Former President Jerry Rawlings (l) and His Excellency President J. E. A. Mills (r).
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Former President Jerry Rawlings has charged NDC party faithful to be courageous in demanding accountability from the government. The former President said there was no point in complaining about unfulfilled promises without a courageous attempt to confront government.
Speaking to NDC constituency chairmen drawn from twenty-two constituencies in Accra last Monday, the former president said he was aware there was a lot of discontent with the ordinary supporters.
“They think you constituency chairmen are comfortable. Unfortunately you are also in the same situation as they are,” the former president said.
The constituency chairmen sought audience with the former President to express misgivings about the break in communication between the party and government. They were particularly concerned about the failure of the presidency to accord them audience despite repeated requests and said it was dampening the mood in the party.
The spokesman for the group, Magnus Anyetei Sowah, constituency chairman for La Dadekotopon said the supporters had spent years working for the party to return to power but unfortunately the synergy between government and party had totally broken down.
Sowah said the Ga constituencies had played a yeoman’s role in returning the NDC into power and it was unacceptable that they were being ignored in such a shabby manner. He mentioned how some members of government had threatened them not to speak publicly about their disenchantment or face their wrath.
Former President Rawlings said he noted fundamental mistakes right from the onset of the Mills administration and publicly pointed them out to ensure that matters did not escalate but unfortunately nothing had been done about it and rather some have been trying to insinuate that he harbours presidential ambitions.
“We have brought people into our midst who are unknown to the party, people we do not know. If we do not wake up to correct the mistakes I will not have anything to do with the party. I have died so many times for the party, been humiliated both locally and internationally. I cannot die for the greedy (ones) who have wormed their way into government.
“Let us wake up and take our destiny into our own hands. When we won I thought I could retire and write my memoirs but I am not being allowed to. I have suffered humiliation, assassination attempts, and abuse and now I am facing the same with my party’s government?
“We seem to be afraid to right the wrongs of the past and now the criminals of the past government are emboldened and many have entrenched themselves in the military and other sensitive’s institutions,” the former president stated.
"Elections And Discontentment"
The NDC Constituency Chairmen in a group picture with former president JJ Rawlings.
Former President Rawlings said it was very unfortunate that issues of electoral fraud that nearly cost the NDC the election last year had not been brought to the fore even though there was enough evidence to expose it. “Do we not understand politics?” he asked.
The former President said it was important to make wise choices during the ongoing constituency and polling station elections to ensure that only people who genuinely care for the people are elected. “We should not allow this party to be destroyed by any self-seeker,” he cautioned.
Early on last Thursday, a group of former Parliamentary candidates drawn from Greater Accra and Ashanti also called on the former president to express similar sentiments of discontentment with the party’s failure to accord its faithful courtesies and audience.
Their spokesperson Augustus Kweku Eshun said the government and party leaders had failed to take stock of how the victory was achieved, noting that some policies being currently implemented were unpopular with the people and could affect the fortunes of the NDC in 2012.
The candidates who took turns to express their grievances said they were disappointed that some of them were being tagged as pro-Rawlings and thus against the Mills administration.
“During the campaign we all saw how former President Rawlings campaigned vigorously across the country for President Mills. How can anyone in his right mind now question our closeness to him? Is he not the founder of the party?” one of them asked.
The group said the party’s structures have weakened and it was imperative that the founder took steps to check the problems engulfing the party.
Former President Rawlings in response noted that it was important that the former candidates stay faithful and loyal to the grassroots supporters and not pursue individual agendas.
“If we are faithful and loyal to what the people are saying we will go a long way. I have heard disgraceful things. If they want to destroy government they should go ahead but they should not transfer that to the party. If I was a selfish person June 4 and 31st would not have happened.
“Some of our people are intoxicated with power and have forgotten about the people. The NDC that was borne out of the quest for justice is being destroyed so NPP will return?”
The former President said the only way to ensure that sanity prevailed was for the party faithful to be bold and defy attempts by a few to hijack the party and ignore the will of the people.
“We need to be truthful, bold and courageous and tell the government that the NDC needs to demonstrate that there is something better than what the NPP offered,” former President Rawlings said.
