News:
August 4, 2012
Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party Nana Akomea has accused President John Mahama of being hugely insensitive to the sensibilities of the family of the late President John Mills and all Ghanaians.
Akomea described comments made by the new President during the one week remembrance ceremony at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park as “untidy” “terrible” and “insensitive.”
President John Mahama, among other things, assured the thousands of mourners at the Park and millions others watching on TV of his unflinching desire to ensure continuity in government.
He said he is the only president born after Ghana attained independence and needed the support of every one to be successful.
His comments have ruffled the nerves of many especially those within the New Patriotic Party.
On Joy FM and MultiTV news analysis programe Newsfile on Saturday, Nana Akomea minced no words in chiding the sitting president, accusing him of using what should have been the time to heal wounds to make political partisan comments.
He said it was a national platform with people from diverse political groupings mourning the death of the late president and for President Mahama to use that platform to campaign was to say the least distasteful.
Nana Akomea said for the president to say the death of President John Mills was a “divine providence” was a “terrible insinuation” and insensitive to the immediate family of the late president.
He also launched a blistering attack on the president for saying he is the youngest president ever to have ascended the throne since independence.
That comment Nana Akomea insisted was unnecessary and very insulting to the many leaders who were born before independence.
“It is quite insulting to all the leaders who have come [and] who were born before independence including President Mills himself.
“In any case when he had the chance to choose his vice presidential nominee he chose somebody who was born before 1957, so what is the point of all of this business about being born in 1957 and so on.
“There have been difficulties and for him to use that particular occasion to promote himself and his candidature was extremely insensitive and unwise,” he said.
He was also critical of the government and the way manner it has planned the funeral of the late president.
But Kojo Adu Asare NDC Member of Parliament for Adenta who was also on the show maintained the NPP must seize posturing like the head master superintending over students.
He said for Nana Akomea and his group of NPP communicators to create the impression that the NDC has been incompetent in managing the funeral planning is unfortunate.
He described the one week funeral celebration of the late president as hugely successful and wondered why the NPP will dwell on a single comment made by the sitting president.
Kojo Asare said the NPP is behaving like the old men and women who always become jittery anytime a mention is made of bones.
He said he is not sure the idea was for the sitting president to use that platform to campaign and advised the NPP not to be “jittery.”
He also blamed the media for what he said were negative reportage on issues relating to the funeral planning. He said the media at some point seemed to be enjoying the failures, rather than celebrating the successes.
He had to shut his radio at some point, he stated.
Myjoyonline.com