General News of Sunday, 14 September 2008

Source: Enquirer

Rawlings jabs NPP

The former President Jerry John Rawlings, last Sunday fiercely lashed at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at Kakasunanka Number One, near Tema, saying government officials have stolen money and are saving it abroad.

"While some of you can't even have food to eat the NPP have corrupted and stolen from the country so much and are keeping most of your money abroad", he said.

Mr Rawlings who was speaking at a rally, noted that the country has witnessed so many governments before, but have never seen any government so corrupt as that of the NPP.

Rawlings' accusations:

The NPP buses supporters to party grounds.

Kufuor's government sold Ghana@50 vehicles to their cronies at funny prices.

"We have seen them before, thirty years ago they came into power, they did not last after twenty seven months, and they were thrown out, and after 30 years later they have come back to destroy the country", he said.

He warned the enthusiastic crowd that they should never repeat the mistake of bringing the NPP back again.

He said the NPP poisoned the minds of the people against the NDC so as to get the chance to destroy what the party built over thirty years.

“They poisoned your minds against us so that they can come into power to steal; in 2000 they had no penny but today they have amassed wealth", he said.

He said, "We have gone to the farm, cultivated it and cooked and somebody comes and says we are not the farmers, don't let them poison your minds again".

He said during the NDC regime they were accountable and even he as the president did not steal a penny in office.

He, therefore, reminded the gathering that they should remain steadfast, strong and united in order to regain power.

The former President said the NPP is afraid of loosing the elections and for that reason they have started spreading automatic weapons across the country in other to send fear in the people and also destabilize the country.

He stated that the country will not have free and fair elections because of the massive corruption and abuse going on in the corridors of the ruling government.

"Don't make any mistake about it; don't fool yourselves this is the reason why you have to get rid of these people,” he stressed.

He pointed out that in 2004, the NPP after stealing so much money knew definitely that they were going to loose the elections that is why they stole it from the NDC.

He said with the money stolen, the NPP is busing people to rallies to trick Ghanaians that they have massive support.

“They have enough to pay each of you ¢lOO,OOO to their rally grounds, I don't blame you I know you are hungry but don't allow yourselves to be tricked,” he entreated the NDC supporters.

The former President went down memory lane and reminded the crowd that white men send Ghanaians into slavery and ruled with oppression and intimidation and it took Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's bravery to drive them away.

"Today it is the NPP, not the white man who are ruling us with intimidation and oppression,” he said, adding that the people have one more chance to drive them away and that is December 7, this year.

He said the NPP have done a lot of damage, socially and economically and that they even want to destroy the morale fiber of the country, "but the country is not completely rotten yet that is why you have to act now before it finally gets rotten.

Mr. Kofi Adams, National Deputy Youth Organizer of the NDC and special aide to Jerry Rawlings, on his part, accused the NPP of making so much noise about the National Health Scheme, when in actual fact; it is the NDC that implemented it on a pilot basis.

He said what the NPP is doing is restricted to districts, what they did on pilot basis was to cover the whole nation.

He said that it was the NDC that built all the district and regional hospitals in the country to facilitate health care delivery.

The Member of Parliament for Kpone-Katamanso, Mr. Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo also blasted the NPP for selling the luxurious cars used for the Ghana@50 celebration to their cronies and party officials at ridiculous prizes.

He assured the gathering that when the NDC comes back to power, they would" accelerate the development of the country.

"I have used my own money to construct roads at the cost of ¢300 million and I assure all of you gathered here that we will do far better because we are selfless," he added.