The January 10, 2008 editions of The Chronicle and DAILY GUIDE reported "Various attacks on the NPP, the Kufuor administration and the NPP nominee for President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, by Mr. Spio Garbrah, former President Rawlings and NDC flag bearer Professor Atta-Mills. According to the newspapers, the NDC trio accused the NPP administration of stealing, nepotism and rigging the 2004 elections. These charges and accusations are false. They are lies by the desperate NDC, calculated to confuse the public, cause disaffection for the NPP and its flag bearer and salvage the dwindling electoral fortunes of the NDC. As the NDC leaders know, there are appropriate agencies that can receive and investigate credible charges against public officials. The NDC set most of these up before leaving power in 2000. If the NDC is interested in stealing and bribery in public office, they should begin by following up on the admission by cement-maker SCANCEM in a Norwegian court that they had a deliberate policy to bribe African leaders and that their beneficiaries included former President Rawlings, his wife and one of his key advisors. Furthermore, if the NDC was interested in stealing and corruption, when Hon. Abodakpi was convicted by a court on causing financial loss to the state, the NDC would have urged him to pursue his leal remedies instead of walking out of Parliament in protest. Responsible action by the NDC on these and other issues relating to corruption would help to restore the NDC's tarnished anti-corruption image. Until such remedial action is taken by the NDC, their self-righteous effusions would be seen as nothing more than crass opportunism. The 2004 elections that Mr. Rawlings and Prof Mills now claim were rigged were organized by Dr. Afari Djan and an Electoral Commission appointed by President Rawlings. All over Africa, Ghana's Electoral Commission has been lauded as a model of integrity and transparency. It is a shame that Mr. Rawlings is disparaging one of his greatest legacies - the Electoral Commission under Dr. Afari Djan. In his acceptance speech at Legon on December 23, Nana Addo, the NPP flag bearer, urged Professor Mills and Dr Nduom to join him in a positive campaign of ideas focused on the respectful debate of the important issues facing our country. By making the attacks reported in the press, the NDC has rejected Nana Addo's offer. The NPP and its flagbearer believe that the politics of insults and intimidation belong to a by-gone era, to which Ghanaians are not prepared to,return. They want something better and will accept nothing less. Let the NDC look at the larger interest of Ghana rather than their narrow political interest and join the NPP and its flagbearer in a positive campaign of ideas that would make all Ghanaians proud. Let us consign the politics of insults, intimidation and tribalism to history. Finally, while the NPP and its flagbearer plan to run a positive campaign based on offering solutions to Ghana's problems, let there be no doubt that there would be a vigorous and passionate defense of tne Kufuor administration, the NPP and Nana Addo from false and malicious attacks from any sources at all times. Kukrudu!! Kukrudu!! Kukrudu!! Good luck to Ghana in CAN 2008 and have a happy 2008. Source: Daily Guide/Arthur Kobina Kennedy