FORMER PRESIDENT and Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jerry John Rawlings, has revealed his belief that every member of the party had the right to open discourse, and raise concerns about the health of the party leadership, including that of Professor John Evans Atta Mills.

He however cautioned that such a discourse ought to be done with utmost circumspect and decorum.

In a statement issued from his office and signed by his Special Assistant and Public Affairs Director, Victor Smith, Rawlings asserted that some personalities in the NDC have become intoxicated with the smell of personal power and hate for him and his wife.

The ex-president, who was responding to allegations about his alleged involvement in Prof. Mills' health fracas, lamented that some party members were unable to see how their selfishness and lust were becoming an obstacle to the party's intended victory in the December elections.

He said he viewed the media reports as 'very disturbing' because Prof. Mills has come out on two occasions to say he was well and undergoing routine medical check-ups in South Africa.

Rawlings' comments come in the wake of the controversy that greeted an opinion expressed by one of the party's Members of Parliament, Hon. Michael Teye Nyaunu of Lower Manya Krobo Constituency.

At a mini press conference in parliament house on Wednesday, January 30, 2008, the MP opined that the professor was not healthy enough for the rigorous presidential campaign, and suggested that he should be replaced before things got out of hand.

He told the world that the NDC stood every chance of losing the December elections if it presented Prof John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills as the flagbearer.

Not only did his statement shake the party to its very foundation, it also incurred the wrath of some of his colleagues in parliament, a number of who verbally attacked him and called him 'stupid'.

The multi-billion dollar questions since then are; (1) what did Hon. Nyaunu actually say to warrant those vitriolic attacks from his fellow MPs?

(2)Was his SOS call for a fresh congress a sincere concern or 'sponsored' as claimed by some party members?
(3)Was he actually expressing the concerns of a silent majority in the party?

Your authoritative DAILY GUIDE brings to you an UNEDITED ringside account of the 7 minutes, 38 seconds interview he granted the media as captured by Citi 97.3 FM's Richard Sky (RS).

RS: Hon. could you please repeat what you have just told us?
MP: I mean precisely what I have just said. I mean the NDC should be bold enough to accept the unpleasant situation that Professor Mills is very sick and will be incapable of contesting the December elections.

This is in respect of the fact that, Prof. Mills is a fine gentleman and has a lot of resources in respect of Ghana politics. He has a lot of positive attributes, but unfortunately he is not well. And I sincerely believe that we should be bold enough to say that we are calling for an emergency congress and look for somebody who will withstand the pressure for the December elections. I am still for Prof, but I think that will help the NDC.

We are going into the December election as wounded tigers. We are not going to joke and if your leader is not feeling fine and you try to cosmetize the whole thing, what are we trying to do?

RS: What is the basis of this call, especially as over the years Prof Mills has insisted that he is in good health?

MP: Youngman, you need not necessarily be a doctor before knowing that somebody is sick. Somebody need not really be diagnosed before you can say that he is sick. How do we even identify AIDS Patients? Your own brother in the house, there is a way you can see him and say there is something wrong with him because he is no more as he used to be, because at that time his attitude and everything changes. And that is what I am saying.

Our Prof. Look at our Prof, a very stout man as you knew him and now. Even though age will be telling on him, age will not be as drastic and so impatient and wicked as we are seeing it now. So I am really disturbed and as a member of the party, I really call that we must do something.

Let me tell you, if you have a herd of sheep going for battle, and you put a lion as their leader, there is the likelihood of them defeating a group of lions with a sheep as their leader. You get what I am driving at? This is the analogy.  Continued    Source: Daily Guide - Daily Guide