Stop attaching partisan politics to govt actions — Kufuor

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has called on Ghanaians to stop attaching partisan politics to any action taken by the government in its quest to develop the country’s economy.

He said if any action or decision taken by the government was interpreted to have a political meaning, Ghana’s quest to attain its development goals would be affected.

Former President Kufuor made the observation when the families of eight military officers executed in 1979 paid a courtesy call on him at his house in Accra last Monday.

Visit

The purpose of the visit was for the families to thank him for the role he played in helping them to retrieve the bodies of the executed officers for reburial.

In 1979 during the regime of former President Rawlings, eight senior military officers, including three Ghana’s former heads of state, were executed after a secret military tribunal convicted them of misusing their positions to enrich themselves while in office.

They were Gen. A. A. Afrifa, who was Ghana’s head of state from 1966-69, former Foreign Affairs Minister, Col. Roger Felli, former Head of State, Gen. Ignatius Acheampong, former border guard commander, Maj. Gen. E. K. Utuka.

Other officers executed were a former Army Commander, Maj. Gen. R.E.A. Kotei, a former Air Force chief, Air Vice Marshal George Yaw Boakey and Chief of the Navy, Real Admiral Joy Amerdume.

In 2002 when former President Kufuor was in power, he granted permission to the families after they had petitioned him in 2001 to allow them to exhume the bodies of the executed military officers and rebury them.

This was after former President Kufuor had set up a Reconciliation Commission to ensure peace within the community.

Take bitterness out

The former President said Ghana, as a nation, would benefit tremendously if the citizens took away any act of bitterness from decisions taken by the government to ensure development.

Asked about his opinion in the recent closure of two radio stations owned by some individuals in the National Democratic Congress ( NDC), he said if the closure was based on law, it would be unfair to push partisan politics into the decision.

Former President Kufuor said when a law was being enforced, it would do the nation a lot of good if “certain postures are not taken”, and added that if people considered themselves victims, they ought to use diplomacy and tactics to find solutions.

“We need not to push partisan politics too deeply into matters that concern the country’s development,” he said.