Former President Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings at the lecture
Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Accra, Saturday October 27, 2012
Former President Jerry John Rawlings has showered praises
on his wife Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, describing her as ‘a noble woman’ who
fought to bring the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) this far.
He encouraged the former First Lady ‘not to give
up’ her ambition to lead the newly-formed National Democratic Party (NDP), a
party that has been disqualified from contesting this year’s Presidential
Election.
“I want to assure her that even if
it doesn't work this time, her party has the qualities, the integrity that
others will come back to; what the others don’t have,” Mr Rawlings said.
The NDP has been formed by
disgruntled members of the ruling NDC and Mrs. Rawlings was elected as the
party’s flag bearer to end widely-held suspicion that the former first Family
is behind its formation.
However, when she attempted to
file her papers to contest the Presidential election scheduled for December 7,
2012, she was disqualified by the Electoral Commission, compelling the
newly-formed party to seek redress at the Human Rights Court.
Even before the court decides the
fate of the NDC breakaway party, the NDP is running series of radio commercials
on a number of radio stations selling the credentials of Mrs Rawlings while Ghanaians
should vote for her.
Addressing the Freedom Lectures on corruption organized
by the Centre for Freedom and Accuracy (CFA) in Accra on Wednesday evening, the
NDC founder said “I am not even talking in favour of the most noble woman here and her party
that they are attempting to disqualify.”
“For
me, I see this party (NDP) as the party of the future. That is not to say that
she should give up. This woman never gives up. A lot of them in the NDC know
the role she played.”
Mr
Rawlings, who is the NDC founder expressed faith in the NDP as “a party of the
future” and it has the “qualities, the integrity that the others [political
parties] don't have.”
Bemoaning
corruption that has permeated every fiber of the society, the former military leader
said “it
is this willingness to tolerate the intolerable, that gives the motivation or
momentum for persons or institutions with influence to perpetuate acts of
corruption within our society.”
He questioned the decision by MPs
to award themselves salary increments in the face of difficult economic
conditions and added that while the MPs have sought to justify the increments
by referring to the fact that individuals in their constituencies besiege their
offices daily to seek some financial support, the real solution did not lie in
doing charity work.
The former President waded into
the controversial Judgement Debt debate saying “It is clear
that the Woyome case led to the exposure of multiple payments in millions to
various individuals and organisations in what is now popularly referred to as
the judgement debt saga.”
“It is strongly argued and perceived that some
have demanded and received payments under fraudulent circumstances, with the
excuse that contracts have been blatantly abrogated by a previous government and
monies owed to individuals or organisations been left outstanding for unholy
lengths of time.
“It is also perceived that some members of
government have quietly turned into front men for some of these aggrieved
institutions and played influential roles in seeking out of court settlements
leading to huge payments,” he added.
He asked: “Why did we allow the state to face so
much legal pressure from individuals and organisations seeking compensation for
so-called abrogated contracts, unpaid contractual fees and a host of others?
“Why have we allowed the processes of state as
pertains to the award of contracts and subsequent payments to be hijacked by
political authority without due recourse to an institution of state that is
independent of political influence?”.
Former
President Rawlings called on President John Mahama to take steps to halt the private
redevelopment of the lands situated opposite the 37 Military Hospital and use
it rather to expand that health facility.
He
also commended President Mahama for stopping the proposed sale of Merchant Bank.
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