry in the country.

The NPP MP for Korle Klottey, Nii Adu Mante, also described the address as a balm that, if accepted and put into practice by the major contending political forces, could facilitate real and lasting reconciliation among the vast majority of the people.

He said since no political party could develop the nation alone, it was imperative for the major political players in the country to always consider first the supreme interest of the country, instead of the narrow interests of their respective parties.

Story by Kweku Tsen