The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has taken another step towards ensuring good elections devoid of malpractices, as they take their case to God.
Leading party gurus including former President Kufuor; Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the 2012 flagbearer of the party; Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, party chairman; and Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, popularly called Sir John, general secretary, responded to the invitation of the party�s Christian Prayer Network to attend a thanksgiving prayer session under the theme, �God, Source Of Our Inheritance��, at the Efua Sutherland Children�s Park yesterday.
One could almost conclude that it was an open church service held on a pitch, especially as the attendees, including dignitaries such as former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Most Rev Dr Samuel Asante-Antwi, took part in the prayers administered by a motley of pastors albeit in party colours.
Former President Kufuor, during an interregnum in the prayers and songs of praise, scorned at propagandists whom, he said, used lies to come to power in the last elections, but gave the assurance that the NPP would return to power to change the fortunes of the country.
The propagandists, he said, used a few radio stations and spewed lies about the NPP, explaining that this contributed towards the defeat of the party in the 2008 polls.
Life under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, he said, was full of trial and error and that within the short term of the incumbent being in office, they had demonstrated incompetence of the highest order.
�Our party will be voted back to power,� he said confidently amidst smiles.
He wondered why an economy which quadrupled during his tenure should retrogress within the short time that the incumbent had been in office.
It was his first public address since returning from the US where he received the World Food Prize Foundation award of $125,000.
Taking a swipe at the Mills administration, Mr Kufuor wondered whether the present government understood the management of the economy, pointing at the weaning of the country off the IMF under his watch, only for his successors to return to the Bretton Woods institution.
The NPP, he said, would by the grace of God �come back and harness ourselves to serve the country. We shall return the country to mainstream of middle income countries�. He encouraged Ghanaians not to listen to the propagandists.
Ghana, he said, had money but the current leadership lacked management sense, adding that his government was as decent as any elsewhere in the world.
�My government was as incorruptible as possible,� he said.
He recalled how he was misreported when he told his ministers about the temptations which could come their way and how on such occasions they should pinch themselves and avoid corruption.
This, he said, was given a slant by propagandists.
�Let us all pray to God for forgiveness,� he said, as he reminded his audience about how even though the Jews were the Almighty God�s chosen people, they occasionally erred and suffered punishment for such errors.
�Occasionally we may err but when we do we must pray to the Almighty for forgiveness. We pray to the good Lord to touch the hearts of Ghanaians and the electoral officials to do a good job of officiating�.
Just like good football matches could be spoiled by bad refereeing, elections, he noted, could be marred by bad umpiring by election officials.
The NPP in power would never raise themselves above the rule of law which he observed was the cornerstone of the founding fathers of the party during the Gold Coast and beyond.
True to the spirit of the gathering, former President Kufuor reminded Ghanaians about how they departed from the path of God for a long time until 2000.
The return to the path of God came with a lot of blessings which transformed the fortunes of the country.
Even at a time when the United States (US) was struggling to find a way of managing its health delivery programme, Ghana had successfully introduced the National Health Insurance Scheme.
He poked fun at the so-called socialists who had been unable to offer free basic education for children in the country even when they took the reins of power.
When Nana Akufo-Addo, who had earlier been led in prayer by one of the members of the large retinue of Men of God in attendance, took his turn after the former president to talk to the church attendees in party colours, he welcomed them in Ga, Twi and English.
He prayed for the country, the party and himself which he rendered thus: �I pray for your humble servant Nana Akufo-Addo as I seek His special favour because I want to serve the people of Ghana and not put my hands in the purse of the state.�
The NPP, he said, had a clear and simple duty �to organize ourselves to win elections and help the nation achieve prosperity�.
The vision of an NPP government was to offer opportunity to all, rich or poor.
Most of the activities of the founding fathers were organized from �our house and I saw the sacrifice they put in always wanting to serve�.
He said his quest for power was not for personal aggrandizement but for service, adding that it was not how much one mentioned the name of God that mattered but rather the sincerity that went with it.
He supported this position by recalling how Jesus said it was not those who cried �Lord, Lord, Lord� that shall enter heaven but those who did the will of his Father.
Nana added that he was seeking power to do the will of God and bring prosperity to the people of Ghana. �I have given myself to making that a reality,� he stressed.
Source: A.R. Gomda/D-Guide
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