Pressure mounts on Rawlings to name crooks in govt

Some politicians and commentators are challenging former President Jerry John Rawlings to name persons he believes, are crooks within the Mahama-administration.

Kwesi Pratt of the Insight newspaper, Titus Glover, New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Tema East, Horace Nii Ayi Ankrah, UK and Ireland Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) have on different media platforms thrown this challenge to the ex-president.

Mr. Rawlings last Saturday, hammered President John Mahama for his inability to keep “the bad ones” and “crookish monsters” away from the Presidency.

He said this at a special congregation of the University of Development Studies, where he was recognized with a bust for exemplary efforts in establishing Northern Ghana's first university.

He said “both the good and the bad are around him [President Mahama]. He’s unable to kick the bad ones away and I guess it’s because he doesn’t know about some of them and their nature”,

Speaking to Joy News' AM Show on Monday, Horace Nii Ayi Ankrah wondered why a "passionate" ex-president known for his boldness, would fall short of mentioning names.

"We have to respect the sitting president. Politicians must be very authentic and bold. He should not fear saying that [somebody] is a crook; say it and say it properly", he said.

Titus Glover, speaking on Adom TV's Badwam also believes, mentioning names of corrupt individuals in government is in the interest of the nation.

Kwesi Pratt also criticized Rawlings for always questioning the competence of all presidents since he handed over in 2000.

He vouched for the integrity of some of the president's men such as Chief of Staff Prosper Bani, Executive Secretary Raymond Atuguba, Alhaji Baba Kamara saying their integrity is beyond doubt.

Commenting on the ex-president's statements, Kwesi Pratt said, "if you know, then you have to mention their names, so we all know".

Despite President Rawlings' offer to help John Mahama clean his government of corrupt individuals, Pratt said the 1979 style of house-cleaning where Rawlings, then head of a military junta, supervised serious human rights abuses and murders on suspicion of corruption belongs to the past