John Agyekum Kufuor
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has described the 1996 general election in which he challenged former President Jerry John Rawlings, as a memorable one.
He says former President Rawlings, who contested on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was a “superman then”.
Former President Kufuor said Mr Rawlings made it appear near impossible to unseat him yet he gave it his best shot.
According to him, after he lost in that election, it became clear that he would have to wait until 2000 when the two terms of Mr Rawlings would come to an end.
“They [New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters] said since he provided the Constitution, let us see if he will not sit down after the end of his tenure,” he said.
The former President made these remarks when he addressed some Ghanaian youth during a collaborative programme between Joy FM and DreamOval Thursday held at his residence.
He described his later victory in the 2000 general when he contested late President John Evans Atta Mills as the outcome of perseverance, persistency and God’s grace.
Even though he did not rule out grace in his personal life he referenced the proverbial saying that ‘God helps those who help themselves’ to demonstrate the relevance of personal efforts.
“Grace should be there but it is the same God that endowed us with knowledge [therefore] if God has given you the wherewithal you will also do what is right to get where you want,” he said.
Government has no business doing business:
He was unimpressed with the economic performance of Ghana considering the country was in the same stead as South Korea several decades ago.
However, the development of the Asian country outweighs that of Ghana and Mr Kufuor says the reason for the difference revolved around “good governance and leadership.”
He says governments the world over are “expected to govern and not to do business,” adding, they “should set the framework to ensure that the private sector engages in business and does it appropriately.”
He urged the youth to always endeavor to engage “competent people to manage the economy” when they get the opportunity to govern the country.
-myjoyonline