NDC can’t ignore Rawlings – Boakye-Djan

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) cannot sideline the founder of the party but should understand his way of dealing with matters and contain him, Major Kwadwo Boakye-Djan (rtd), a former spokesperson of the defunct Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) has said.

Responding to a question by Moro Awudu on Class FM’s Executive Breakfast Show on Monday June 12 whether the party can do away with ex-President Jerry John Rawlings, the founder of the party, he said: “You cannot ignore him [ex-President Rawlings]; take it or leave it,” explaining that Mr Rawlings could be likened to the proverbial bird that is considered a bother yet offered nutritional benefits. “He has played a very important…role in NDC as a party political tradition… We cannot take that from him and we have to respect that and respect his way of doing things.”

For him, the hierarchy of the party must understand the founder and find a better way to relate with him to ensure the best for the party so it returns to winning ways.

He, however, admonished that the party must aim at building its structures beyond individuals to ensure the continued existence of the party.

“History in the country has shown that once you personalise a political party and the key person dies, he dies with the party,” he stated.

He continued: “Kwame Nkrumah died and the Convention People’s Party (CPP) is wallowing in the gutter. Limann died and the People’s National Convention (PNC) is struggling, so we should be careful not to personalise an institution that will survive us long into history…in the interest of renewing our society.

Mr Boakye-Djan, who said he has “nothing against Rawlings”, explained that the “NDC should do well to draw people to its core values than personalising… It doesn’t make me believe that we will survive as a party if the founder dies”.

For him it was time members of the party had a re-orientation to have the values of accountability, probity, and social justice as a guide as have been trumpeted by former President Rawlings.

He, however, disagreed with individuals who have said that the party has overgrown its founder and should be sidelined.