Demand accountability from govt - Rawlings to NDC faithfuls

Accra, Nov. 19, GNA - Former President Rawlings has charged National Democratic Congress (NDC) faithfuls to be courageous in demanding accountability from the government.

He said there was no need for them to complain about unfulfilled promises without courageous attempt to confront government. Speaking to NDC constituency chairmen drawn from 22 constituencies in Accra, Former President Rawlings said he was aware that there was a lot of discontent by the ordinary party supporters.

"They think you constituency chairmen are comfortable. Unfortunately you are also in the same situation as they are," the former President said. A statement issued in Accra from his office, said the constituency chairmen sought audience with the former President to express misgivings about the break in communication between the party and government. They were particularly concerned about the failure of the Presidency to accord them audience despite repeated requests and said it was dampening the mood in the party.

The spokesman for the group, Magnus Anyetei Sowah, constituency chairman for La Dadekotopon, said the supporters had spent years working to return NDC to power but unfortunately the synergy between government and party had totally broken down.

Sowah said the Ga constituencies had played a big role in returning the NDC to power and it was unacceptable that they were being ignored in such a shabby manner.

He mentioned how some members of government had threatened them not to speak publicly about their disenchantment or face their wrath. Former President Rawlings said he noted fundamental mistakes right from the onset of the Mills administration and publicly pointed them out to ensure that matters did not escalate but unfortunately nothing had been done about it and rather some had been trying to insinuate that he harbours presidential ambitions.

"We have brought people into our midst who are unknown to the party, people we do not know. If we do not wake up to correct the mistakes I will not have anything to do with the party. I have died so many times for the party, been humiliated both locally and internationally.

"Let us wake up and take our destiny into our own hands. When we won I thought I could retire and write my memoirs but I am not being allowed to. I've suffered humiliation, assassination attempts, and abuse and now I am facing the same with my party's government?

"We seem to be afraid to write the wrongs of the past and now the criminals of the past government are emboldened and many have entrenched themselves in the military and other sensitive's institutions." Former President Rawlings said it was very unfortunate that issues of electoral fraud that nearly cost the NDC the election last year had not been brought to the fore even though there was enough evidence to expose it. "Do we not understand politics?"

The former President said it was important to make wise choices during the ongoing constituency and polling station elections to ensure that only people who genuinely cared for the people were elected. "We should not allow this party to be destroyed by any self-seeker," he cautioned. Earlier a group of former Parliamentary candidates drawn from Greater and Ashanti also called on the former President to express similar sentiments of discontentment with the party's failure to accord its faithful courtesies and audience.

Their spokesperson Augustus Kweku Eshun said the government and party leaders had failed to take stock of how the victory was achieved noting that some policies being currently implemented were unpopular with the people and could affect the fortunes of the NDC in 2012.