Govt. assures of fair play in 2004 elections

Bonwire (Ash), Oct. 17, GNA - The government has given assurance that it will not use its incumbency to cheat in the forthcoming general elections.

It will also not allow any political party, groups or individuals to undertake any clandestine activities that will mar the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections.

President John Agyekum Kufuor stated this at the grand durbar of chiefs and people of Bonwire to mark their 3rd Kente Festival at Bonwire in the Ejisu-Juaben District of Ashanti, on Saturday. The occasion was also used to launch a 20-billion cedis endowment fund to support the Kente industry in the town.

President Kufuor said peace was a pre-requisite for accelerated socio-economic development of every nation and the government would therefore work tirelessly to ensure that peace and stability were sustained to attract investors into the country. He commended the people of Bonwire for sustaining the Kente industry in the town over the years.

President Kufuor, however, appealed to the people to register all the Kente designs developed by the people to enable them become their bonafide property.

This according to him would help protect their designs from wanton imitations and adulterations in view of the current industrial liberalisation.

The registration of the designs would also enable the weavers take advantage of the opportunities offered by the AGOA initiative to export their clothes to the US markets.

President Kufuor, further urged the people to take advantage of the computer to design their clothes to ensure precision of all their products and learn to blend their colours to suit the various international markets.

He said the government was doing everything possible to provide the needed social amenities in the town to befit its status as a tourist destination and appealed to the people to unite to promote peace in the town.

Mr Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, Minister of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City, said Bonwire Kente was recognised worldwide as representing the true Ghanaian identity and the most popularly known African fabric.

He said Kente would continue to feature prominently in the country's tourism development agenda, adding that, his Ministry would continue to emphasise Bonwire as an international tourism reception centre.

To this end, the Ministry was constructing a tourist reception centre in the town with fund from the HPIC relief to enable tourists have convenience place to spend more time in the town. Mr Obetsebi Lamptey said his Ministry would provide the necessary facilities in the town to enable it contribute its quota of attracting about one million tourists into the country annually.

Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister said the government had done much within its short time to improve the living conditions of the people.

He appealed to the people to conduct themselves peacefully in the December elections.

Nana Bobie Ansah II, Bonwirehene commended the government for the numerous development projects in the town. He said the endowment fund would be used to construct a museum for the Kente cloth, provide loans for the kente weavers to enable them export their produce and establish a Kente weaving academy in the town to train people from all over the country in kente weaving in order to increase its production in the country.

Nana Ansah appealed to the government to endeavour to complete the pipe borne water project, which was initiated by the Busia regime in the town.