The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has demanded that former President Rawlings and his Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), who were directly responsible for the murders of so many people, publicly apologise for those murders.
At least under the Rawlings regime, murder of four famous personalities was recorded, which included Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addow, F. Poku-Sarkordie, K. A. Adjepong and a retired officer, Major Retired Sam Acquah, the NPP said.
These were contained in a statement issued by NPP's campaign communication committee, after former President Rawlings' outburst at his Ridge Residence in Accra on Tuesday, citing unprecedented human rights violation under the watch of the ruling administration.
In a sharp rebuttal to the former President's assertion, the campaign committee indicated it is chagrin that such a statement was coming from a man who had eight senior army officers, three judges and thousands whose graves are only known to God and themselves executed, tens of thousands jailed and hundreds of thousands subjected to whippings and other indignities which it considered breathtaking.
They said although Mr. Rawlings claimed that crime was less during his regime his government could not solve the serial murders of many women in Accra.
The party leadership said the comparison by Mr. Rawlings of the current Ghana to what was happening in Zimbabwe was "an affront to the dignity of every Ghanaian and the hard work we have done in the last sixteen years to come this far".
"As the former President said during his address 'Any lizard can rule a disunited people'.
While that is not happening now in Ghana, we agree with the former President that it has happened before, in our recent past," they said.
Commenting on Mr. Rawlings' complaint that some in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had rejected his advice "not to turn the other cheek," which they said should worry every Ghanaian, the campaign committee stated, "That piece of advice was a clear call for lawlessness that must be condemned by every Ghanaian, including Prof Mills."
"We have come too far and done too much for anybody to take us back. We are moving forward, not backwards" the statement signed by the committee's chair, Arthur Kobina Kennedy said.
It added that the former President attacked plans by the NPP flag-bearer, Nana Akufo¬Addo to double the size of the Police force, saying that according to Mr. Rawlings, "we must rely on the social conscience of people to obey the law. No wonder the Police force was decimated and demoralised under Mr. Rawlings".
The statement said while social factors play a role in crime, appropriate policing is the anchor for maintaining law and order around the world and throughout history and from Azerbaijan to Zanzibar, from developing to developed countries, the Police are seen as indispensable to the maintenance of law and order.
It said therefore the next NPP government under Nana Akufo-Addo would be committed to doubling the size of the police force, increasing their equipment and training, reviewing their pay and making them a first-class police force, focused on the maintenance of order, the apprehension of criminals and the protection of the innocent.
On the former President's charge that there have been ethnic-based terminations in the security forces, the party leadership said that is false and urged the appropriate authorities to let the public know the truth in those allegations.
"The NPP believes that regardless of our ethnic origins, we are all equal citizens of one great country, Ghana. Finally, the NDC was never new. It was, is and will always be the party of Rawlings, conceived and born in violence, and always pre¬occupied with its dark and disturbing past. It cannot take Ghana forward. It can only take Ghana backwards," statement continued.
Zeroing in on the NDC's flagb-earer, the NPP said "Some say Prof. Mills may be in the wrong party but we say he is right at home in the NDC. Prof. Mills is a very intelligent man. He could have joined the NPP which is the party of freedom but he did not."
Prof. Mills, the NPP's campaign communication committee said could have left the NDC after the identification haircuts, the Koforidua congress or any of the other anti¬democratic occurrences in the NDC but he chose not to," adding, "it is time to accept that Prof. Mills is right at home, where human rights violations, including the murder of the judges still remain,''' they stated further.
Touching on the condemnation of the National Honours Awards by Mr. Rawlings and Ex-Capt Tsikata, the party said, "Many Ghanaians who wish the cause of democracy and the NDC well, hoped and prayed that for once, Prof Mills would stand with democracy, the 'new' NDC and for his principles by rejecting the 'Edict of Ridge' by accepting the honour he had agreed to accept" but. "As a "tro-tro" driver said perceptively a few days before Prof Mills announced his decision 'If Massa say ino for go, ino go go!" Alas, he did not."
"He could not and he is not yet his own man. The question that must be asked by every Ghanaian before casting a vote in December is 'Does a vote for Prof Mills mean a third term for President Rawlings?' the party stressed.
