Samuel Okocha, AfricaNews reporter in Lagos, NigeriaA Ghanaian-born doctor Peter Bossman is to become the first black mayor in Slovenia after winning a runoff election in the European country's coastal town of Piran with 51.4 percent of votes.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Kufuor Grabs 1.4 Acre Government Land For GH¢4,000
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| Source: The Enquirer |
"NDC Should Shelve Destructive Tendencies"
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| Source: GNA |
NDC Disowns Mrs. Rawlings…It’ll Be Politically Suicidal To Elect Her Flagbearer
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| Source: Beatrice Adepa Frempong/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana |
NDC: Konadu must denounce campaign posters
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A devastated country in the time of cholera
The Economist
WITH few signs of recovery nine months after Haiti’s earthquake, the country’s government and its main foreign-aid donors were forced to tout a rather underwhelming achievement—the absence of water-borne diseases like typhoid, diphtheria and cholera—as evidence of progress. Now, even that claim is beyond their grasp. In the past four days over 200 people have died of cholera in the country, and a handful of victims have shown up in Port-au-Prince, the capital.
This was the situation that humanitarian workers feared most. The capital’s tent cities, numbering over 1,300 and still home to 1.3m people, are veritable Petri dishes for disease. Many lack a consistent supply of clean water. Toilets are smelly and, even in the best-run camps, not de-sludged often enough. Flooding and standing water—literal cesspools—are frequent at this late stage in the rainy season.
Untreated, cholera can kill within hours of the first symptoms. It causes profuse diarrhea, and victims can lose gallons of water per day. The treatment is hardly high-tech—oral rehydration salts, IVs for victims unconscious or too weak to drink, and lots of clean water—but Haiti’s weak health system could not handle an epidemic.
Indeed, the “medical grid” (aid-speak for health-care infrastructure) has already collapsed in St Marc, where the first cases appeared Wednesday. Located 100km north of Port-au-Prince and unaffected by the earthquake, it is one of the main cities in Haiti’s so-called rice basket, the Artibonite Valley—whose eponymous river is where epidemiologists suspect that the outbreak originated. People use the river to bathe, wash clothes and drink.
So far, no cases are known to have originated in Port-au-Prince: the five confirmed victims in the capital appear to have journeyed there to seek care. That’s a sliver of good news. But as goods and people journey through the country, it’s not likely to last.
By P. B.
Democracy in America:The youth vote
Out with the olds
By E.G. | AUSTIN, The Economist
WHILE thinking about the youth vote in this year's mid-term elections, I've come to the conclusion that America's young adults—people between the ages of 18 and 29—are on track to be, well, better than their parents. While the Boomers are out busting up their marriages and defaulting on their mortgages, the Millennials are stoically piling up student loans, serving in foreign wars, and telling pollsters they're still optimistic about the future of the country. In some areas, their confidence may be unwarranted (in particular, they put more stock in government than any other age cohort), and I wouldn't mind seeing a little more fractious political behaviour from the youth (the tea-party movement is spirited, if nothing else, and the average age of the movement is perhaps 50). Still, their faith is sincere, and we are, of course, comparing them to their parents. So I was interested to see Michael Kinsley, a Boomer, consider the case against his generation:
They ducked the challenge of Vietnam—so much smaller than the military challenge their parents so triumphantly met. They made alienation fashionable and turned self-indulgence (sex, drugs, rock and roll, cappuccino makers, real estate, and so on) into a religion. Their initial suspicion of the Pentagon and two presidents, Johnson and Nixon, spread like kudzu into a general cynicism about all established institutions (Congress, churches, the media, you name it). This reflexive and crippling cynicism is now shared across the political spectrum. The Boomers ran up huge public and private debts, whose consequences are just beginning to play out. In the world that Boomers will pass along to their children, America is widely held in contempt, prosperity looks to more and more people like a mirage, and things are generally going to hell.Arguably unfair, Mr Kinsley concludes, but the Boomers are right to feel a bit disappointed in themselves. However, he continues, "it's not too late for a generational gesture." They can't win the second world war, but they can make their mark in some other area, tackle a major problem, leave the country demonstrably better off on their way out the door, redeem themselves a little.
A fine goal for any generation. But what are the Boomers to do? The question had also occurred to Joe Klein at Time magazine, who suggested that the Boomers fight to legalise marijuana. Mr Kinsley recoils at the idea: not nearly big enough, and bad branding—self-indulgent to the very end. Mr Kinsley's own suggestion is that his generation should raise a bunch of money to pay down the national debt:
Fair? Of course it’s not fair. That’s the point. If it was fair, the gesture would be meaningless. Boomers are not primarily responsible for America’s debt crisis. Blame goes mostly to the World War II generation, which in this regard was not so Great. They’re the ones who notoriously want to “Stop the Government from messing around with our Medicare,” and Boomers are the ones who have been paying to support the last vestige of old-fashioned fee-for-service medicine—for the old folks. The Boomers themselves and their children are more likely to go to an HMO.That passage actually sounds like something that might come from Generation X—independent, cynical, entrepeneurial. In any case, there are actually two goals here. Mr Kinsley wants (1) his generation to redeem itself by changing its ways, and (2) to knock out one of America's big problems. But the ability to accomplish (2) is contingent on the success of (1), and (1) is a massive undertaking. Are the Boomers meant to become mature, magnanimous, and selfless overnight? That's not going to happen. The project will have a greater chance of success if the Boomers can tackle it as they are. Better to find a (2), that is, that doesn't require a (1).
But that’s okay. You won World War II, so we are going to take care of your debts, cover your extravagances, and go along with your little pretense that you paid for it and are entitled to it.
My suggestion: prison reform. We imprison far too many people for far too inconsequential reasons, warping millions of lives in the process. The Boomers, having done many things that many people are currently in prison for (see Mr Klein's argument above), can credibly make the case that this is silly. It would connect to the values the generation had at one point, of peace, love, and sticking it to the Man. It wouldn't require much personal sacrifice on the part of the Boomers—just a willingness to raise and press and pursue the issue in the public sphere—and if reform were to happen, it would save a lot of money, which connects to Mr Kinsley's thinking. A reasonable goal?
The integration debate in Germany:Is multi-kulti dead?
The Economist online | BERLIN
A FEW months ago Germans were basking in the positive glow cast by their multicultural football team. They did not quite win the World Cup but did pretty well with a part-Ghanaian defender, a midfielder with Turkish roots and a striker from Poland. What a great advertisement for a Germany “open to the world”. Now suddenly the talk is of an immigrant-bashing, Islam-hating Germany nostalgic for the firm leadership of the 1940s. Why? And which is the real Germany?
The person responsible for spoiling the mood is Thilo Sarrazin, an obscure member of the Bundesbank’s board, who in August published a controversial book, Deutschland schafft sich ab (“Germany does away with itself”). The dour economist reached this conclusion—surprising in light of Germany’s splendid economic performance—from his reading of the demographic future: with the country's population shrinking overall, immigrants and the underclass are having too many children, well-educated native Germans too few. Biologically, culturally and professionally Germany is dumbing down, Mr Sarrazin argued (and was then forced out of his job).
The insult to the poor was quickly forgotten but the anti-immigrant line snowballed into a ferocious debate about how Germany should deal with its 16m immigrants (or people with “migrant backgrounds”), especially its 4m or so Muslims. Even those who revile Mr Sarrazin accept that he has struck a nerve. Germany clearly isn’t doing enough to bring immigrants into the social and economic mainstream. Too many drop out of school and live off the dole. A worrying minority form “parallel societies”, and a few actively plot harm against their German neighbours.
Germans accentuate the negative, according to a raft of recent polls. Most favour “sharply restricting” Muslim religious practice, a third think the country is overrun with foreigners and a tenth say they want a strong Führer (though presumably not the Führer again). Some conservative politicians have been eager to clamber aboard this unpleasant bandwagon, partly out of fear that if they don’t irresponsible populists will take their places. Horst Seehofer, the premier of Bavaria and head of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party of the governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU), went furthest among respectable politicians: Germany is not an “immigration land”, he proclaimed, and it certainly does not need more immigrants from “other cultural backgrounds”, such as Turkish or Arabic.
Angela Merkel tried to get into the spirit of things by declaring that multiculturalism has “failed, absolutely failed.” On so-called "guest workers", whose descendants make up a large share of the immigrant population: “We kidded ourselves that they wouldn’t stay, but that’s not the reality.” These were platitudes dressed up as epiphanies to suit the populist mood. But Mrs Merkel does not really do populism. While bashing multiculturalism she also admitted that Islam is “part of Germany.”
The chancellor's ambivalence is the key to understanding where Germany is right now. The fact is that for several decades the country did expect workers from Turkey and elsewhere to leave like polite guests. It then flirted with the multi-kulti idea that they could dwell in Germany without fully belonging to it. Recently Germans, or at least the political class, had begun to accept that Germany is an “immigration country” with a responsibility to integrate immigrants fully into national life. Mrs Merkel has made this a hallmark of her chancellorship, holding “integration summits” and developing a “national integration plan”, which mandates German language courses and seeks to shepherd immigrants into employment. The new conventional wisdom is that integration is a “two-way street”, making demands on both hosts and newcomers.
Christian Wulff, the country's president, used the occasion of the 20th anniversary of German unification on October 3rd to affirm Islam’s place in Germany more ringingly and convincingly than Mrs Merkel (this week on a trip to Turkey he reminded Turks that Christianity has a place there). German business is clamouring for more immigration, regardless of where it comes from, so long as the newcomers have useful skills. The government is working on a law that would make it easier for the hundreds of thousands of immigrants in Germany with professional qualifications to have them recognised so that they can do something more rewarding than cleaning houses.
All this is fine. But perhaps government ought to be moving faster. Welfare makes it too easy to do nothing; schools have to do a better job of bringing pupils with foreign backgrounds up to academic speed. But the idea that Mr Sarrazin has discovered a problem that Germany’s leaders had been ignoring is wrong.
What they have apparently failed to do is to persuade Germans to come to terms with the changes they are witnessing. This is worrying. It points to a broader estrangement between citizens and politics, which manifests itself in falling voter participation, the long-term decline of the two biggest political parties (the CDU and the Social Democrats) and the rise of political action outside the party system, as in Stuttgart, where an ambitious railway project has been snarled by months of street protests.
At stake in the current debate are the terms on which immigrants will be accepted. Will they be told to embrace the German Leitkultur (“leading culture”), as some conservatives demand? That sounds like a reasonable request, but to many immigrants it smacks of arrogance. Will Muslims be forced to choose between practising their religion and adopting a German identity? That would be both unreasonable and self-destructive. Or will politicians speak out for the give and take, the bundle of benefits and obligations, that can make immigration tolerable for both sides? Germany’s leaders had basically the right approach before Mr Sarrazin came along. They need to put it into practice and, just as important, to defend it.
The person responsible for spoiling the mood is Thilo Sarrazin, an obscure member of the Bundesbank’s board, who in August published a controversial book, Deutschland schafft sich ab (“Germany does away with itself”). The dour economist reached this conclusion—surprising in light of Germany’s splendid economic performance—from his reading of the demographic future: with the country's population shrinking overall, immigrants and the underclass are having too many children, well-educated native Germans too few. Biologically, culturally and professionally Germany is dumbing down, Mr Sarrazin argued (and was then forced out of his job).
The insult to the poor was quickly forgotten but the anti-immigrant line snowballed into a ferocious debate about how Germany should deal with its 16m immigrants (or people with “migrant backgrounds”), especially its 4m or so Muslims. Even those who revile Mr Sarrazin accept that he has struck a nerve. Germany clearly isn’t doing enough to bring immigrants into the social and economic mainstream. Too many drop out of school and live off the dole. A worrying minority form “parallel societies”, and a few actively plot harm against their German neighbours.
Germans accentuate the negative, according to a raft of recent polls. Most favour “sharply restricting” Muslim religious practice, a third think the country is overrun with foreigners and a tenth say they want a strong Führer (though presumably not the Führer again). Some conservative politicians have been eager to clamber aboard this unpleasant bandwagon, partly out of fear that if they don’t irresponsible populists will take their places. Horst Seehofer, the premier of Bavaria and head of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party of the governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU), went furthest among respectable politicians: Germany is not an “immigration land”, he proclaimed, and it certainly does not need more immigrants from “other cultural backgrounds”, such as Turkish or Arabic.
Angela Merkel tried to get into the spirit of things by declaring that multiculturalism has “failed, absolutely failed.” On so-called "guest workers", whose descendants make up a large share of the immigrant population: “We kidded ourselves that they wouldn’t stay, but that’s not the reality.” These were platitudes dressed up as epiphanies to suit the populist mood. But Mrs Merkel does not really do populism. While bashing multiculturalism she also admitted that Islam is “part of Germany.”
The chancellor's ambivalence is the key to understanding where Germany is right now. The fact is that for several decades the country did expect workers from Turkey and elsewhere to leave like polite guests. It then flirted with the multi-kulti idea that they could dwell in Germany without fully belonging to it. Recently Germans, or at least the political class, had begun to accept that Germany is an “immigration country” with a responsibility to integrate immigrants fully into national life. Mrs Merkel has made this a hallmark of her chancellorship, holding “integration summits” and developing a “national integration plan”, which mandates German language courses and seeks to shepherd immigrants into employment. The new conventional wisdom is that integration is a “two-way street”, making demands on both hosts and newcomers.
Christian Wulff, the country's president, used the occasion of the 20th anniversary of German unification on October 3rd to affirm Islam’s place in Germany more ringingly and convincingly than Mrs Merkel (this week on a trip to Turkey he reminded Turks that Christianity has a place there). German business is clamouring for more immigration, regardless of where it comes from, so long as the newcomers have useful skills. The government is working on a law that would make it easier for the hundreds of thousands of immigrants in Germany with professional qualifications to have them recognised so that they can do something more rewarding than cleaning houses.
All this is fine. But perhaps government ought to be moving faster. Welfare makes it too easy to do nothing; schools have to do a better job of bringing pupils with foreign backgrounds up to academic speed. But the idea that Mr Sarrazin has discovered a problem that Germany’s leaders had been ignoring is wrong.
What they have apparently failed to do is to persuade Germans to come to terms with the changes they are witnessing. This is worrying. It points to a broader estrangement between citizens and politics, which manifests itself in falling voter participation, the long-term decline of the two biggest political parties (the CDU and the Social Democrats) and the rise of political action outside the party system, as in Stuttgart, where an ambitious railway project has been snarled by months of street protests.
At stake in the current debate are the terms on which immigrants will be accepted. Will they be told to embrace the German Leitkultur (“leading culture”), as some conservatives demand? That sounds like a reasonable request, but to many immigrants it smacks of arrogance. Will Muslims be forced to choose between practising their religion and adopting a German identity? That would be both unreasonable and self-destructive. Or will politicians speak out for the give and take, the bundle of benefits and obligations, that can make immigration tolerable for both sides? Germany’s leaders had basically the right approach before Mr Sarrazin came along. They need to put it into practice and, just as important, to defend it.
Konadu will not get a single vote in the Central Region - Allotey Jacobs
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Ben Ephson: Floating voters are not ready for family presidency
Pollster Ben Ephson is cautioning the National Democratic Congress against a Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings candidature in the 2012 General elections. Even though the former first lady is popular among members of her own party, Mr. Ephson believes she is unattractive among the larger voting population, especially the floating voters.
He was speaking to Joy News’ Araba Koomson on Monday following what emerged Sunday as a subtle campaign to have Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings contest against President Mills as the party flagbearer.
Posters of the former first lady have been posted at vantage points across the country, by individuals purporting to be members of the foot-soldiers of the NDC who are seeking the candidature of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings as president.
Regional representatives of the group who have refused to disclose their identities told Joy News, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings must accept their proposal or forget about politics the rest of her life.
Spokesperson of ex-president Rawlings, Kofi Adams says Nana Konadu is unaware of the activities by the foot-soldiers. Speaking to Joy News on the matter, Ben Ephson maintains he would only give credibility to the story when the former first lady picks a nomination form to contest against President John Mills.
According to him, similar activities occurred in the run-up to the 2000 general elections in which some group openly campaigned for Mrs. Rawlings against then candidate Mills. Mrs. Rawlings, he explained, came out a year later to dissociate herself from the activities of the group, warning she would take legal action against anybody who attempted to link her with the activities of the group.
“It is a familiar ploy,” he said, adding “she (Mrs. Rawlings) is very popular. There is no doubt about it. But the delegates who will go in to vote, the attitude of many faithfuls of the NDC in 2000 will be the same now.
“Madam you are popular, we admire your contribution to the party but when we take you out there the floating voters will turn you down simply because many Ghanaians are not ready for a family presidency,” he explained.
NDC: Konadu must denounce campaign posters
Mrs Rawlings, who is also one of the NDC's vice chairpersons, must accept the position at all cost or cease to be a politician - says a group.
The ruling National Democratic Congress's General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah is asking former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings to dissociate herself from campaign posters seeking to promote her candidature for the 2012 general elections.
The posters, sponsored by a group calling itself the foot-soldiers of the National Democratic Congress, claim the time is up for Nana Konadu to take over the party.
'Faceless' representatives of the group maintain that President John Mills has lost touch with the foot-soldiers of the party, leading to widespread agitations and disenchantment.
They say Mrs Rawlings, who is also one of the NDC's vice chairpersons, must accept the position at all cost or cease to be a politician.
Spokesperson of the former first family Kofi Adams insists Mrs Rawlings is unaware of the activities of the group.General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah however says it is not enough for Mrs Rawlings to be silent over the matter. He told Joy News’ Sammy Darko that the former first lady has to state clearly her position on the matter and state categorically if she wants to contest the election.
Otherwise “the impression being created is that here is a vice chairperson who is not prepared to go by the rules of the party and I don’t think that is a good campaign for her if she is interested to contest.”
He stated however that the party will not waste time investigating the matter.
In a reaction, Kofi Adams told Joy News calls for Mrs Rawlings to dissociate herself from the activities is a moot point.
On whether the recent wrangling would negatively affect the party, Mr Adams said that will only depend on the performance of the government.He said leadership must wake up, focus and deliver on their mandate and the party will have no problems as to who wants to lead the party for the next election.
He said the former first lady knows too well when and how to vie for the position of a president, saying she will go according to the party’s constitution if she wants to aspire for the position.
Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana
The ruling National Democratic Congress's General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah is asking former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings to dissociate herself from campaign posters seeking to promote her candidature for the 2012 general elections.
The posters, sponsored by a group calling itself the foot-soldiers of the National Democratic Congress, claim the time is up for Nana Konadu to take over the party.
'Faceless' representatives of the group maintain that President John Mills has lost touch with the foot-soldiers of the party, leading to widespread agitations and disenchantment.
They say Mrs Rawlings, who is also one of the NDC's vice chairpersons, must accept the position at all cost or cease to be a politician.
Spokesperson of the former first family Kofi Adams insists Mrs Rawlings is unaware of the activities of the group.General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah however says it is not enough for Mrs Rawlings to be silent over the matter. He told Joy News’ Sammy Darko that the former first lady has to state clearly her position on the matter and state categorically if she wants to contest the election.
Otherwise “the impression being created is that here is a vice chairperson who is not prepared to go by the rules of the party and I don’t think that is a good campaign for her if she is interested to contest.”
He stated however that the party will not waste time investigating the matter.
In a reaction, Kofi Adams told Joy News calls for Mrs Rawlings to dissociate herself from the activities is a moot point.
On whether the recent wrangling would negatively affect the party, Mr Adams said that will only depend on the performance of the government.He said leadership must wake up, focus and deliver on their mandate and the party will have no problems as to who wants to lead the party for the next election.
He said the former first lady knows too well when and how to vie for the position of a president, saying she will go according to the party’s constitution if she wants to aspire for the position.
Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana
Monday, October 25, 2010
Rawlings' concerns must be addressed internally - Alex Segbefia
Deputy Chief of Staff Alex Segbefia says the concerns raised by the former President Rawlings must be directed at the appropriate party organs for redress.
In a statement issued yesterday, the former President accused some NDC executives and presidential staff of going round the regions to malign him and his wife.
The ex-president also criticized President Mills and expressed frustration at his failure to deal decisively with crime and corruption.
But speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme, Mr. Segbefia maintained although the former President has the right to criticize, he must not do so in the public domain.
He believes that whatever concerns Mr. Rawlings has must be dealt with through the NDC’s internal structures.
“There are issues [which] when they are interrogated, you may find that some of these things actually don’t have a basis because this is politics, people will play mischief with a lot of things,” he said.
“That is not to say” however, “that may be some of the issues that have been raised are not real,” Mr. Segbefia stated.
Meanwhile, the Communications Director of the NDC, James Asante has told Joy News the party appreciates President Rawlings’ concerns and will meet to discuss the issues raised.
Source: Joy News/Ghana
In a statement issued yesterday, the former President accused some NDC executives and presidential staff of going round the regions to malign him and his wife.
The ex-president also criticized President Mills and expressed frustration at his failure to deal decisively with crime and corruption.
But speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme, Mr. Segbefia maintained although the former President has the right to criticize, he must not do so in the public domain.
He believes that whatever concerns Mr. Rawlings has must be dealt with through the NDC’s internal structures.
“There are issues [which] when they are interrogated, you may find that some of these things actually don’t have a basis because this is politics, people will play mischief with a lot of things,” he said.
“That is not to say” however, “that may be some of the issues that have been raised are not real,” Mr. Segbefia stated.
Meanwhile, the Communications Director of the NDC, James Asante has told Joy News the party appreciates President Rawlings’ concerns and will meet to discuss the issues raised.
Source: Joy News/Ghana
'Saint Rawlings' is battling for state power and control" - Baako
The Managing Editor of the Crusading Guide Newspaper and an ardent critic of former President Rawlings, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, says the utterances of the ex military ruler clearly shows he is seeking control and command over national power and resources.
Mr Rawlings, in his latest outburst, has stated that he has a problem with President Mills’ style of governance. In a two page statement signed by the NDC founder, he expressed strong disapproval about the behavior of some executives of the National Democratic Congress, whom he claimed were spreading falsehood about him and his wife.
The former President chastised the Mills government for failing to investigate the “electoral fraud that saw the stuffing and replacement of ballot boxes in the last election” as well as the failure of administration to “correct or punish NPP’s politicization, tribalism and victimization of persons especially in the security services. He also alleged that President Mills has refused to pursue the moral mandate of the people to reinstate truth, transparency and justice which according to him, is leading to the institutionalization of crime and corruption.
Speaking to the issue on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show Thursday, an obviously infuriated Kwaku Baako insisted that Mr Rawlings had no moral right to accuse President Mills of presiding over corruption, crime and injustices.
“There is a battle for control and command over power and resources by Rawlings. It’s not just about his party. There is no way his party would have somehow ignored him if not for his posture. The arrogance and the contempt for everybody that comes with his drive is a show of how he wants to control ever body. Otherwise he won’t go public with some of these things. What is it that Rawlings is seeking? He asked.
“We have a democratic Government that has to use the law to prosecute people based on the constitution that he has signed. What is he? Saint Rawlings? I hate this holier than thou attitude of his. He ruled for nineteen years, eleven years of it being military days, what else does he want? Does he want this Government to be driven by bitterness and vindictiveness? Is this the man who is talking about killings and corruption? If I were him, I will thank God that history has favored me and mellow about how I do my politics,” Malik Baako advised.
As far as he is concerned, Mr Rawlings has no moral right to accuse President any government of presiding over corruption, crime and injustices, citing a number of instances in the past where the latter and his wife were involved in many corrupt cases both home and abroad – cases that involved huge state funds in the divestiture of state Enterprises such as the Nsawam Food Cannery.
Responding to Mr Rawlings’ outburst, Deputy Chief of Staff, Alex Segbefia, said although there was nothing new about the issues raised, it was imperative that the party’s national executive Committee looks into them.
He expressed regret that the Party Founder and his wife often chose to go public with their concerns although they could be addressed through internal party structures.
“What Rawlings has said is nothing new. He has always criticized past and present Governments. Even during campaigning against Kufuor, he told us that if we fail to do the right things he will criticize us. I think it’s an internal party matter but when we treat it this way, it’s good for our political opponents but does not help us at all. People should not overreact to this latest outburst because he has not attacked President Mills as a person” he pleaded.
Source: Citifmonline.com
Mr Rawlings, in his latest outburst, has stated that he has a problem with President Mills’ style of governance. In a two page statement signed by the NDC founder, he expressed strong disapproval about the behavior of some executives of the National Democratic Congress, whom he claimed were spreading falsehood about him and his wife.
The former President chastised the Mills government for failing to investigate the “electoral fraud that saw the stuffing and replacement of ballot boxes in the last election” as well as the failure of administration to “correct or punish NPP’s politicization, tribalism and victimization of persons especially in the security services. He also alleged that President Mills has refused to pursue the moral mandate of the people to reinstate truth, transparency and justice which according to him, is leading to the institutionalization of crime and corruption.
Speaking to the issue on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show Thursday, an obviously infuriated Kwaku Baako insisted that Mr Rawlings had no moral right to accuse President Mills of presiding over corruption, crime and injustices.
“There is a battle for control and command over power and resources by Rawlings. It’s not just about his party. There is no way his party would have somehow ignored him if not for his posture. The arrogance and the contempt for everybody that comes with his drive is a show of how he wants to control ever body. Otherwise he won’t go public with some of these things. What is it that Rawlings is seeking? He asked.
“We have a democratic Government that has to use the law to prosecute people based on the constitution that he has signed. What is he? Saint Rawlings? I hate this holier than thou attitude of his. He ruled for nineteen years, eleven years of it being military days, what else does he want? Does he want this Government to be driven by bitterness and vindictiveness? Is this the man who is talking about killings and corruption? If I were him, I will thank God that history has favored me and mellow about how I do my politics,” Malik Baako advised.
As far as he is concerned, Mr Rawlings has no moral right to accuse President any government of presiding over corruption, crime and injustices, citing a number of instances in the past where the latter and his wife were involved in many corrupt cases both home and abroad – cases that involved huge state funds in the divestiture of state Enterprises such as the Nsawam Food Cannery.
Responding to Mr Rawlings’ outburst, Deputy Chief of Staff, Alex Segbefia, said although there was nothing new about the issues raised, it was imperative that the party’s national executive Committee looks into them.
He expressed regret that the Party Founder and his wife often chose to go public with their concerns although they could be addressed through internal party structures.
“What Rawlings has said is nothing new. He has always criticized past and present Governments. Even during campaigning against Kufuor, he told us that if we fail to do the right things he will criticize us. I think it’s an internal party matter but when we treat it this way, it’s good for our political opponents but does not help us at all. People should not overreact to this latest outburst because he has not attacked President Mills as a person” he pleaded.
Source: Citifmonline.com
Kofi Annan slams 'PHD' politics
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NDC activists distribute Nana Konadu posters in the Upper East region
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JJ Is Developing Into A Frankenstein Monster…He’s Trying To Play God
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More oil in Ghana on-shore
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