Don't provoke me - Baako fires at 'memory deficit' Rawlings

Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Kweku Baako Jnr., has hit back at former President Jerry John Rawlings after the latter accused him of deceit.

"Don’t provoke me!!! Mr Rawlings, please stay in your corner," he told Rawlings.

The former President accused Mr Baako of misinforming the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) about one of the coup plotters who wanted to overthrow his regime; insisting there was no torture.

“Nobody did any such thing (torture) and professional soldiers don’t do things like that actually,” Rawlings told Asaase Radio’s Kwaku Sakyi-Addo.

He added that Kweku Baako at the time the NRC was sitting, wanted Ben Ephson, the editor of the Daily Dispatch to join him at the NRC to put out such falsehood and “Ben Ephson refused to be part of it”. I think he [Ben Ephson] knew this kind of makeup wasn’t good enough…just to poison the atmosphere against us".

However, Kweku Baako has a different view.

As expected of him, he 'opened books' to back his claim that Rawlings' comment was inaccurate.

"I will not blame him too much; probably he might have forgotten some of the things because of old age. I’m prepared to be charitable; maybe his recollection is limited or down," he told Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo'.

According to him, "Mr Rawlings should not be the focus. We’re barely six months away from an election and Mr Rawlings intrudes himself . . . he should have reflected a bit and known that some of his utterances will provoke reactions and those reactions I can say he will not be happy with them . . .”

The Seasoned journalist, who considered Mr Rawlings as someone who is of "no serious relevance and significance to contemporary Ghanaian politics", rebuked the former president for failing to apologise for the excesses perpetrated under his regime when the opportunity presented itself during the interview with Mr Sakyi Addo.

He revealed that he is currently writing a memoir that will capture every single historical political detail that the former president is attempting to distort.

“. . Mr Rawlings, I have taken a conscious decision that my focus on you will be reflected in the book that I’m writing and that’s all. He was no longer of any serious relevance and significance to contemporary Ghanaian politics as far as I am concerned. He’s done his part and moved on the rest will be historical recollection . . .

“ . . that’s where I had put my mind and it’s been so for four or five years . . . but if he is going to have opportunities like this unique one he got and he won’t tell the truth and won’t show remorse and he’ll peddle lies about people, well some of us by the grace of God are still alive . . . " Kweku Baako stated.