JJ 'Slaps' Mills

Former President Jerry John Rawlings on Saturday descended heavily on the Atta Mills Administration, describing the government as lacking the revolutionary spirit to govern the country. He said the absence of the revolutionary spirit has created disillusion among Ghanaians. “The PNDC and the NDC spirit of determination, power and confidence which moved the entire country in those days is totally missing in this government. “There is disillusion among the people due to the type of governing style that we are witnessing today and I am afraid if we take this to the 2012 polls which the NPP will resort to force to win back power, then it will lead to antagonism which is not necessary”. He said the wrongdoings and misdeeds of public officials that culminated in the birth of the AFRC in 1979 and the PNDC on 31st December 1981 were still rampant today, warning the government to eradicate the rot immediately. The former military dictator disclosed that he, along with the entire NDC fraternity across the length and breadth of the country, was being embarrassed about the government’s lackadaisical performance, insisting, the government was not meeting the aspirations of the electorate. Sounding like he had been sidelined in the decision-making processes of the current administration, he accused the government of making bad decisions since assuming power on January 7 this year, indicating that it did not look good for the NDC and the government. Mr. Rawlings poured out his outbursts while addressing the United Cadres Front (UCF) of the Ashanti region, a wing in the National Democratic Congress (NDC), at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi on Saturday. The former President, who looked peeved throughout his extempore speech, had earlier on held a close door meeting with the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia Palace. He said the entire country, including the NDC hierarchy, was not happy with how the government was running the country. “The party leadership met two days ago and I learnt they expressed gross concern about the performance of the government. But I wonder why they are not making it public and always waiting for me to say it”. Sounding like a prophet of doom, he cautioned that if the trend continued then he would least be surprised if the NDC was booted out of power in the next polls, saying, he could see from afar, disaster befalling the ruling party in 2012. He again warned that if things did not change immediately for the better, then some of them in the party would advise themselves, noting that the government needed to make changes that would reflect the courage and spirit of the PNDC. To avoid a one-term presidency, he implored the government to adopt his (Rawlings’) dynamic leadership style and be bold in dealing with the bad deeds of past government officials, stressing, “People treasure justice than wealth”. He added that the cadre should immediately rescue the party from some people who to him were aliens to the NDC, had hijacked the party and were going contrary to the probity and accountability dictate upon which the NDC was formed, adding that such people were gradually tainting the image of the NDC. Mr. Rawlings warned the hijackers of the NDC not to try to use money to win key positions in the party, stressing that he would not sit unconcerned for them to extend the rot in government to the party. “They can destroy the government but they should not bring it into the NDC”, he charged with a grim face, noting the NPP tried to win power by using money but they failed and that anybody who tried it in the NDC would also fail. Channeling his outbursts at the previous administration, Mr. Rawlings noted that former President Kufuor presided over corruption, bad deeds and jailed innocent people without any justification, wondering why those corrupt officials in the NPP Administration were moving around freely, eight months after the NDC won power. He said the NPP bigwigs must not be spared because if they had the chance, they would deal with NDC members. According to him, right and wrong were coexisting in the country which should not be allowed, so he urged the government to expedite action on dealing with all corrupt men. Mr. Rawlings cautioned the government not to be happy about the findings of the Ghana@50 committee, noting, the NPP members had more evil down their sleeves so they should move faster to uncover them and arrest all those corrupt officials of the Kufuor Administration. Code-mixing broken ‘Twi’ with English, the former President caused a stir when he described the manner in which the previous government handled the Issah Mobilah case as ‘Nkwasiesem”. Popularly known as ‘Mr. Boom’, the utterances of the former President were received with wild applause and praises by the charged NDC sympathizers that had thronged the Prempeh Assembly Hall. Trying to justify his ‘Nkwasiasem’ utterance, Mr. Rawlings explained that the government should trace the commanders that ordered the three corporals to take that weird action for them to also disclose the government officials so that justice could be meted out to all those who were involved in the dastardly act. Turning his fury on the government once again, he expressed disappointment in the Atta Mills Administration, noting, the government was not performing to the expectation of the populace because people who to him were not competent were occupying some ministerial positions. “Some of the ministers do not even deserve to be part of the NDC, let alone occupy positions as ministers,” he fumed, adding, these ministers’ actions were having adverse effects on the government but they were still at post. On his part, Mr. Rawlings’ lackey, Kofi Adams, expressed worry that people like Kofi Jumah walked about freely and could even accuse the government in spite of his alleged wrongdoings at the KMA. He lamented that though the NDC was in power, its supporters were being intimidated as if they were in opposition, calling on the government to sit up and act. Among speakers at the event were Kofi Poku Manu, the Ashanti Regional Minister and other party faithful, notably former NDC Chairman in the region, Frank Osei Mensah who used the occasion to announce his intentions to run for the seat again.