Rawlings Asked to Keep Quiet And Write Life History

The national vice chairman of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Mr. Donkor Ayifli, has advised former President Jerry Rawlings to stop what he called his frequent "infantile vituperations" and start writing his memoirs for the benefit of the future generations.

He said God has not appointed Mr. Rawlings judge over Ghanaians and, therefore, he has no divine or legal authority to judge the Kufuor administration on their behalf.

In an interview with The Chronicle at Ho, Mr. Ayifli said Mr. Rawlings should allow the comparison between his administration and that of Kufuor to be made by Ghanaians and not by him as an individual with a single vote.

The veteran politician described Mr. Rawlings' recent public pronouncement on the serial murder of women as childish "coming from the lips of someone who believes and treats his fellow countrymen as his pets."

"If I were him, I would keep quiet or even leave the country to take up international appointments offered him," he stressed.

Asked what he felt about the personal involvement of the leader of the NDC in the campaign team of Prof. John Atta Mills, Mr. Ayifli said the popularity of Rawlings has waned and his presence would even worsen things for the NDC and its flagbearer.

"But if he (JJ) feels Mills is not mature enough and therefore needs direction from him, he will rather make them fail and fail more."

Ayifli was of the view that Prof. Mills should be left alone to be able to do what he wants to do for the country.

On the way forward for the CPP, Mr. Ayifli, who is now practising herbal medicine at Ho, said it is only with the blending of the old and new officers that the party can make an impact in the 2004 general election.

He said that the party would contest the 200 seats without merging with any other party.

Mr. Ayifli commended President Kufuor for appointing ministers from other political parties, saying he did the right thing because "national interest must be above party interest."

The chairman appealed to politicians not to reject such offers because by so doing they only die or become too old before their parties come into power when their capabilities become stale and no longer of any benefit to the state.

He said that the Kufuor administration came to rescue Ghanaians from political crossroads and economic hardship, adding "I believe, if Kufuor had not come, Ghanaians would have found themselves in more unbearable hardship than the situation appears to be now."

Mr. Ayifli said the setting up of the National Reconciliation Commission is in the right direction but advised against it being used as a ploy to victimize members of any regime.

He hoped it would be used to correct the mistakes of the past.