The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has asked his party’s members to work hard to win the December 7 elections to honour the founder, Jerry John Rawlings, who died on Thursday, November 12, 2020 at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Mr Nketia said the late former president abhorred corruption but, in his view, the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration has been engulfed in corrupt practices.
To that end, he said the NDC must win the elections and get “rid of these corrupt people from office”.
He told journalists at the NDC’s headquarters in Accra on Friday, November 13 that “the best way to remember [Jerry John Rawlings] is to uphold the principles of June 4 which he lived and died for”.
“So we think that the best way to honour the legacy of President Jerry John Rawlings is to preach his principles of probity and accountability and to make sure that this nation is not governed by people practising corruption, nepotism and the other bed fellows.
“And, so, with his death, we think that the greatest honour NDC can do to our fallen founder is to fight on to make sure that come December 7, the rescue mission is accomplished and we rid this nation of corrupt and nepotistic leadership.”
Mr Nketia further criticized the governing NPP for crying more than the bereaved.
“It is interesting to note that people who didn’t give president Rawlings his honour and privileges as a former president of the Republic, people who fought tooth and nail to make sure that his principles are obliterated through the scrapping of 31st December as a holiday and June 4 as a holiday and at every celebration of the June 4 including the very last one, we are vilified and insulted and threatened court action to force NDC to delete June 4 worth celebrating, are the guys who are pretending to be weeping more than the bereaved.
“We are not going to usurp the power of the president in honouring a former president, we are not going to usurp the power of the immediate family in celebrating the life of their dear one, we are not going to prevent the family in Anlo from honouring president Rawlings but we also deserve to honour our Founding Father otherwise, the party will not be worth dying for.”
For his part, the Presidential Candidate of the NDC, John Dramani Mahama, in a statement said: “Now, more than ever, we have a sacred duty to uphold and defend the values of the 4th Republic that President Rawlings held so dear – peace, democracy, probity and accountability, respect for human rights, freedom of the press, tolerance and inclusion. In doing this, we honour the man who brought us the gift of a free and democratic society.
“I arrived in Accra tonight, following the suspension of my campaign in the Ashanti Region on hearing the news of the death of our party Founder and former President, Jerry John Rawlings. I will chair an urgent meeting of the Political Committee of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Friday to among others consider the next steps towards joining the family, government and the people of Ghana to honour the memory of our former President.
“President Rawlings was the Chairman of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), became Chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) in 1981, founded the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and was the first President of the Fourth Republic.
“His fight for social justice and the principles of probity and accountability led to major interventions that among others ended coup d’etats in Ghana. He is the Founder of our 4th Republic, which remains easily, the longest period of stable, democratic governance in the history of our beloved country, Ghana.
“President Jerry John Rawlings is no longer with us. Ghana has lost an icon. At this time of deep sorrow, Lordina and I send our heartfelt condolences to HE Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, the children, immediate family, the countless number of his former colleagues, and the people of Ghana. Please accept our heartfelt condolences for this immense loss.
“Now, more than ever, we have a sacred duty to uphold and defend the values of the 4th Republic that President Rawlings held so dear – peace, democracy, probity and accountability, respect for human rights, freedom of the press, tolerance and inclusion. In doing this, we honour the man who brought us the gift of a free and democratic society. We will honour him with the same energy and love with which he led our people, and we shall never forget his contributions to the cause of Ghana, Africa, and the World.”
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana