MAKE GENERAL ELECTION INCIDENT-FRREE — PREZ (PAGE 21)

President John Agyekum Kufuor has reiterated the need for Ghanaians to conduct themselves in a way that will make the December general election incident-free to portray to the international community that elections cannot set the country ablaze.
"As the whole world is watching us to see whether we can clear another hurdle on our democratic path, I wish to appeal to all Ghanaians, especially supporters of the various political parties, to ensure that we have very peaceful and successful elections," he stressed, adding, "We have only Ghana as our Motherland and will have nowhere to call our home if we destroy Ghana."
President Kufuor made the appeal in an address read on his behalf by the Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, during the climax of the Mmoaninko Festival at Offinso at the weekend.
The festival, which was on the theme, “Sustainable Development”, was designed to raise GH¢3 million to help establish a health and educational fund to accelerate the pace of socio-economic development in the area.
President Kufuor, who commended the chiefs and people of the Offinso Traditional Area for the massive support given him during his tenure, gave assurance of providing invaluable services for the country even after he had left office in January next year.
He also commended them for registering massively to join the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and noted that the initiative of the government to provide free health care for pregnant women was in line with its desire to reduce both maternal as well as infant mortality.
He said it was, therefore, important for pregnant women to take advantage of the government's initiatives to attend antenatal care regularly to prevent any complications when in labour.
President Kufuor also urged the youth to focus on their academic work to enable them to develop their potential very well.
He explained that it was because his government saw education as key to the building of the capacity of the youth that "a third of the national budget and expenditure is on education. That explains why at the basic level, and specifically in Offinso, 20 classroom blocks have been constructed by the assembly under the NPP government at Anyakao, Abofour, Kayera and Dumasua, and in addition 21 schools in this area are benefiting from the school feeding programme".
President Kufuor, however, noted that providing efficient and effective education for the youth was a collective responsibility, adding, "The responsibility of the government is to train and recruit teachers, provide the infrastructure and teaching and learning materials. Parents have the responsibility to feed and prepare pupils for school and to show interest and monitor the progress of their pupils."
In his address, the Paramount Chief of the Offinso Traditional Area, Nana Wiafe Akenten, said he was more determined than ever to mobilise citizens of the area to enable them to contribute more meaningfully to the significant development of the area.
He, therefore, urged the citizens of the traditional area to pay regular visits to the area to support the development initiatives of the traditional council to enhance sustainable socio-economic development.
The Paramount Chief of the Juansa Traditional Area, Nana Agyemang Tiatua, who represented the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, appealed to the electorate to abide by the rules and regulations governing the December general election to prevent any chaos.