Mills� Appeal Speech Taken Out Of Context By NPP � Ablakwa

A Deputy Minister of Information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says social commentators have taken President Mills� appeal to striking doctors to return to work out of context. He describes as unfortunate the spin put on what the president said especially regarding the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) policy during his tour of the Greater Accra Region. President John Mills, during a recent 3 day tour of the Greater Accra Region that began on Tuesday, entreated the doctors to return to duty whilst steps are taken to resolve their grievances. He also accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of only announcing the SSSS policy in 2009 but not putting in place any strategy for implementation. His remark has been met with condemnation especially from the opposition NPP, with the flagbearer of the party, Nana Akufo Addo admonishing President John Mills to stop the blame game and act as a leader for once. According to him, President Mills cannot in the third year of his tenure still blame the NPP for his failures, stressing that if President Mills claims the NPP did not leave enough resources for the implementation of the SSSS, then the NPP might have as well left behind its ministers and president in place who would have dealt with the crisis in a �more intelligent manner.� Explaining further in an interview on Okay FM�s Ade Akye Abia morning show, Mr. Ablakwa said President Mills generally made an appeal to the doctors to return to work since life is precious and once lost, cannot be restored. He pointed out that President Mills did not mean to aggravate an already worsened situation but raised genuine concerns, which was that, if the doctors failed to return to the hospital now to take care of patients, time cannot be rolled back for the lives lost to be saved, when they do call off their strike action. He berated the NPP government for only making an �empty announcement� about the SSSS without making any arrangements for its implementation, just a day before leaving power. ��the NPP did not leave any funds nor make available the needed negotiations and job evaluation�besides the single spine is not just about implementing a policy, it involves technicalities,� he said. Okudzeto Ablakwa also added that there is nothing wrong with Nana Addo commenting on the doctor�s strike because it is a national crisis but the important thing is not to politicize and thus worsen the situation.