The flag bearer of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, has urged Ghanaians to avoid destructive political banter while basic social amenities continue to be a challenge. “We cannot engage in destructive political banter while the people of Ghana are not certain whether their lights will be on today or not,” she said. According to her, there was no excuse for some of the problems facing the country, including joblessness, inadequate water supply and poorly maintained schools. “What excuse can we give for badly maintained and ill-equipped hospitals? What excuse can we give to patients in hospitals who are forced to sleep on the floor because hospital beds are not available?” she asked. The NDP flag bearer threw a challenge to presidential hopefuls in the December elections to declare their health status. “Everybody who wants to take the highest servant position of the people of this country should let the people know about his or her health status. It is very important,” she contended. Mrs Rawlings, 63, who was answering questions at the Editors Forum in Accra Wednesday, discounted the assertion that age was not on her side, saying, “When you look at some of the contestants, they are not that young. I am not that young at my age but I am young in spirit and activity.” The health of a sitting president or presidential candidate dominated public discourse when President J.E.A. Mills died in office. To prevent the recurrence of such a situation, the former First Lady said, “One’s health status should be a pre-requisite for being accepted.” The forum was the first public encounter after Mrs Rawlings had received overwhelming endorsement as the NDP presidential aspirant in Kumasi last Saturday. The forum presented the former First Lady with a platform to engage the media and present her agenda for Election 2012. In a speech devoid of direct reference to any party but full of blistering attacks on the current political system, she said, “We have all been witnesses to the erosion of the core values of seeking equal political, social and economic development for all Ghanaians in politics.” While the army of journalists at the forum expected the NDP flag bearer to announce her running-mate, she said the party was still deliberating on the choice of a suitable candidate. She also fell short of saying when she would file her nomination for the December 7 race, saying, “It is either today or tomorrow.”