Former President Jerry John Rawlings has opined that the ruling NDC’s National Organizer, Yaw Boateng Gyan should have been severely punished after he was caught on tape promising to infiltrate the various security agencies with party supporters.

The revelation about the leaked tape generated a lot of criticism with many calling for Mr. Gyan’s arrest but after investigations, the National Security Coordinator, Lt Col Gbevlo Lartey insisted there was nothing to investigate in the infamous “Yaw Boateng Gyan tape”.

According to him, a section of the media had doctored the tape to suit their parochial interests since what was made available to National Security was different from what was on the airwaves.

Speaking on the matter in an interview with Oman FM’sFiifi Boafo, Mr. Rawlings said Mr. Gyan should have been taken through a “real serious squeeze”.

“If what Boateng Gyan said and did was true, I think he should have been taken through a real serious squeeze because we are not going to entertain the kind of things he was talking about.”

Regarding the National Security Coordinator’s decision to release Mr. Gyan, the NDC founder said he was disappointed with the decision.

“He [National Security Coordinator] should have asked for another level of investigation”.

Mr. Rawlings also dismissed claims that he was critical of the ruling NDC because he was protecting his wife’s interests.

He said: “It’s unfortunate that myopic minded people should be looking for excuses of this kind. I mean, that is not me; that is not Nana. Very serious issues have taken place and if power mongers have to be looking for issues to interconnect to create this picture, and people want to believe it, then it’s most unfortunate but I can’t help them.”

He opined that incumbents feared handing over political power for fear of being in opposition; a situation he said many disliked.

“There are those who have misbehaved at the top echelon just as Kufuor’s group also did and that’s why they didn’t want to leave in 2004 so stole the election but we managed to flush them out in 2008. A vast majority of the people [NDC] has done no such thing but the experiences they have been through under the Kufuor regime as I said earlier, is frightening for them and makes them very uneasy about going into opposition,” he explained.

The former President added that “Government should have put in place the arm of justice to such an extent that you will not only have to feel safe when you are in government but to feel equally safe when you are in opposition”.