STATEMENT BY NANA AKUFO-ADDO ON INTENTION TO CONTEST FOR NPP CANDIDATURE FOR 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ON 20TH MARCH 2014. Ladies and gentlemen of the media, dignitaries and members of the New Patriotic Party, fellow Ghanaians. Good morning and welcome. Thanks for accepting my invitation, even though I am told most of you claim to know already what I am going to say. I do hope I don’t disappoint you. As you may recall, I said on August 29, 2013, the day of the Election Petition verdict, that I would take some time out of the hurly burly of politics, get some rest, reflect and then announce what I envisage for my political future. Shortly after I made that statement, my wife and best friend, Rebecca, and I travelled to the United Kingdom, where we stayed in London for some six months. This gave me a lot of time to think about things. Such a long period of reflection inevitably meant taking a hard look at my life and what I have done, particularly in the period since the mid-70s when I have been active in political life. I am humbled by the opportunities that I have had to contribute to the development of our nation, from the struggle against military dictatorship, through protecting the rights of ordinary Ghanaians in the law courts and on the streets, to the consolidation of our democracy and the projection of our national interest, first, in building the New Patriotic Party, and, also, as a member of parliament and cabinet minister. Even though I will forever regret the fact that I could not lead the party to victory in 2008 and could not secure a declaration of victory in 2012, the party can be proud of what we have been able to achieve together for Ghana and, by extension, Africa, as a whole. Despite all the controversy that bedeviled the 2012 presidential election, we, in the NPP, showed responsible citizenship and put the nation first before our desire for power, because of our love of Ghana. We showed that it is possible and, indeed, desirable, to play by the rules even if it leads to unfavourable results for you. We might have lost that 2012 battle, but when the history of this period is told, I am confident that it will be most favourable to the NPP. Already, Ghana’s image as a peaceful, stable democracy has been greatly enhanced by the path the NPP took, after the controversial 2012 elections, to settle the electoral dispute in court and accept the decision of the court as final. I am proud to be a member of this great party and I am grateful to have been given two opportunities so far to lead it. In trying to come to a decision, I asked the Almighty for his continuing guidance. I thought about the battles we as a people have fought to get us to where we are today in a nation governed by a constitution. I thought of the many people with whom I have been in some of these battles and the loyalty and hard work that we came to take for granted from each other. I thought especially hard about the 2008 and 2012 elections, when I was privileged to be the presidential candidate of my party. I thought about how lucky I was to have this brilliant economist, Mahamudu Bawumia, as my running mate in those two elections. I have been humbled by the loyalty, the confidence and trust that millions of Ghanaians gave to me. I thought about the huge disappointment that our loss brought to us all. I thought about the passing of time and the fact that I shall be seventy years old in a few days time. I have asked hard questions of myself and of my body and I have taken the opportunity to see my doctors both here in Ghana and in the United Kingdom. I examined my commitment and the fire that burns in my belly with the desire to lead Ghana. I had time to think about the lessons of history and the examples of other countries and how such lessons might impact on the current state of Ghana. I had long discussions with Rebecca and my daughters and some of the people who have been a source of unflinching support before coming to a decision. I was in constant contact with Ghana whilst I was away in England. I received d resources available. A major impediment to this is the worrying deficit in value-for-money when it comes to public procurements. The World Bank and Government of Ghana estimate a funding gap of some US$2 billion per annum to meet Ghana’s infrastructural needs. Yet, we managed to register a record budget deficit of more than US$4bn in 2012 alone, which occurred without even meeting our spending targets for infrastructural development in that election year. Two years on, our new Finance Minister continues to struggle to plug that fiscal hole instead of spending his vital energies to stimulate the economy. The current economic difficulties call for efficient and honest management of public resources and projects. Much of the difficulties facing the country today can be traced to widespread corruption and the apparent inability on the part of the current leadership to fight corruption. The depressing reality is that corruption is costing the nation jobs, as government chooses to pay more money for less. Corruption is denying our children money to fund their education, the school feeding programme is starved of cash, ask yourself why? Contractors are not being paid. Ask yourself why? Our development partners are refusing to release funds to support our budget, ask yourself why? Salaries are in arrears, ask yourself why? Unlike what we are witnessing today, what Ghana needs is a government that makes the issue of giving value for money the underlining principle for managing public funds. We need that to develop greater confidence in the economy. I have learnt a lot in my four decades in frontline politics. I continue to learn. I have made mistakes in my life, I have said things I could on hindsight have put better. I have tasted defeats and also chalked some successes. I have played my part to see multiparty democracy becoming entrenched in our nation. I was part of President Kufuor’s team that demonstrated to our people that a liberal democracy can deliver on laying the foundations for economic prosperity. I want to be part of winning the next challenge: which is to build a modern, industrialised society in Ghana, where every citizen has the opportunity to prosper. This is the driving force of my life. I will stay true to what I believe in, no matter the pressures to do what is convenient. I am clear and convinced about the direction in which we must go as a country. I have been consistent on this because I believe in it. I am convinced Ghana can do better than this current state of affairs. And, I believe we can make the change that will make us better than this. We have unfinished business. And, I am ready to get back to work. God bless the NPP. God bless Ghana.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 14:05:00 +0000