General News of Friday, 7 June 2013

Source: peacefmonline

There is something wrong with Rawlings - Kwaku Baako Jnr.

Managing Editor of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Kweku Baako Jnr. has rubbished the relevance of the June 4th celebration and emphatically proclaimed: “there’s something wrong” with former President Jerry John Rawlings.

Speaking on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” programme on Wednesday, Kweku Baako wondered why former President Rawlings still holds onto the tenets of June 4th when to him, he (Rawlings) failed to uphold the ‘probity and accountability’ mantra of the revolution.

According to him, ex-President Rawlings should not assume to have a distinct character because he, leading the PNDC front, could not have some public accounts audited.

He also accused him of masterminding a plot to assassinate Dr. Hilla Limann, Ghana’s former President and leader of the People’s National Party from September 1979 to December 31, 1981.

“Rawlings set up a plot to assassinate Boakye Gyan and Mensah Poku on the day of handing over so that they can announce a national emergency and ensure that there will be no handing over,” but if his attempt had not been averted, the country would have become a “bloody zone”, he stressed.

Disclosing that, he is an adherent of June 4th, the New Crusading Guide editor, however, he said he “feels hugely betrayed” by the proponents of the celebration.

He was, therefore, of a strong view that the June 4th commemoration should be scraped because it has outlived its usefulness.

“The sacrifice of the principles of June 4th by Jerry Rawlings and others who were part of that AFRC team makes nonsense of any commemoration or celebration. From 1979, [that my group…], we said there was no need for celebration.”

He also slammed Mr. Rawlings for his recent outburst on his successors; former Presidents J.A Kufuor and the late J.E. A. Mills, saying, it’s unfair because he (Rawlings) doesn’t “have anything to hold on to. I’m telling Mr. Rawlings; He has absolutely nothing to hold onto.”

“Why don’t you leave this thing alone, especially when there’s so called ‘gains’ that most tangible one; restoration of constitutional rule was murdered and buried on 31st December 1991?” he queried him, emphasizing: “there’s something wrong with Mr. Rawlings. There’s something wrong. The selectivity, that selective amnesia driving him to see everything; I mean he’s the best thing that happened to Ghana. He does no wrong. He’s never committed any error.”