The Council of State has congratulated President J.A. Kufuor on his impressive record during his two-term presidency and noted that among his many achievements, the President would be remembered for steering the country from a Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) to one of hope and great aspirations. At the last quarterly meeting with the President at the Castle on Thursday, the Chairman of the council, Professor Daniel Adzei-Bekoe, said the achievements of the Kufuor administration were noticeable in the fields of education, health, energy and infrastructure, which had prepared the country for a brighter future and indicated that many organisations at home and abroad had recognised those achievements. "In recent times, you have received distinguished awards in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States of America and The Netherlands and all these bear eloquent testimony of your democratic credentials as a leader, as well as your tremendous achievements within a span of eight years. "Your political career has spanned some 40 difficult years and has been crowned with several intangibles which collectively illustrate your party's motto of 'Development in Freedom", he stressed. Some of the physical monuments Prof. Adzei-Bekoe identified included football stadia in Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi and Tamale, as well as the magnificent Golden Jubilee House. He said even though the President would be leaving his successor several successes and legacies, there were still more improvement to be made in the years ahead. "Nothing is perfect in this world of ours and we are not ashamed that there are imperfections. We must be perpetual learners, learning from our experiences and from those of others," he added. While commending the President, the members also drew his attention to some problems which required sustained and vigorous action to resolve. Prof Adzei-Bekoe said the nation had a long way to go in effectively and comprehensively tackling the sanitation problems of the cities and welcomed the contributions being made by Zoomlion Ghana Limited towards cleanliness in parts of the country. He said although little was known about the detailed structure and functioning of Zoomlion, he was hopeful that its mode of operation and resources would make the company a permanent feature. On the forthcoming general election, Prof Adzei-Bekoe, said the council, just like many other organisations, had been worried about the maintenance of a peaceful atmosphere before, during and after the elections. After holding consultations with the Electoral Commission and political parties on the obstacles to peace, the council appreciated the fact that in spite of all the preparations to deal with the obstacles, the key to peace was vigilance, he stated. Responding, President Kufuor said the nation was on the threshold of securing a greater future for itself and, therefore, asked all and sundry to ensure that that dream become a reality. He said neither he nor the government could claim perfection, adding, however, that within the limits, he was of the strong conviction that the government and the nation were on course. The President said the government had made efforts in the areas of infrastructural development, energy, education, health and agriculture to put the country on a trajectory of development and moving in the right direction. He said many countries in the world, including India, Japan and China, were acknowledging Ghana and honouring it for its record of achievements. Referring to a popular phrase used in Britain under former Prime Minister Macmillan, President Kufuor said "the nation has never had it so good". Touching on the general election, the President said parties should go into the elections with the mindset to accept their fate and the will of the people. Source: Daily Graphic