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President Mills should tell Ghanaians the
truth
Kwaku Kwarteng
NPP
Communications Director
On Thursday, the 24th June 2010, the Office of the President
issued a statement announcing the visit of President Mills to
South Africa to hold talks with the South African government. We
believe the President is hiding something.
We quote from the statement signed by Communications Director,
Koku Anyidoho:“Following from [sic] the visit of President
Eduardo Dos Santos, Head of State of Angola, and matters that
have arisen out of the visit, and also leading up to the AU
summit to be held in Kampala, Uganda, between the 24th and 27th
of July, 2010, His Excellency President John Evans Atta Mills
leaves for South Africa tonight [Thursday, 24th June, 2010] to
hold talks with the South African Government.”
Strangely, on the preceding Tuesday, 22nd of June, 2010, the
South African Government issued the following statement on its
official website:
“The President of the Republic, H E Mr Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma,
accompanied by Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan and a
contingent of senior officials, will depart South Africa
tomorrow for Toronto, Canada. The President will participate in
the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit on 26 to 27 June.”
It is obvious that the true reason for President Mills’ visit to
South African is not to hold discussions with the Zuma
Government. President Mills cannot hold meetings with President
Zuma in South Africa when President Zuma and his top officials
are in Canada, along with other African leaders who were invited
to attend the G-20 Summit.
This is a matter of public interest: Why should the Mills
Government lie about the true reason for the President’s visit
to South Africa? What is there to hide?
We are not questioning the President visiting South Africa, but
Ghanaians deserve to know what has taken him to South Africa. We
are told that whilst in South Africa, he will take the
opportunity to visit the Black Stars and watch the Ghana vs USA
match on Saturday. Therefore, he is not in South Africa
purposely to watch the match.
We find it strange that after sending his Vice President, John
Mahama, to represent him at the all-important AU’s 14th Ordinary
Session of the Assembly of Heads of States and Governments in
Addis Ababa in January 2010, with the excuse that he had
important domestic duties to attend to, President Mills has
suddenly find it very important to personally go to South Africa
to hold talks with the South African Government on matters
arising out of a visit to Ghana from the President of another
country (Angola) and matters to do with next month’s AU meeting
in another country, Uganda. And, the purported discussions in
South Africa will take place at the time when his host,
President Zuma and his top officials are in Canada.
We believe the President is not being truthful to Ghanaians. As
has been the case in the past, is President Mills in South
Africa for medical attention? Ghanaians deserve an end to
speculations about the President’s health, and only the
Presidency can do so.
Kwaku Kwarteng
Communications Director
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