NPP govt would respect rights and freedoms -JAK

Akim-Oda (E/R), Nov. 13, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor has pledged that his Government would continue to respect Ghanaians' right to freedom of expression on national issues.
Speaking at a durbar of the chiefs and people of the Akim Oda on Friday as part of his two-day tour of the Eastern Region, he stressed his determination to abide by the Constitution and laws of the country. President Kufuor said his government had not detained anybody and would continue to uphold the rule of law and rights of the people to ensure that Ghanaians developed and expressed their self-confidence in whatever they did without fear.
On the economy, he said the Government had a Herculean task to put it on track on assumption of office, but with determination and the making of hard choices, it had been able to lay a strong foundation for accelerated economic growth.
President Kufuor said the confidence in the economy had attracted three of the top gold mining companies in the world to invest in the country while three top bauxite companies had also expressed their willingness to come and exploit bauxite deposits.
He urged the people to vote for him and Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance, to enable them to continue with the good work they had begun.
The Chief of Akim Manso, Obrempong Sintim Poku on behalf of the chiefs and people of the Akim Kotoku Traditional Area, commended the Government for its remarkable development policies and cited the provision of educational infrastructure, roads and water and a booming cocoa industry among its achievements.
He urged the Government to be vigilant about the security of the State to ward off any military adventurers, who might want to destabilise it, since "Ghanaians have suffered from military takeovers".
Earlier at a similar durbar at Akim Akroso, President Kufuor told the people that the Government would tackle the telecommunication problem facing the area and provide them with a health facility. The chief of the town, Nana Kwabena Ofori lauded the Government for providing the town with development projects.