I have been in the United Sates Of America on a lecture tour for the last 2 weeks, and I arrived in the UK yesterday for my attention to be drawn to a news item that appeared on the internet at site www.ghanaweb.com about an alleged interview that I gave to a correspondent of the Independent of the 11th Of April headlined “JJ’s Arrogance caused our defeat.” I would like to state that I have never at any time given any interview to a Bulmuo Misbahu Bulmuo of the Independent at any time other directly or indirectly through a third person.

Indeed, since the NDC lost the elections with all the sensationalism about what it did or did not do, I have carefully skirted out of the press and this arises out of my self imposed policy not to speak about public policy at least, for six months because the new government must be given the opportunity to settle in to be able to assess the very difficult choices facing the nation in our present circumstances.

It is for this reason that I have refused invitation to take part in any form of discussions either in the electronic or print media. It has come therefore as a surprise to read on the Internet what was attributed to me. The allegations are totally false; they are the figment of the imagination of the writer and absolutely not coming from me. It is common knowledge that I have forthright views on issues of national character, but what appeared in the independent is definitely not my style of articulating on policy issues.

I have never called into question the leadership of Ex-President Rawlings in the very difficult circumstances that led to his ascendancy of the high office of the Presidency of Ghana, though I have had several occasions to advise him on his style either at the personal or at the institutional level as a former Presidential Adviser. Furthermore, if by being forthright in my advice to the Ex-President is being interpreted as not being a “YESS MAN”, so be it. I have no apologies to make.

Nana Akuoko Sarpong
London, UK