Rawlings Must Stop Local Politics -Annan

The Rt. Hon. Justice Daniel Francis Annan, the former Speaker of Parliament, has noted that although he acknowledges that former President Rawlings is an important resource to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), he will have been happier if the former president distances himself from domestic politics.

Speaking in an interview on a Radio Gold programme dubbed 60 minutes, hosted by Isaac Tetteh, last Thursday, the former Speaker stated that he will personally advise that Rawlings creates a niche for himself, internationally, because he has done what very few African leaders have done.

According to Justice Annan, there is a forecast that NDC was going to lose the upcoming December elections massively and stressed that with this piece of information, the former President, who is Founder of the NDC, can?t sit back and allow that to happen. ?So, I can understand his (Rawlings) running around to take part in the campaign,? he asserted.

But as a matter of personal preference, I feel that if Rawlings had tried to extend his influence beyond the shores of Ghana, more positively, he would have built a niche for himself,? he added.

?Certainly, at election time, parties make use of all available resources, and Rawlings, by all accounts, is a very important resource to his party, so why not use him??, he asked.

?According to the former Speaker of Parliament, he believes it would be more appropriate if Rawlings left domestic politics alone.

Rt. Hon. Justice D.F. Annan said the fact that Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings had come from the Division one stage, to the middle stage, and then to the current stage, is enough to enable him to build a niche for himself at the international front instead of walking on the local political scene.