If the outgoing National Democratic Congress (NDC) government does not openly show remorse for betraying its supporters and Ghanaians with its electoral defeat in 2016, the party will not recover in time for the 2020 presidential and parliamentary polls, former president Jerry John Rawlings has warned.

Speaking on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the 31st December revolution, the ex-president blamed the NDC’s recent electoral defeat on “corrupt, uncouth, and uncultured” government officials.

He said the ordinary man felt “insulted by the display of wealth by people in government” who should have known better. He noted that if the masses knew the “greed” perpetrated by some members of the party in government, they would never forgive them.

In this regard, Mr Rawlings called on the leadership of the party to show remorse, without which the 2020 election will be difficult for them.

“If we all don’t do some careful introspection and openly show remorse for the betrayal of the people’s trust, we might not recover in time for the next election,” he stated.

The 31st December 1981 revolution saw the return of Mr Rawlings, then a flight lieutenant in the Ghana Air Force, to power after successfully toppling the Hilla Limann government. He had earlier served as military ruler after a June 4 1979 uprising by junior military officers, which culminated in the overthrow of the Supreme Military Council (SMC).

Every year on December 31, Mr Rawlings and leaders of the uprising mark the occasion with a wreath-laying ceremony and a parade to remember those who died during the coup.