Former President Flight- Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings has asked people placed in charge of community development initiatives to eschew selfishness and corruption, so as not to derail the expectations of the people.

He entreated the communities to demand probity and accountability from persons they entrusted the management of community resources.

Ex-President Rawlings said this at the weekend when addressing the maiden annual “Nogoryi Za,” (Development Festival) durbar, of the chiefs and people of Penyi near Dzodze in the Ketu-North District.

He commended the people of Penyi for initiating the festival, as a vehicle to accelerate the development of the area and also launching a five-year development programme.

Ex-President Rawlings said the country faced a major challenge in meeting its developmental goals due to lack of resources and it was therefore important that communities initiated their own projects to complement those of government.

He said the low interest of people in the development of their areas was worrying saying the “central government is handicap and this led to the community initiative concept which graduated into the district assembly concept during the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) era”.

He identified chiefs as strong pillars of development and asked politicians to emulate the culture of social justice, selflessness and commitment which had sustained the chieftaincy institution.

Ex-President Rawlings said had politicians lived up to expectation and respected the laws of the country, whether in opposition or in government, as was the case in America and other advanced countries, coups would have been unheard of in Africa.

Togbe Dadzie IV, Paramount Chief of the Area, said the festival would be used to mobilize the people for the payment of revenue for government projects, build a community centre and also assist the Ghana National Fire Service station in the town.