Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt has noted that there is no basis to discriminate against President John Evans Atta Mills even if he is actually blind. According to him, all Ghanaians had agreed that the rights of persons with disabilities should be respected, to the extent that all the political parties had in their manifestos elaborate sections covering the manner in which the disabled should be treated. A member of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings’ campaign team, Mr Michael Teye Nyaunu who is also the Member of Parliament for Lower Manya Krobo, had admonished some delegates of the ruling National Democratic Congress not to vote for President Mills to retain his position as flagbearer of the party because he has lost control over his appointees and that he cannot read due to his failing eyesight. However, Mr Kwesi Pratt, speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo programme Friday, argued that if the nation believed that the disabled should not be discriminated against, why then would people measure the President’s ability to function in his capacity based on a physical defect. He added that President Mills could not be blind because he had been going about the regions on his tours, moving from one place to the other without a white cane. Kwesi Pratt advised contestants in the race to maintain a clean campaign instead of adopting petty diversionary tactics with the sole purpose of denigrating the President and his administration. Touching on ex-president Jerry John Rawlings’ assurance to reveal more on what he terms the corruption of the Mills-led government during the upcoming June 4th celebrations, Mr Pratt said he doubted the ex-president will keep to his word because he [Pratt] had information that Mr Rawlings had decided to postpone his revelation to July 8 when the NDC holds its delegates’ congress. Mr Randy Abbey, a panelist on the programme, agreed with Mr Pratt that whether or not the President could see was immaterial, pointing out that the 1992 Constitution only talked about electing as President a person with a sound mind. He however added that if the nation now saw the health status of the President as critical to his efficiency and effectiveness at delivering on his mandate, then it was necessary to include that in the constitution as pertains in other jurisdictions. Story by Dorcas Efe Mensah/myjoyonline.com/Ghana