Former President Rawlings today charged the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to abdicate the responsibility reposed in them by the people of Ghana or risk killing the party.

President Rawlings said ‘usurpers’ with parochial interests, had hijacked the Mills administration hell bent on entrenching their positions on the ruling government.

The former President who was speaking at the National Executive Committee meeting of the party at the Royal Majesty Hotel at Nungua said some of these ‘usurpers who had been hiding in rat roles’ during the heady days of the electoral campaign, had today surfaced to make themselves decision makers.

On the rot left by the New Patriotic Party (NPP), former President Rawlings said the ‘sins’ of the previous administration would not necessarily destroy society. What will destroy society, he intimated is the inability of the NDC to stem the wave of corruption it inherited by not taking drastic actions.

“The NDC’s victory was borne out of the corruption of the NPP but when the new government fails to take action to arrest the situation then society crumbles and corruption becomes of the order of the day,” said.

Touching again on the people who had reportedly installed themselves at the Presidency, former President Rawlings said some of these people want to destroy the NDC, others want to protect the investment interests of the NPP and a third group are intent on consolidating political and financial power at the expense of the hungry Ghanaians who voted the party into power.

President Rawlings said it was imperative that all members of government recognise the fact that they were not elected as independent candidates but as members of the NDC.

“We should not be seen to be behaving as if we were elected on our individual merits. We were elected on a party platform because of a certain campaign agenda central to the party’s ideals. If we do not consult and act as if we owe no responsibility to the people of this country and the rest of the party structure then we will be killing the party.”

The former President said he was particularly worried that erroneous impressions are being created that he has his men within the current ministerial structure and hence has no reason to complain.

“Stories have been told about how my wife also has about six cronies with major appointments. Let me make it clear to you that we were not consulted on majority of these appointments. And even in situations where there have been any consultations at all no effort has been made to give us feedback if counter opinion has prevailed,” he stated.

Former President Rawlings enjoined all members of the National Executive Committee to voice out their concerns about the manner the country is being governed because criticism was crucial to the success of any leadership. He cited a meeting during his tenure of government when Tsatsu Tsikata took him on after he had criticised the then GNPC boss.

“After the meeting some leading party members came to me pleading on Tsatsu’s behalf and I told them he did the right thing. He had an opinion contrary to mine and he did not hesitate to voice it out. Let us all do the same,” he intimated.

In attendance were all high-ranking members of the party including Vice-President John Dramani Mahama, Chairman Kwabena Adjei, General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Majority Leader Alban Bagbin and a host of Ministers and members of Parliament.

KOFI GHANABA

The former President took the opportunity to read out a eulogy he gave at the interment of the late Kofi Ghanaba last Saturday. Ghanaba, the Divine Drummer died on December 22 aged 25. Below is a full text of the ex-President’s tribute.

“Ghanaba was a great man with a great mind. Insightful, artistic and deadly accurate. Ghanaba was a blunt master. Had he lived to see the mess being made of the December victory he probably would have described it as sliding the country into a political depression and equally bluntly I would have said that is why I am still in Accra.

... feeling too embarrassed to go thanking the great people of Ghana. I keep hoping the usurpers would wake up to their shameless and dangerous behaviour. Sadly you are no longer with us to join us find an answer.

Fare thee well the Divine Drummer and give our love and respects to Admiral Owusu Ansah and Captain Huppenbauer and the many other quiet warriors who have lived and died for a change that appears to be favouring the wrong than the right.

Someday we shall also join you but not until our work is done and the change the nation voted for becomes a reality.