Rawlings fed up with Mills

Posted: Daily Guide |Thursday, 18 March 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Former President Jerry John Rawlings appears to be fed up with the manner in which President John Evans Atta Mills and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) government are steering the affairs of the country.

He told a delegation of Chiefs, Members of Parliament (MPs), Ministers, District Chiefs Executives (DCEs) and other identifiable groups from the Upper West Region who paid a courtesy call on him at his Ridge residence, which was razed down by fire a little over month ago, that things were so bad that all seemed lost.

Mr Rawlings said he did not know the message to deliver to the people of Ghana at the next electioneering campaign because of the inability of the NDC government to offer hope to the people.

“What pains me most is the current state of Ghana. I wish I could put you back on the bus and send you to the Castle to ask the President a few questions. I do not know the message of hope he can give the people at the next campaign,” Rawlings told his guests.

The delegation was there yesterday to commiserate with him and his family over their loss in the recent fire outbreak at his Ridge residence.

But Mr Rawlings told the delegation that “what is happening is taking away the sense of hope”, stressing that “the rank and file will desert the government, if it does not act appropriately”.

Like Justice Kpegah and the NDC foot soldiers who were crying for the blood of members of the Kufuor administration, the former President stressed the need for the Mills government to launch thorough investigations into what he described as the shady deals made by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, saying,

“We need to wake up and let the government know what is going wrong.”

He believed that if the NDC as a government kept quiet about some of the actions of members of the Kufuor administration, they would regret in the near future, insisting that “we will suffer more pain than we did in the eight years prior to 2009”.

For him, “the best hope we could have given the people was to give them back the justice they lost in the previous regime. I have mentioned poor enquiries into the Mobilla and other cases and called for more thorough investigations”.

He therefore wondered why people, especially members of his own party, see his criticism of President Mills as a personality clash.

“The sad thing is that when I criticise then they make it a Rawlings versus Mills issue.”

Among the delegation was the Member of the Council of State, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, who said the Upper West Region owed a lot of gratitude to the former President for the efforts he put into the creation of the region and the extension of electricity there when all the experts thought it was not possible.

“We are sad to hear your pain. We should have come earlier but we had to delay because of the outbreak of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM) in the region. Our chiefs and opinion leaders were working hard to contain the disease. The situation is now under control,” he stated.

The delegation presented the former First Couple with gifts.

Members of the delegation included the Mole Naa, Bole Naa, Jirapa Naa known in private life as Peter Nanfuri, Minister for Works and Housing Alban Bagbin, Deputy Majority Leader Rashid Pelpuo, Regional Minister Mahmud Khalid and NDC Regional Chairman Alhaji Malik Issahaku.

The regent of Tamale, Alhaji Ziblim Abdulai, and a retinue of sub chiefs were also there to commiserate with the former First Family.

The regent expressed his sadness at the loss of the former President’s residence and prayed for strength and success for him and the family.
He also presented smocks, cloths and a cow to the family.