Sunyani (B/A), Aug. 20, GNA - Former President Jerry John Rawlings on Wednesday said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is determined to ensure free, fair and transparent elections to help consolidate the country's fledging democracy.

He cautioned the Electoral Commission to resist attempts by political parties, more especially the ruling New Patriotic (NPP) to rig the December polls.

The former president made the remarks when he paid a courtesy call on the Sunyani traditional council in Sunyani as part of his tour of Brong-Ahafo Region.

The two-day tour will take him to Berekum, Dormaa-Ahenkro, Sankore, Goaso, Mim, Amasu, Kyeremasu and Gambia.

Mr Rawlings noted that the country's democratic dispensation had reached a very crucial level and admonished political parties to conduct their electioneering campaigns devoid of acrimony and rancor. He explained that the NPP's property owned democracy had "increased corruption, devastated the economy and led Ghanaians to wallow in extreme poverty.

"This is our last hope and if we refuse to vote the NPP out of power, we would all continue to wallow in abject poverty," he added. Mr Rawlings said the false propaganda peddled against the NDC by the NPP could not affect the fortunes of the party in the December elections, stressing "because of fear of prosecution the NPP is finding means to rig the elections".

He said the NDC was prepared and determined to bring back freedom and justice, which he noted, the NPP government was trying to kill and bury.

Alhaji Collins Dauda, Member of Parliament for Asutifi South, stressed that even though traditional authorities were barred from engaging in active politics, there was the need for them to educate the people about some policies and programmes initiated by the NDC that had facilitated accelerated national development.

Mr J.H. Owusu-Acheampong, a former Brong-Ahafo Regional Secretary, said the NDC would win this year's elections by a larger margin and called on Ghanaians to exercise restraint, since the party would regain power and help alleviate their plight.

Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri II, Omanhene of Sunyani traditional council, thanked the former president for his visit and said the council would continue to remember him and his party for the construction and tarring of the Sunyani-Kumasi and Sunyani-Berekum trunk road as well as its rural electrification in the region. He said Ghanaians had "tasted" both the NDC and NPP governments and urged the electorate to cast their votes according to their living conditions. The Omanhene appealed to political parties to conduct their campaigns based on issues and eschew politics of insults and defamatory statements. 20 Aug. 08