Mills' men are opportunists- Rawlings

Former president Rawlings has kept pressure on the president Former President Jerry John Rawlings has stated that the incorruptibility or otherwise of President John Evans Atta Mills is not of any critical relevance to the development of the nation, pointing to the kind of ‘traitors and opportunists’ the President has surrounded himself with. According to the former President, the majority of people in the current government were not truly committed to the success of the administration, and opined that the 11-month-old government be purged of such ‘undesirables’ without delay. “When I mention their treachery, I refer to their lack of understanding of the NDC’s ideals and the need for President Mills to purge his government of such people because the majority of them are opportunists and cannot be allowed to dilute the sanctity of the party and its leadership.” Mr. Rawlings said he would not allow some money bags in the NDC to corrupt the party.“Our party is a party that believes in loyalty and duty mindedness. I have noticed attempts to use money or coercive state machinery to intimidate delegates to vote in a certain direction,” he charged. He therefore stressed that comments about who rejected bribes at the Castle should be relegated to the background because “a lot more is expected of the President”. Responding to developments on the political scene in the recent past, in a media statement through his handlers, and which were also posted on his blog, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Founder said Mills needed to go the extra mile to purge his government of the bootlickers packed in it. “Integrity is unfortunately not enough to manage a country. It is the ability to uphold a sense of probity, accountability and the strength and urgency of one’s sense of justice that defines how incorruptible an NDC leader is,” he said. The former President, who had been very critical of the Mills Administration in the past few months, once again expressed worry about the composition of the current government, some members of who were merely attempting to parasite on the Presidency, and warned that he would not change his posture till he had seen true change in the party. “I will continue to show interest in the party and work to restore its hard-won integrity. Those who are hell-bent on creating problems better look elsewhere to impose their devious agenda,” he warned. He said those ‘traitors’ in the government were either half-baked NDC people who failed to demonstrate commitment when the party was in opposition or members of what he described as periphery parties, saying they must be thrown out. Describing Mr. Kwame Pianim’s recent utterances about Mills’ incorruptibility as ‘lurid confessions’, Rawlings said by making justice a secondary matter, the President was endorsing wrongs and crimes committed in the past. “It is great to be bold and incorruptible. What will be the use of these qualities if they do not carry the power and conviction to fight injustice as both Christ and Mohammed did? If justice is not restored into the fabric of our foundation, economic gains that may be made will continue to dissipate into the wrong hands and perpetuate the social and economic suffering of our people”. Rawlings explained that his comments on the integrity of Mills at last Saturday’s Brong Ahafo @ 50 Awards was more of a wake-up call to the President to respond to the problems facing the country, than attempts to slight him. The former President had in the past months condemned both the composition and governance style of President Mills, describing some members of government as ‘greedy bastards’. Even though he failed to name the so-called ‘greedy bastards’, the NDC Founder fumed over the reckless dissipation of state resources in the current government and signalled his intention to take back the party he formed ‘with his blood’. Addressing NDC constituency chairmen drawn from some 22 constituencies in Accra six weeks ago, he charged party activists to confront government and demand fulfillment of campaign promises, and also threatened to quit the party if things remained the way they were. While Pianim said he had seen Mills reject bribes twice, former President Rawlings said he ‘noticed’ attempts to use money or coercive state machinery to intimidate delegates of the ruling party to vote in a certain direction in the ongoing constituency and regional elections. He however did not say whether those bribes were rejected or accepted. Source: Daily Guide