Rawlings: Mills' death could have been avoided

Jerry John Rawlings

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has in an interview with the World Service indicated that President John Mills' death could have been avoided.

According to Mr. Rawlings, he was shocked about the death, but not surprised adding that, 'he's been battling the cancer for quite a while.

Speaking from Congo Brazzaville where he and his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, are participating in activities marking the formal launch of Forbes Africa, at the invitation of President Denis Sassou N'Guesso, Mr. Rawlings said: 'It was quite a shock to my wife and I but it was not unexpected because he's been battling the cancer for quite a while.

'This is certainly the wrong time for him to go considering that we have elections around the corner in December. Quite frankly, I think had he been advised and done something wiser earlier on, he could probably have survived for another six, seven months I guess, but he got too tight, he got extremely tight and the poor professor passed away.'

Rawlings added: 'He's played his part, as my Vice President I think he was one of the finest, he was indeed one of the finest, but there again considering that the cancer affected both his eye and his ear, he couldn't sustain more than three hours per day.

'So he was naturally going to affect his performance and that's why I think he would have done just as well or even better. The only unfortunate thing is that some of the cold-blooded killings that took place before we came into office could not be re-investigated. I would have wished he had really done that.

'Let's see what can be done with the time that is left.'

Asked about what he thought about the current President, John Dramani Mahama, former President Rawlings said 'I don't know but I hope so.'