President Mills: I seek no blood-stained power

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04 April 2012

President Mills: I seek no blood-stained power

President J.E.A. Mills is reported to have told the Ghanaian community in Senegal that he will ensure that the country remains peaceful during, before, and after the December polls.

President Mills is in Senegal to participate in the investiture of President Macky Sall.

A statement by the Castle said President Mills assured he would be abusing his Oath of Office if he fails to ensure that Ghana’s democracy reaches higher heights after the election.

President Mills, according to the statement, said the loss of a single life because of the up-coming election will be an affront to Ghana’s democracy.

“I am not interested in political power that is tainted with blood,” President Atta Mills said. “Democracy is about a contest of ideas and not about shedding blood to gain political power.”

According to President Atta Mills, he is convinced his administration has achieved some “unprecedented” feats in the past three years, and is thus very confident that majority of the electorate will renew his mandate come December 07.

Referring to Senegal’s just-ended election, President Mills said that it is heart warming that after some initial challenges, Senegal has sworn-in a new President who is the popular choice of the people.

He decried how Africa has been beset with a history of chaos because some leaders want to hang on to power for life.

“As Leaders, it is important for us to know that we are elected for a fixed term; once our time is up, we must bow out. What is important is for us to strive to give our people what they want during the time they give us to serve”.

Biometric registration

Away from hardcore politics, one issue of major concern to the Ghanaian community, is the seeming inability of the Electoral Commission (EC) to register Ghanaians in the Diaspora.

They wondered why it is not possible for them to be able to register and vote abroad in the up-coming elections.

Assuring them that they have not deliberately been disenfranchised, President Mills said that the issue of registering and voting abroad is in the domain of the EC – the constitutionally mandated institution responsible for organising elections in Ghana.

According to President Mills, there is no denying the fact that as things stand now, registering and voting abroad will pose certain challenges which if not managed properly, can derail our quest for entrenching democracy.

“I respect the fact that as citizens of Ghana, you have the right to vote but we must also not run away from the fact that if we do not get it right, we may create serious problems for our nascent democracy,” President Atta Mills said.

He gave the assurance that once the EC gives the all-clear, the government would not hesitate to support the process.

Many of the Ghanaians resident in Senegal are professionals working with international organisations and they expressed their appreciation to President Mills for finding the time to interact with them and share concrete ideas on how to vigorously pursue the Better Ghana agenda.

From: Myjoyonline.com