Opinions of Wednesday, 11 November 2015

Columnist: Agyeman Manu

Zanetor, the long destructive hand of Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings in NDC

Opinion Opinion

Since the emergence of Zanetor Rawlings, first daughter of former President Rawlings as an aspirant for the Klottey Korle constituency NDC primaries, political pundits and observers have been analysing the true motive of the people behind the 38-year-old medical doctor who has never in her working life practiced medicine in Ghana but wants to become a legislator.

Zanetor Rawlings suddenly arrived in Ghana on the back of the June 3, 2015, floods and fire disaster of Accra, appeared on TV to appeal for public donations for victims, and the next thing we heard, she declared her intentions to run as member of parliament for Klottey Korle constituency. This was after she was apparently rejected in some other constituency in the volta region.

Many observers are wondering if this was indeed Zanetor's own decision to contest in Klottey korle considering that this young lady according to the records of the constituency, has never ever participated in any NDC political activity, has never ever participated in campaigning in the constituency either for the NDC parliamentary candidate or presidential candidate in the past.

Indeed, she has never ever visited the Klottey Korle constituency NDC office - not even when she was going to pick nomination forms - she sent other people to pick them for her, and yet, suddenly, Zanetor Rawlings showed up with his father, the NDC founder following her campaigning to be made parliamentary candidate of the NDC in the Klottey Korle constituency.

Her Mother Nana Konadu Agyemang - Rawlings has formed a new party out of the NDC. She has pledged herself and her party's loyalty to the NPP for 2016. She has pledged to work with the Nana Akuffo Addo and the NPP to send NDC back to opposition.
before then, she was part of the FONKAR against President Mills.

In 2012, Zanetor Rawlings was part of the NDP campaign against the NDC and President John Mahama.

Since then, she has been unable to denounce her mother's party and her recent attacks on the NDC government and her support for the NPP on the new voters register.

Zanetor Rawlings has the full support of her mother and father. Her mother has even said openly on radio that she will "guide her to her destination". Where is her destination?

So her mother, Nana Konadu Agyemang - Rawlings is supporting her daughter to become a member of parliament on NDC ticket whiles she is campaigning against the President John Dramani Mahama now and in 2016.

This means that Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings is now the means by which Nana Konadu Agyemang - Rawlings, after failing to destroy the NDC with FONKAR and NDP, is now aiming to use for destroying the NDC from within. Nana Konadu want her daughter Zanetor to be in parliament whiles NDC is in opposition.

It is very clear that the NDC founder Jerry Rawlings himself is part of this, if not the grand architect of this agenda since he also supported FONKAR, NDP and now campaigning for his daughter although he refused to do so for President Mahama in 2012. Many even wonder if former President Rawlings will campaign for President Mahama in 2016 since he didn't do it in 2012.

The NDC delegates in the Klottey Korle constituency must read between the lines and see that Zanetor Agyemang - Rawlings is the long destructive hand of her mother Nana Konadu Agyemang - Rawlings.

A vote for her will be giving her the perfect opportunity to help the opposition NPP to send the NDC back to opposition and destroy the party. A vote for Zanetor will be selecting someone to represent the NDC who cannot and will not campaign for the President because she and her mother are supporting NPP and Nana Akuffo Addo.

If you are still not sure of this, look at how Zanetor Rawlings cannot openly praise or even mention any of the many good work of this government under President John Mahama. She obviously has no respect for President John Mahama and she cannot even hide it.

It will be dangerous for the NDC to have Zanetor Rawlings as parliamentary candidate of the NDC at this moment in time.

More over, for the Klottey Korle constituency which is a swing cosmopolitan constituency, the incumbent MP Nii Armah Ashietey is better placed to maintain the seat in 2016 after two terms and understanding the mood of the people of the constituency than any fresh and naive candidate who will take away the institutional memory and incumbency advantage of the NDC for 2016.

Agyeman -Manu - The writer is a political observer in Ghana.