JJ Goes To Town Again!

Akenteng Appiah-Minkah welcomes former President Rawlings to the lecture

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Accra, Thursday October 25, 2012.

Former President Jerry John Rawlings yesterday delivered a lecture on corruption and described the excessive monetization of politics in the current system as a major threat to Ghana’s democracy.

Mr Rawlings lamented how politicians who have monetized the political landscape are denying competent persons from serving their people.

The Freedom Lectures organized by the Centre for Freedom and Accuracy (CFA) saw the former president telling a packed conference hall of Coconut Groove Regency Hotel in Accra that with elections around the corner and politicians anxious he was going to be mindful about the contents of his delivery.

But the notwithstanding, the former president who was supported at the lecture by his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, went to town on almost all facets of society especially hitting the judiciary and the media hard, and virtually calling Nana Akufo-Addo a president, may be in anticipation of the NPP flagbearer’s victory in the December polls.

As prelude to the lecture which is expected to be published in subsequent editions of DAILY GUIDE, the NDC founder said “I heard discussion that a newspaper had published that the platform I was going to use is an NPP platform. But of course, I have a walking encyclopedia in my office in the person of Kofi Adams who was very quick to remind me that he doesn’t think so. He said even if that was the case, when he (President Mahama) was the Vice President he delivered the first lecture for this organisation.”

“So I guess if President Mahama could do it, is there any reason why I should avoid it?” he asked.

“There are some very interesting situations. When President … Jesus Christ! I beg your pardon!…when the presidential candidate for the NPP Nana Akufo-Addo came to my office, some of our people just could not take it…that how could I have  allowed this!.”

“I was just asking a simple question…So our late President (Mills) was known as the Asomdwehene.  And I guess part of that credential came from the fact that he treated the opponents in a very civilized manner so he was Asomdwee.

“And if today it is the most desirable way to ensure a peaceful co-existence why should I continue to remain in place and be regarded as the trouble maker…the war monger?”

He said that “And yet the very reasons why I was war mongering on the killings and corruption, Asomdwee didn't seem to be taking them up.”

“His relationship with President Kufuor, with Nana Akufo-Addo, school friend, this and that and I was left out there!”

“So it is almost as if within the NDC my family wants to eat the cake and have it at the same time and I should be the war monger so that the others can play diplomatic, fine, fine role.”

 The former President continued: “And I do recall very well  that in one of his first major press conferences, President  Mills  said and I recall this very well: ‘I will not inherit anybody else’s enemies.’ It is there in the records go listen to it.”

“I don’t think I went out of my way to create enemies. For the charges that I was making against the NPP, I disagreed with President Mills on the approach because I felt some of the investigations were done in a manner that suppressed indicting evidence.”

He said because the NDC government had failed to correct wrongdoings of the past they were afraid to go into opposition.

“We have not taken on the issue of justice properly and I want to be properly understood that whenever I say to my people that why are you afraid of going into opposition I am not saying that I want them to go into opposition.

“I would want them to win but if you were to lose and go into opposition can you enjoy the safety or any security from the judicial system and the laws of the country. How forceful is the judicial consciousness of the people to ensure that they could not get persecuted as happened the last time when you were in opposition from 2000”, he said.

He said he did not understand why people should only derive their safety from just being in government adding “We should be able to derive our safety from the judicial system of the country and that should be overriding for all of us.”

He said if that happens, “Whether you are in government or outside of government you can enjoy security.”