JJ: We’re frghting the enemy and traitor
By Daniel Nonor
By: President Jerry John Rawlings seem to have deepened the gaping crack in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) when he reiterated his disappointment at the rate at which the current government had lost its enviable sense of political morality and moral high ground.
According to Mr Rawlings, the upcoming elections would create a lot of stress in the country, considering the culture of political selfishness, greed, thievery, and ingratitude that had characterise the administration of the country.
The former President further noted that the current crop of leaders in government had served the values on which the NDC party was built to the dogs, and had chosen to 'monetise everything.'
Mr. Rawlings, who addressed hundreds of members of the 31 st December Women's Movement (DWM) on the occasion of its 30 th Anniversary at the plush Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra, did not mince words to state that the fight to restore the dignity of the NDC had moved beyond that of the known 'enemy' – which he named as the opposition – to flushing out the 'traitor' within the party. He, however, failed to mention who the traitor was.
'This time, however, we are fighting against two enemies – one the perceived enemy and the other one the traitor. We cannot fight both at the same time, and therefore, one has to go,' he noted.
According to the former president, the NDC party had always won elections on the power of integrity, and wondered how much chance the current government had in the upcoming polls, now that they had departed from the weapon and values that served as the lifeline to the party's success.
'How can the government, in its desire to hold onto political power, demean itself in such a crass manner? Can we sustain hope and strength in this depraved political atmosphere?' he queried.
Mr. Rawlings could not fathom why the current NDC government could afford to undermine an instrumental movement such as the 31 st DWM, which had long served as the backbone of the party and had given true meaning to the implementation of the economic policies that turned Ghana's economy around.
He emphasised that when the NDC party was established, the network created by the 31 st DWM served as a powerful avenue for propagating the government's philosophy and ideals, and also formed an influential machinery that hoisted the party's image over the period, but was at a loss as to why 'they [government] have chosen to exclude them and do worse than our so-called 'enemies' were doing between 2000 and 2008.'
An apparently incensed Mr Rawlings descended on individuals who were now parading and strutting the corridors of power taking credit for achievements they cannot be identified with.
'Today men are parading and strutting the corridors of power, taking credit for …achievements, including the political and social security of the state when it was most needed. I hope one day when the truth is told, this triumph of evil will be reversed.'
Mrs. Rawlings also noted that the fight for women emancipation was not over, though significant strides had been made over the 30 year period of the 31 st December Women's Movement.
'Today, the 31 st December Women's Movement, in its thirtieth year, can boast of transforming the mentality of the Ghanaian woman. The Ghanaian woman will never go back to what we were in 1982. We have changed, and we have changed for the better. We are confident - most of us know what we want even when we face difficulties, we approach it head-on, because we know it is possible to achieve our goals,' she noted.