Rawlings: It’s all madness

Rawlings: It's all madness

Former President Jerry Rawlings on Tuesday resumed old ways; blasting the ruling government on all fronts and accusing it of crafting a grand design to perpetuate itself in government while emasculating the masses.

He said the New Patriotic Party under President J.A. Kufuor, has been prosecuting its hidden agenda and creating discomforts for all, alleging that very serious things have been happening with many of the people, perhaps living in a state of self-denial, been oblivious of them.

The former President, professing to know the nature of the NPP too well, said they have created charades to cover up their real intentions.

“One of your lot was sacrificed in Kumasi because he indicated that he was going to stand for one of the parliamentary seats. That whole scenario, that whole charade was described as a contract killing. I stand here before you and I say that I disagree, because I know the nature of these people a little too well. And that's why I'm going to share a few thoughts and experiences with you.”

Ex-President Rawlings was addressing a press conference on the occasion of Ghana's 48th Republican Anniversary at his North Ridge residence to share his views on the direction of governance and to marshal followers of his party, the National Democratic Congress, behind the party's agenda for Election 2008.

He said the very last person to fall victim of the NPP's scheme of malice, was jailed Tsatsu Tsikata, ex-Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.

Urging his listeners to give him some silence and to pay particular attention, he said “I've been in this political field long enough. I have experienced enough. I know and see things that a good number of you do not know and do not see. We have five months more to go, I have to take advantage of this opportunity and open your eyes…Some of us have allowed ourselves to be anaesthasized for too long, even those who are anaesthetized in the hospitals some sooner or later have to wake up. The time has come for us to wake to what is going on.”

Describing Tsatsu as a 'noble citizen' of the land, Rawlings said his jailing has nothing to do with 'the false charges against him' or with him being guilty of any law, but has 'everything to do with one and only one thing'; the NPP is out to test the will and the capacity of the nation to resist a corrupt dictatorship”.

“Listen, listen. If they fool you in thinking that …they fell foul of that law, it has nothing to do with that. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are dealing with a very corrupt, and an extremely guilty government that has lost all respect, faith and confidence of the citizenry. A government that can no longer govern by moral leadership and has to resort to fraud, violence and intimidation to stay in power.”

Rawlings condemned the 'Western governments and their media' for continuously condemning President Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe while 'whitewashing NPP and Ghana'.

Amidst wild applause, he said one of the differences between Zimbabwe and Ghana is that while in Zimbabwe people are running away, in Ghana people have been shocked into coercive silence and have nowhere to run to.

“Right from the onset, the Honourable Ya Na and his councillors were not killed because any of he and his elders was guilty of any crime. The NPP regime needed to emasculate by stamping an electrifying authority, a virtual shock and all, as some in western power would say, on the citizenry of Ghana.”

He said haven emerged from a very defiant revolutionary situation a sense of purpose, very united and strong, Ghanaians were too united to be ruled by people with questionable character who needed to divide the rank of the people through chieftaincy issues, taking advantage of pockets of conflicts in order to succeed with their agenda.

“And once you become weakened, Ladies and Gentlemen I have said it before, any lizard can rule a disunited people.”

Ex-President Rawlings said in the same vein, Issah Mobila, the late Convention Peoples' Party's Northern Regional Chairman, was arrested and tortured to death to further silence the people.

No more kid gloves for NPP

He said the NPP has been pampered for far too long, to the extent that the government has now assumed an air of intoxicated confidence to jail innocent people like Tsatsu, George Sipa Yankey, Victor Selormey, Dan Abodakpi and co and urged all in the NDC to rally together to checkmate and take them on in pursuit of what is right.

He said characters in the NDC had created the impression that they know too well and had therefore spurned good counsel from him and his colleagues. But he said he would no longer keep mute over the misdeeds of his own men.

Rawlings urged all NDC followers not to wait till election time to demonstrate their tenacity, beliefs and conviction but to live it everyday else the NPP would walk away again with 'the theft of 2004 polls'.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, December 2008 is here with another election opportunity. The big question is whether our leadership has learnt any lesson. Ladies and Gentlemen, and while we are waiting for an answer, let me remind the honourable citizens of Ghana that the power of June Four lay in the fact that people all over the country, even in the remotest corners of the country woke up to do the right things. Young and old, men and women, no matter the tribe or religion, no one needed to wait for anyone in Accra to fight for Freedom and Justice. Ladies and Gentlemen, fishermen out at sea, do not have to wait for our brother Professor Badu Akorsah, Atta Mills, Rawlings or Kufuor, to set the sail when the wind is rising and to head back home...

“Ladies and Gentlemen, do not let anyone from the NPP or the state agencies tell you what you know better….Its only five months away, our nation will be put to the noble test of seizing our right to freedom and justice again. Fellow countrymen and women, let us prove our capacity to win in December by continuing to turn up in our numbers at every opportunity as we have always done…”

Author: Isaac Yeboah