I Won't Judge Mills; Ghanaians Are Best Judges - Kufuor

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has stated that Ghanaians should assess the Mills-led administration constructively and let their decisions reflect in the outcome of the 2012 General Elections.

In an interview with Joy FM the former President who recently shared the World Food Prize with Brazillian President Lula da Silva, andrefused to directly make any critical pronouncements on the performance of the Mills administration, saying 'I won't use this position to talk like I am being partisan because I want us to treat each other with due respect and sensitivity.'

He however said 'it is only one-and-a-half years to elections and I am expecting Ghanaians to be assessing our government. If it has delivered to our satisfaction, then it is our business. But if this government hasn't done so and we believe it could have done better, we should let that reflect in our votes.'

He said Ghanaians had every right to criticise their governments but stressed that people must criticise constructively. 'You do not ask for the impossible' as that is not fair, he added.

He said the right questions must be asked of government on key issues such as the energy sector and the transport system and so on to keep the government on its toes.

Mr Kufuor stressed that 'Ghana must develop and if we want to develop democratically, that should mean a sustained vigilance on the part of the constituents of their government. We want accountability, we want transparency, we want a government that delivers pragmatically.'

Commenting on the unity within the opposition New Patriotic Party ahead of the 2012 elections, Mr. Kufuor said 'I believe NPP is determined to hold together as much as possible for quick return to power to continue where it left off in 2008. So on this basis I will say it is very much united.'

He however said the party must not rest on its laurels but must work hard to ensure that party unity was deepened ahead of the elections.

'I believe the NPP is the biggest party in Ghana… We had problems within my party, no doubt and I believe to some extent the party gave the election away… Somehow there was too much contesting of seats, especially at parliamentary level and the party authorities just did not get its house right on the problem of resolving the competition,' he stated.

He said the flagbearer of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo would at the right time come out with policies that the NPP intended to implement when it took power and that for now it is being kept under wraps due to the possibility of people stealing such ideas.

In an apparent reference to the competition in the National Democratic Congress, the former President said democratic governance was a politics of rivalry and ambitions, explaining that because there were people who believed they could do better than you, 'you are left with no choice but to perform so well… If you do not perform, then woe betides you. They will come after you but if you do perform to the satisfaction of the generality of the people, the people will stand by you.'

Asked whether he misses being President, Mr Kufuor emphatically stated that 'I feel fulfilled and I am happy because I knew coming into the office that I had just two terms. So psychologically I was prepared. I won the first round and I got a second term and I was not expecting anymore.'