Rawlings Calls For Vigilance

Former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Accra, Tuesday 30, 2012.

FORMER PRESIDENT Jerry John Rawlings has taken his message of probity and accountability to local communities, urging the people to be ‘vigilant’ at all times.

Addressing the inaugural Nugoryiza Festival of the chiefs and people of Penyi in the Ketu North district of the Volta region, the former President said that for accelerated development to occur in local communities, there was the need for the people to demand probity and accountability.

“I enjoin all of you here to be vigilant and seek probity and accountability as you embark on this journey towards the development of Penyi.”

The chiefs and people of Penyi decided to take their destiny into their hands by initiating development projects to raise the standard of living of the people and the former President has commended them highly saying “the initiative you have taken today will one day serve as an example to other communities across the country.”

President Rawlings said “our dear country faces several challenges and the biggest of them is the failure sometimes, of our people to take aggressive and ambitious development initiatives.”

He recalled the PNDC/NDC era when he led the introduction of what he called “a people-centred community-initiated political model, which is today referred to as the District Assembly.”

“This concept has gone a long way to ensure that people at the grassroots have their own way of kick-starting their developmental initiatives and driving these initiatives with the support of central government.”

The former President said unfortunately the central government was still handicapped by limited resources, making sponsorship of projects for implementation competitive.

He added that “when I hear stories of a people who have decided to take their own initiative and seek the encouragement and support of their brothers and sisters across the length and breadth of the country and even beyond, it brings a sense of hope that we still harbour positive ambitions for our communities.”

“I know you initiated this project five years ago and are re-launching it today because you failed to meet your five-year target. You have given yourselves another five-year projection and are committed to ensuring that you achieve this new target.” 

“It is particularly impressive that this development initiative is geared towards offering the youth the opportunity to serve their community and have a sense of responsibility towards their society. I am particularly impressed that the Penyi Youth Organisation is using various mediums, including social media such as Facebook to mobilise the youth for unity and economic development.”

“A few days ago I delivered a lecture in Accra on corruption and its effect on national development. I enjoin the managers of this project not to allow petty selfishness to override the collective desire of the people of Penyi,” he said