*Akua Bonsu*

In most decent societies, former presidents take on noble causes, lecture on policy and governance or set up philanthropic organizations to better the lot of the downtrodden. Although he was president after Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor has subscribed to this phenomenon by dedicating his life after the presidency lecturing on constructive topics and working with international organizations to better the lives of Ghanaians and Africans in general. Sadly, in the case of former president Rawlings, he has made it his pastime to strut across the country and abroad preaching a sermon of revenge and persecution of the former NPP administration. Vilifying former president Kufour with vengeance and venom.

Listening to former president Rawlings’ sermon, posturing and quixotic claim to be “a man of integrity” is becoming rather comical, and his behavior is at the height of hypocrisy. One could make light of Rawlings’ claim to integrity as he uses that word rather loosely. He referred to the late president of Nigeria, Sani Abacha who stole $6 billion from his country as a man of integrity. However, if his deeds are measured against his sermon, on the scale of justice, Rawlings’ hypocrisy becomes monumental. First of all, former president Rawlings ruled Ghana for 19 years, during which time he committed crimes against humanity, which he has not been held responsible for. Neither has he shown genuine remorse for these crimes.

This is a man who is alleged to have ordered the abduction and murder of a nursing mother – Supreme Court judge, Koranteng Ado. Her half burnt and charred body was found in Bundase military range. Former president Rawlings has not been held responsible for over (?) Ghanaians who got “missing” during his reign. The reign of terror he visited on Ghanaians during his reign is comparable to General Idi Amin of Uganda. Mr. Rawlings has a horrible human rights record than any of the presidents who has ruled Ghana since independence.

It is almost nauseating to hear the former president Rawlings parading himself as Mr. Clean who is incorruptible. The government of Rawlings obtained more International Monetary fund (IMF) loans than any government in Ghana since independence, yet when he left the scene in 2000, he left Ghana with an economy broken, inflation out of control, bare enough reserves to sustain the nation for three weeks, a $5.8 billion, and not much to show for in terms of infrastructure development.

Former president Rawlings who is proclaiming probity and accountability presided over the worst and massive corruption the country has ever known – Mabey and Johnson scandal. He presided over Scancem bribery scandal. Unlike his trump-up corruption charges against NPP, impartial, non-partisan foreign countries against him have uncovered these massive corruptions under his reign.

Former president Rawlings is reported to have stated to some NDC youth he met in Ho that the return of NDC to power has “restored integrity back to the country- integrity that dissipated under the NPP regime”. Former president Rawlings must be living in his own fantasy world. What NDC has brought back to Ghana is lawlessness and violence and not integrity.

Since NDC came to power and with Rawlings going around the country whipping tribal and political sentiments, Ghanaians are watching with trepidation a litany of acts of intimidation, death threats and primitive terrorism against sections of the society while the government is doing nothing to enforce law and order. The NDC youth have graduated from ceasing toilets, through attacking and kicking NHIS staff from office with clubs and machetes to issuing public death threats to the Yendi Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Hudu Welvis.

The NDC has unleashed a violent assault on free speech and fundamental human rights. Nana Darkwah was dragged from a radio station, arrested and remanded in jail for stating his opinion that he thinks former president Rawlings set the government house he was occupying on fire, so he could be relocated to a better place. When this young man appeared in court, NDC hooligans tried to go to the court premises to kill him. When the NDC youth, on the other hand, made public death threats no one was arrested. Is this the integrity that has been restored to Ghana?

Incidents of violence intimidation and political killings are too many to enumerate since the NDC returned to power in Ghana. A murder suspect was found hiding under the bed of an NDC minister and nothing has happened to him to date. Since NDC returned to power, jungle law, the survival of the fittest has returned with vengeance, not integrity. Even NDC government officials have publicly called for violence. The deputy Eastern Regional Minister called for “Jihad” against NPP supporters during the Akwatia bye-elections, and the Ashantis Regional Minister publicly called for NDC supporters to “slap” anyone criticizing the government.

Since former president Rawlings would like to parade himself to the international community as a believer in democracy, and a person of integrity, I am challenging him to utilize the constitutional amendment President Mills is proposing to take out the indemnity clause he cowardly and surreptitiously inserted into Ghana’s constitution to protect him from being prosecuted for his crimes and corrupt practices; so Ghanaians can bring him to an international tribunal to be tried. After the impartial trial the world will see if he is a man of integrity. If former president Rawlings fails to take up this challenge, or demurs to a fetish priest somewhere in a remote part of Ghana, then he should cease from calling for prosecution of former NPP politicians, as he is very guilty of the crimes he is accusing others of.