Odumase-Krobo (E/R), March 7 GNA - The flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor John Evans Atta Mills has called for total unity within the party as it prepared towards the 2008 Election.

He urged the functionaries and sympathizers of the party to forgive one another and forge ahead in unity to enable the NDC to win the polls. Prof. Mills was speaking at a mini-rally at Odumase-Krobo in the Eastern Region, as part of a day's tour of parts of the Region. Prof Mills was accompanied by Mr Michael Nyaunu, Member of Parliament (MP) for Lower Manya, who recently, called for a special congress of the party to elect a new flag bearer to replace Prof. Mills on grounds of his alleged poor health.

A large crowd of cheering supporters and some youth holding placards demonstrating against the MP met the entourage of Prof. Mills. Addressing the crowd, Prof Mills promised to improve upon the condition of service of teachers and re-introduce the study leave with pay policy for teachers if elected as President of the country. He said for teachers to be able to help to develop the human resource base of the country, they needed to be given the opportunity to develop academically to the highest level. Prof. Mills said when government was elected into power, its success was measured by the way it was able to use the resources of the country to satisfy the needs of the people. The success would not be measured as to how it used the resources of the country to satisfy the needs of the ruling elite leaving the people to their fate, he said.

He said the country was witnessing the use of huge sums of money to build the presidential palace and structures that benefited the elite in the country while the people had no water to drink. Prof Mills said if NDC were voted into power it would review its plan to irrigate the Accra plains to help to produce food for export, create wealth and employment.

The flag bearer and his entourage addressed mini-rallies at Koforidua, Akuse and Osiem and paid a courtesy call on the Konor of Manya-Krobo as well as Daasebre Oti Boateng, Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional area.