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The President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has defended his regional �thank you� tour, insisting it is in consonance with Ghanaian culture and tradition. Speaking at a durbar of chiefs and people of the Eastern Region at the Koforidua Jackson Park Wednesday, President Mahama said tradition demands that �if some people come to sympathise with you in your times of grief, you are supposed to walk to the people to thank them for their support.� His �thank you� tour follows the overwhelming support government received from Ghanaians during the funeral and burial rites of late President John Evans Atta Mills on August 10. President Mills died on July 24 at the 37 Military Hospital after being taken ill. President Mahama has come under heavy public backlash with some saying he could have used only a nationwide address on television or written letters of appreciation to the various chiefs across the country. He said that will be �disrespectful.� He said �our elders and fathers� had not taught him to send a letter or call chiefs and elderly people to thank them for their support. The Omanhene of the New Juabeng Traditional Area, Daasebre Dr Oti Boateng, thanked President Mahama for his �thank you� visit to the region, saying that it was in tune with Ghanaian custom and tradition.