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| Kufuor to Address People''s Assembly Today |
1/16/2007 |
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All is set for today’s people’s assembly to be held in the Brong Ahafo capital Sunyani. The people’s assembly, which began in 2001 by President John Kufuor’s administration, offers the average Ghanaian the opportunity to directly interact with the president and his ministers and to seek answers on questions bothering on national interest and development.
Frank Agyekum is the government’s spokesman on governance. He said a huge crowd is expected at the venue of the meeting.
“As I speak to you, there are throngs of people making their way to the parish hall of the Christ the King Catholic Church, where the national people’s assembly would be held. This peoples assembly is the sixth since we started in 2001,” he said.
Agyekum said this year’s people’s assembly is special since it marks Ghana’s 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence.
“The significance of this assembly is that it happens in the year of Ghana’s golden jubilee, and as usual his Excellency President John Agyekum Kufuor will address the assembly and then after he is spoken, he opens the floor for people who ordinarily do not have the opportunity to talk to him to ask questions of him on matters of things that have been bothering them,” Agyekum noted.
He said the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is the brain behind the people’s assembly.
“As you may realize, the people’s assembly is a unique introduction by the NPP government, where the president once in a year opens himself to the public, so to speak and take questions from people from all walks of life without any inhibitions at all. Today, is not going to be anything different, and we are looking forward to a great day today,” he said.
Agyekum denied that some of the questions asked during the people’s assembly are not properly addressed.
“That is not true because in all instances, questions are asked and those that are not provided for immediately are written down, and I can assure you that anybody who have asked any question at the people’s assembly has had an answer,” he said.
Agyekum said Ghanaians are alert and have been asking questions and holding the government to account for its stewardship.
“On the daily basis on the airwaves- radios, TV’s- and the newspapers government is being called to account. And all sorts of questions are being asked on the radio and government officials are answering them including the president,” he said.
Agyekum said he sees no reason why government and party sympathizers should be stopped from participating in the people’ s assembly.
“I must say that on such occasion, the president is a leader of a party. So if the party members come and they also out of enthusiasm would want to say something good about the government, I don’t think they should be prevented,” he said.
Source:
Peter Clottey (VOA)
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