NDC's silent majority must rise up - Rawlings

Ghana’s former President and leader of the 31st December Revolution, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings has charged the silent majority in the ruling party to "restore and protect the legacy that we fought for from the beginning."

"Let me assert my firm belief that the intrinsic ability of the NDC to rejuvenate and recapture the moral high ground is in no doubt. But it lies with the silent majority who would have to rise up and activate processes that will cleanse us," he said.

Speaking at the 35th anniversary of the 31st December Revolution in Accra Saturday, Mr Rawlings said the party's defeat was caused by corrupt and disrespectful appointees.

"We lost the elections way before the 7th of December. We persistently and unrepentantly stayed on the slippery slope to the humiliating defeat despite the several warning lights right in our faces. My honest wish was for corrective measures to be taken to avert this electoral disaster" he said

"With the passage of time a few too many selfish and greedy characters soon began to jump on board. There were some good people; very good people but leadership and the command structure did not empower them to override those who were destroying the party and the government. I have worked with good people all my life. I have worked with bad people all my life, some wicked, some with character defects but evil natured people must be kept away. Some of us however do not seem to have the cognitive intelligence to recognize their presence," Mr Rawlings added.

He lambasted officials of the NDC government for banking their hopes on supposed division of the opposition party. "All the while we were feeling smug and comfortable because we thought the hidden division in the main opposition’s leadership was going to work so well in our favour. How so wrong could we be? How could we have for one minute made the mistake of thinking that the disloyalty at the senior leadership level was going to percolate into the grassroot of the NPP," he said

He never doubted the ability of the NDC to stage a comeback, adding that the silent majority should let thier voice be heard.