President John Dramani Mahama has responded to opponents and critics of his nationwide “thank you tour” saying, they should call their well wishers who sympathized with them in time of grief to thank them, instead of visiting them in their various homes. The President has come under a heavy criticism particularly from some members of the NPP, who describe his nationwide tour as unnecessary and amounts to abuse of power. Addressing a durbar of the chiefs and people of the Eastern Region at the Koforidua Jackson Park on Wednesday, President John Mahama noted that “it is un-Ghanaian for anyone to thank his/her sympathizers through the mass media after they have wished him well in grief”. According to him, the Ghanaian culture teaches us to respect our chiefs and elders and all well wishers by reciprocating their gesture through thanking them individually for sharing in our sorrow. ‘When I started my tour, some people questioned why I am doing that and mentioned that I was campaigning. They said I should have used the mass media or write a letter to thank Ghanaians but our elders do not teach us that’ President Mahama said. ‘I say to my critics that today, everyone has a mobile phone so when they are bereaved they should pick a mobile phone and thank their well wishers and sympathizers’, he said. He used the opportunity to thank the chiefs and elders of the Eastern Region for the support and love they showed during the late president Mills’ funeral and assured them of his commitment to complete all projects and programs started by president Mills. He also reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that, every Ghanaian goes to cast his or her votes without fear or panic in December 7, 2012.