Dr. Kwabena Duffour, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer candidate, has shot back at those who have questioned his age as he seeks to become the opposition party’s presidential candidate.
He claimed that competence and integrity, not age, are what matter in governance and management.
In an exclusive interview with Media General’s Paa Kwesi Asare, the former finance minister made references to the biblical account of how God chose Moses over other young Hebrews who were available throughout Egypt to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.
“When God decided to rescue the Hebrews from Egypt, He didn’t take someone like you,” Dr Duffuor said, referring to the interviewer.
“He took an 80-year-old person, knowing that they were going to walk on the desert for 40 years.
“There were younger people like you. Why did God not choose one of them but went outside and brought back Moses who had run away and had stayed outside at 80 years?”
The former governor of the Central Bank dared anyone who questioned his health to produce their records so they could be compared to his.
Former President John Dramani Mahama, who is being challenged by Dr. Duffuor for the position of flagbearer, questioned why 80 and 90-year-olds will compete to lead countries in Africa in a lecture given at Chatham House in the UK at the beginning of this year.
“When you have a leader who is old, he has no business continuing to be a leader. It doesn’t matter where the person is coming from, whether Africa or whatever.
“When you have leaders who have problems in terms of thoughts, they have no business continuing being in leadership, especially when you have a continent with a population as youthful as Africa.
“Sixty percent of the African population is young. So, why would 80-year-olds and 90-year-olds still want to lead?”
In the interview, Dr. Duffour claimed that Mr. Mahama, who was 52 when he took office, did not perform even close to the late former president John Evans Atta Mills’ 69-year-old level of performance.
“People should do proper analysis, Prof Atta Mills left office when he was about 69, his Vice was HE John Mahama, [who] was about 52 [but] looking at the performance of the two people, John Mahama and Prof Mills, it is not age but competence and integrity,” he said, insinuating an abysmal performance by Mr Mahama.
When asked on this, he insisted: “The figures are there to speak on!”
