Kufuor not evil – Rawlings begs

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has shown remorse and apologized profusely for what political pundits have described as unsavory remarks he made about his colleague former Ghanaian leaders.

He described the recent comments he made against the former presidents as ‘inappropriate.’

He called former Presidents Kufuor and Mahama evil and rogue respectively.

Former President Jerry John Rawlings appeared to run down his immediate successor, John Agyekum Kufuor, and his own National Democratic Congress (NDC) member and former President John Dramani Mahama, in the presence of chiefs and elders from Mepe in the Volta Region, who had called on him.

They had gone to him to formally invite him to the final funeral rites of Mamaga Awusi Sreku II, queen mother of the Mepe Traditional Area.

Moral High Ground

In the course of discussions with the delegation, Mr Rawlings, who is the founder of the opposition NDC, in an unprovoked fashion, reportedly described Mr Kufuor as ‘evil’ and Mr. Mahama as a ‘rogue’ who destroyed the country.

He reportedly said, “I know with my integrity, when I die, I will go to heaven but when I see these corrupt leaders, I will ask permission from God and flog them.

“If they don’t leave heaven for me, I will go and leave the heavens and join Satan in hell, because I cannot stay in the same place with them.”

The former military leader claimed Mr. Kufuor sold some state-owned companies to foreigners and awarded himself with the ‘Grand Order of The Star and Eagle’ of Ghana.

Ewe Soldiers

Mr. Rawlings also said former President Kufuor, during his tenure, tried to sideline Ewes in the military, adding that it came to a time when the force was looking for senior officers and enlisting 40 in every region.

“When it got to the Volta Region, they tried to substitute the well-known names with their own people, but when the list got to Burma Camp they did the right thing,” he claimed further.

Corruption Tag

He turned his attention on Mr Mahama, describing the former president as a rogue who superintended over corruption.

Mr. Rawlings noted that during former President Mahama’s era, he personally negotiated for a project to be established at Vorlor in the North Tongu area of the Volta Region “but before I realised, some party executives had shared the land among themselves.”

He said people from the region had faithfully voted for the NDC on many occasions but they have nothing to show in terms of infrastructural development.

Public Concerns

However, the office of Mr. Rawlings appears to have been inundated with concerns from the public over the harsh comments and subsequently issued a statement yesterday withdrawing the said comments.

“The office of former President Jerry John Rawlings wishes to inform the general public that the former President has taken due note of concerns raised over certain publications arising out of a meeting he held with a delegation of chiefs and elders from Mepe in the Volta Region last Tuesday,” Kobina Andoh Amoakwa of the Communications Directorate of the Office, stated.

“The former President apologises to former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and John Dramani Mahama for the choice of words. He deems the words as inappropriate and withdraws them,” according to the statement.