Atta Mills supports call for parliamentary enquiry into hotel saga

Ho, June 22, GNA- Professor Evans Atta Mills, Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2004 Presidential Elections on Wednesday said he supports calls for a parliamentary inquest into the circumstances of the purchase of the hotel near President J.A Kufuor's residence. He said this would end the cycle of innuendos, rumours and accusations about the sanctity of the transactions and thereby save the presidency its dignity.

Professor Mills said this while presenting a paper on "Polytechnic Education: Chance or Choice" at the launch of the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students Union (GNUPS) week celebration at the Ho Polytechnic. He said what had now become known as the "Hotel Kufuor Affair" was a blot on the national image and called on President John Agyekum Kufuor to come out with a full and frank disclosure of what had been involved in the transfer of the building and the role of Mrs. Gizelle Yajzi, said to be a onetime advisor to the President.

Professor Mills asserted that the dignity of the Presidency was separate from the personality of a sitting President and therefore, called on the Speaker of Parliament to hasten to institute some form of investigation into the affair.

On fighting corruption, Professor Mills said President Kufuor's opinion that it was as old as Adam, endemic and rather difficult to tackle belied his avowed policy of "zero tolerance for corruption." He said that was why the President was finding it difficult to deal with his associates enmeshed in torrents of allegations fraud, forgery and visa racketeering.

The former NDC flagbearer said President Kufuor's "credo of advisory as opposed to sanctions" against his appointees alleged to have been involved in underhand dealings was a disappointment. Professor Mills said it was fallacy for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to claim and want to make people believe that its adherence to good governance facilitated the recent debt cancellation offered by the major multinational financial institutions. He said the process of ensuring good governance in Ghana emanated from the orderly programming of the return to constitutional rule in 1992 for which credit could not be claimed by the NPP.

Professor Mills said besides, the debt cancellation movement was a worldwide phenomenon, which was championed by Church groups, some civic society organizations, groups and individuals.