‘Monkey dey work, baboon dey chop’ has crept into NDC – Rawlings

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has bemoaned the attitude of some members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in efforts to have a united front ahead of the next elections.

According to him, the much-talked about unity “comes at a price”. “And it is not asking for plenty money,” he noted, “it is only asking for truthfulness, integrity and sincerity”.

Mr Rawlings made these suggestions on Saturday at the 25th anniversary rally of the NDC at Mandela Park in Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region. He recalled how he had to patch up with Former Central Bank Governor Alex Ashiagbor after being influenced by some of his advisors in the ‘80s to denigrate him.

He said after discovering how brilliant the late governor was, “ I regretted my earlier action”. Alluding to that experience, the retired air force officer said “I became united with that man, I apologized and met him. He could have turned his back and I wouldn’t have met him”.

He, therefore, advised that the party should be serious when talking about unity and not stab each other in the back in that bid.

“How often haven’t we gone through this kind of stage…if we are being serious, that unity can work.” He said some would have to shed their egos for unity to be established, insisting that the party has too many of opportunists.

“Monkey dey work, baboon dey chop, we have brought it into NDC. No, no, no,” he said in Twi. “We must come clean. Let’s come clean, that is the only way some of us know how to live.”