Kufuor: Judge my performance by my achievements

President John Agyekum Kufuor at the weekend asked delegates at the New Patriotic Party's delegates" conference to compare the socio-economic and political situation in the country before his presidency with the current situation (over the past six years) in order to appreciate the giant strides his government has made towards leading the nation to the "promised land” of accelerated development.

President Kufuor said whoever makes an honest assessment and a critical, comparative analysis of the situation in 2001 and what currently prevails will come to the conclusion that a lot has been achieved to make Ghana the envy of many countries in Africa.

He was addressing a mammoth rally organised by the New Patriotic Party at the Jackson Park in Koforidua to climax their Annual Delegates Conference held under the theme “Moving Forward in Unity.”

President Kufuor, who was apparently overwhelmed by the teeming, enthusiastic gathering, as well as the thunderous applause that greeted his arrival at the Jackson Park, urged all NPP supporters and sympathisers to remain loyal apostles of the party and propagate the gospel of development his administration has brought to the nation.

He reminded the party's rank and file of their toils to win power in 2000, and stressed the need for them to remain steadfast to help the party retain power in 2008. The President said, politics is about laying a solid foundation for future development, and not meeting the temporary needs of people.

The President also commended the delegates and activists for conducting themselves decently and maturely to ensure a successful and incident-free conference.

The Vice President, like all other speakers, appealed to the party activists to always remain united and to focus on measures that can strengthen the party's structures and support base.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and NEPAD, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, said the NPP was still solid on the ground, expressing optimism that the NDC, with “the good old” Prof Mills, “can't match us in 2008.”

The MP for Abuakwa South, who is tipped to hold the flag of the NPP in the 2008 elections, made allusion to the Deputy NDC General Secretary Baba Jamal's claim that his party had now moved away from the politics of confrontation to the politics of issues and ideas, and said he was happy the largest opposition party in the country had decided to embark on a campaign based on issues and records in Government.

NPP National Chairman Peter Mac Manu described the party as progressive and the best organised in Africa, and expressed the hope that it would continue to dominate the political scene for a long time.

Other speakers included Education, Science and Sports Minister Papa Owusu Ankoma; Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen; Women and Children's Minister Hajia Alima Mahama; Local Government, Rural Development and Environment Minister Stephen Asamoah Boateng; Fisheries Minister Gladys Asmah; Defence Minister Kwame Addo Kufuor, Water Resources, Works and Housing Minister Hackman Owusu-Agyemang; and former Ministers Yaw Osafo-Maafo and Dan Botwe.