A former Member of Parliament (MP) for Subin in Kumasi, Mr Joseph Alexander Tuffour Sarkodie, has declared his intention to contest for the Ashanti Regional Council of State membership to enable him to use his experience to support President John Evans Atta Mills’s government to deliver to the satisfaction of Ghanaians.
Mr Sarkodie, 77, and a former Deputy Ashanti Regional Manager of the defunct State Publishing Corporation, was the MP for Subin between 1992 and 1996.
Declaring his intention to contest the Ashanti Regional seat of the Council of State when he visited the Daily Graphic offices in Kumasi on Tuesday, Mr Sarkodie said if he was elected to represent the region, he would use his rich experience to reduce the politicisation of national issues and also encourage the media to balance political issues as a way of entrenching democracy in the country.
"Politicisation of national issues is bringing divisiveness among Ghanaians, which, in turn, is tearing the nation apart and undermining effective socio-economic development, and I think it is time for us to intervene to create national unity and cohesion in our developmental agenda," he stated.
He said, "At the moment, I have the requisite experience as an elderly in society, and [am] prepared to collaborate with other members of the Council of State to offer the needed advice to the President on how to unify Ghanaians and initiate policies and programmes that would accelerate the development of the country."
He also expressed concern about media reportage on national issues, saying "the media do not take time to investigate national issues before putting them into public domain, and this do not only create unnecessary tension, but also undermine the credibility of the media".
Mr Sarkodie said his election would offer him the opportunity to fruitfully interact with the leadership of media houses in the country and encourage them to properly investigate issues before publishing them.
This, he said, would make stories more credible and balanced to win the confidence of readers and listeners.
"Journalists are making adequate contributions to entrench democracy in the country, and they need to be encourage to do the right thing," he stressed.
Mr Sarkodie said if he was elected he would also encourage the leadership of the various churches to remain neutral on national issues to enable them to be fully committed to the development agenda of the state.
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