It seems the dust is not going to settle soon over the storm of controversy caused by the goodwill message flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo sent to President Mills anytime soon considering the public discussion it has generated.
The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) maintains Nana Addo�s message was calculated to deepen the public perception that he (Mills) is unfit to run for re-election because the �wording� of that particular statement was crafted in such a way as to lend credence to the rumour that President Mills was indeed very sick.
A couple of weeks ago, rumours were rife all over the country that President Mills was dead after his (Mills�) no show in public whilst communal violence ravaged parts of the country. The story received prominence on many social media networks with some obviously reporting the rumour and others positing as if the President was indeed dead.
But a genial looking President Mills, decked in a blue-black suit with a dotted matching tie, told the media before departing for the United States for �medical check-up� that he had heard the rumours.
Whiles wondering the basis for such rumours, he assured Ghanaians that he was just going away for a few days to see his doctors.
Subsequently, the Presidential candidate of the NPP issued a statement wishing the president well on his �medical treatment� abroad.
��we have �learnt last night [Sunday] from President Atta Mills that he was on his way to the United States to see doctors for medical treatment�He [Mills] takes with him the thoughts and prayers of all Ghanaians who wish him good health and a safe return to duty in a few days�I hope the checks go well and he comes back fit and strong,� Nana Addo said in the statement.
But the NDC is of the firm position that the content of the message is laced with mischief.
Deputy Minister of Information, James Agyenim Boateng argues Nana Addo�s statement can in no way be described as a �good will� message but rather an �ill-will� one.
Contributing to discussions on PeaceFM�s �Kokrokoo� programme, James Agyenim Boateng noted that Nana Addo�s interpretation of President Mills� trip abroad for medical checkup as medical treatment is mischievous.
�I think ordinarily, there would have been no problem with Nana Addo�s statement but from the content, it cannot be called a good will message; I think it is an ill-will message. The expression that he heard the President is going for medical treatment is mischievous; there is a difference between medical checkup and treatment. Treatment only comes up when the person is sick unless Nana Addo can tell the sickness the president was going to get treatment for," he said.
To him, the reason why the NDC regards Nana Addo�s statement as mischievous is that he (Nana Addo) did not issue any public statement when former President Kufour was sick and recently had a surgery.
�Did anybody hear or point to any statement that Nana Addo issued when former President Kufuor had a surgery? This whole sarcastic statement was part of an effort to just stock the issue and capitalize on it for political gains. It was deliberately done just to create front banner stories to give way for the discussion on President Mills� health,� he added.
Source: Beatrice Adepa Frempong/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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