Nana Nketsiah IV: JJ, Mills blameless

The Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area, , has eulogised former President Jerry John Rawlings and his Vice, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, describing the two as blameless in the way they handled the country, until when they left office.

According to the Paramount Chief, the peaceful manner in which the two former leaders conceded defeat in the 2000 election and handed over power peacefully to the winner was an indication that they always put the interest of the country above their personal needs.

According to Nana Kobina Nketsiah, who is known in private life as Professor Baffoe Maison, handing over power to a different party was more difficult to do in Africa, and for Professor Mills to twice concede defeat, was something African leaders must emulate. Nana Kobina Nketsiah said these when former President Rawlings paid a courtesy call on him in his palace at Essikado last Saturday. Rawlings was in Essikado to address an NDC rally.

Nana Kobina Nketsiah called on followers of Prof. Mills and his party to emulate him since he stands for peace. Turning his attention on Rawlings, Nana said he had personally known Rawlings, and the latter would not stop talking about the betterment of Ghana as a former President.

According to him, since Rawlings name could not be erased from the history of our country due to his contribution to the development of the country, it would be better for him to start writing his memoir, to serve as guiding principle for the generation to come.

Rawlings on his part told Nana Kobina Nketsiah that he was on his soil to address a rally and as a sign of respect he had to pay a courtesy call on him.

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has meanwhile charged Ghanaians to wake up from their slumber and drive away the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from government. 'Ghanaians must wake up, for the devil is destroying the children of Ghana,” he fumed.

According to him, though it is obvious that the party he founded, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would win the December 7 elections, it was important for their supporters to monitor the ruling party from robbing them of victory. At the official launch of the campaign of the Sekondi-Takoradi branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Saturday, he urged Ghanaians to vote out the ruling Party and its government in order to stop them from causing further damages to the future of this country.

He intimated that dark clouds were hanging over the future of the country as a result of the continued stay in office by the NPP government but this would be unveiled during the December polls.

Former President Rawlings said the NDC is taking back its seat of government, considering what he described as 'the magic crowd which the party has been pulling in every campaign it embarks on.'

The crowd, according to him, was ample evidence that Ghanaians were ready and determined to help in wrestling the seat of government from the hands of the 'terror NPP,' he yelled.

“This is because when you vote for the NPP, you vote away your power and are you ready to repeat this mistake you made in 2000 and 2004 elections?', the crowd responded 'no'.

Continuing, former President Rawlings stated that he could not understand why the ruling government continued to reduce the pride of the Ghanaian into slavery and expected the same people to extend their mandate.

'When we left office, we left a legacy of pride and opportunities that will make everybody afford basic needs. But shortly after the NPP took over, they have earnestly reduced you and sent you into slavery,' he observed.

Sounding biblical, Rawlings told the cheering crowd that God created man in His own image but not for one to slave for the other, as it was being demonstrated by the NPP government.

Special Aide to Rawlings, Mr. Kofi Adams, on his part described President Kufuor and the ruling NPP party as termites that must not be allowed to rule and cause harm and injury to the future of the country. 'You know the works of termites and this is what NPP and John Agyekum Kufuor are doing', Kofi Adams stressed.

He accused the NPP and the President of amassing wealth at the expense of the ordinary Ghanaians. He insisted that President Rawlings did not amass wealth when he was in office, and since he left office no single corrupt act had been levelled against him.

He maintained that the illegal acquisition of wealth by the NPP and its leader would be the basis for Kufuor and NPP administration to be shown the exit in the December polls.

Kofi Adams, who also complained about the rampant power outages during NDC programs, observed that the crowd pulled by the party was an indication that Ghanaians were ready to vote for a change in the political leadership of the country.

On his part, the regional Chairman of the party, Dr. Frank Abu, noted that the milling crowd was a testimony of how Sekondi-Takoradi has come to accept the good works of the NDC when it was in power. To him, when it comes to development, the NDC developmental projects far outweigh that of the NPP, and he believed that Ghanaians had regretted voting out the NDC.