The Vice-President and flag bearer of the NDC, Professor John Atta Mills on Thursday emphasised that it is vital that he and Mr Kufuor engage in a debate to enable Ghanaians to judge for themselves which of them is capable of handling the nation's economy.

He said it is imperative for all Ghanaians to question if Mr Kufuor, the NPP presidential candidate, is capable of handling the affairs of the country since he has already started reneging on earlier promises that an NPP government will salvage the economy within days of coming into office. Prof. Mills made these comments during a phone-in programme on 'Radio Central' in Cape Coast as part of his two-day campaign tour of the region, which began on Wednesday. His tour took him to some communities in the Twifu-Hemang-lower Denkyira district.

The Vice-President said next Thursday's presidential run off is about which of them is more qualified to assume the reins of state and should therefore not be regarded as a battle between his party and the NPP.

He said although he accepts that there is the need for change, "calls for such a change should be beneficial and different from what is happening now".

Prof. Mills said with the vast experience he has gathered as Vice- President he should be the obvious choice of the people.

On calls for him to withdraw from the re-run of the presidential election in view of the huge amount of money involved, he said even if he did, there would still be the need for the voting since Mr Kufuor did not attain the stipulated percentage vote in the first round.

Prof. Mills said the present government has already laid the necessary infrastructure through the provision of good road network and social amenities, adding that his administration would now concentrate on developing the various sectors of the economy.

He made particular mention of his determination to tackle unemployment, develop the agricultural and education sectors and said it is for this reason that the education trust fund and the directory of scholarships for financial assistance have been introduced to cater for the educational needs of the poor.

Prof. Mills urged Ghanaians to ignore promises being made about the provision of free medical care and emphasised that no government can offer free medical services.

He said it is however to eliminate inconveniences associated with the cash and carry system that the government has introduced national health insurance and health endowment schemes to cater for the needs of the poor.

The NDC presidential candidate spoke about plans to improve the road network in the region and within the Cape Coast municipality as well as the construction of an airstrip to enhance the flow of tourists to the region.

He said there are also plans to set up information technology centres to train the youth. He thanked the people for their support and for helping to ensure the peaceful conduct of the December 7 elections and stressed the need for the same commitment for a successful run off.