Abetifi (E/R), Jan. 23, GNA - The Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, has advised Ghanaians to respect the country's authorities, especially the presidency, to ensure peace, stability and development. He said since the President and the country's leadership were democratically elected to steer the affairs of the country for a stipulated term of office, Ghanaians, irrespective of their political and ethnic affiliations, should exercise patience and judge them at the end of their mandate through a democratic election.

Alhaji Mahama was addressing the Kwahu Traditional Council (KTC) when he and the newly-elected executive members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) paid a courtesy call on the Council at Abetifi on Sunday. He said the utterances and insults by some individuals in the electronic and print media against the presidency and other state authorities could run down the country's democratic process and advised those involved in the negative tendency to respect authority "since the ruling government will not be in power forever."

The Vice-President reminded chiefs that they were partners in development and urged them to co-operate with the district assemblies and other governmental agencies to enhance development in the District. He said the Government was aware of the Kwahu traditional area's support to the NPP in the last two presidential and parliament elections and assured them that it would undertake a number of development projects such as road construction and the rehabilitation of the Kwahu water project at Kotoso to improve the living standards of the people. The Omanhene of the Kwahu Traditional Area, Daasebre Akuamoah Boateng II, urged Parliament to enact laws that would benefit the people, such as those that would help to reduce the high rate of accidents on the country's roads.

He urged the government to ensure equal distribution of funds and projects under the poverty reduction programme for the reduction of high poverty rates in the country.

Daasebre Boateng also urged government to come out with a programme to stop the invasion of Fulani herdsmen and their cattle in the area, saying "the immigration officials at the country's boarders have failed to prevent the herdsmen and their cattle from entering the country." The National Chairman of the NPP, Mr Peter Mac Manu, who thanked the chiefs for their support to the party, assured them that his executive would continue from where his predecessors left off by continuing to unite all supporters of the party to win the 2008 general elections.

Present at the meeting were the Deputy Ministers for Communication and Trade and Industry, Dr Aggrey Ntim and Mr Asiedu Affram, respectively, and the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Miss Suzzie Mensah, the District Chief Executives for Kwahu West, Kwahu South and Affram Plains, Nana Kofi Kesse, Nana Onwona Asante and Mr Solomon Fordjour.