Rawlings didn’t make my father -Valerie Sawyer

To say that some functionaries and appointees of President John Mahama are getting intoxicated with the power entrusted them by the good people of Ghana is an understatement.

The President’s advice to Ministers and other appointees to guard against self-importance and serve the people with humility and in modesty seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

Senior Policy Adviser and Head of Presidential Delivery Unit, Dr Valerie Sawyer, threw caution to the wind when she took a swipe at the Managing Editor of The aL-hAJJ, and founder of the National Democratic Congress, Jerry John Rawlings.

Reacting to a recent publication by The aL-hAJJ that former President Jerry John Rawlings has been complaining of betrayal by her (Valerie), a daughter of his late bosom friend- Harry Sawyerr- whom he appointed Education Minister and later made Chairman of the Council of Elders of the ruling party; Dr Valerie Sawyer, in a whatsapp text message to Alhaji Bature Iddrisu arrogantly averred that her late father was a successful person in politics long before the advent of Mr. Rawlings in Ghana politics.

“When you go on your next spree kindly release all your concocted ammunition on me, but please leave out my dead father. He sacrificed too much for NDC and Ghana to deserve this pathetic mud-slinging against his memory,” she stated.

According to Dr. Valerie Sawyer, who also served in the administration of the late President Mills as a Deputy Chief of Staff, her late father (Harry Sawyer) was already a successful politician and a self-made man at the time of his appointment as Minister in the Rawlings government for which reason it would be unfair to the memory of her late father and his family to attribute his success to the former President.

“He (Harry Sawyer) was born in 1926. By the time he joined the NDC in 1992, he was 66 years old. So when you are writing your pieces, please be careful to whom you attribute his success in life,” Valerie, as she is commonly called stated.

Adding that, “You people will not let a distinguished son of the soil rest in peace just because you want to tear his daughter apart. Is this how you execute your agenda? Aaba! May God judge you all!!”

Obviously peeved by our report which says Mr Rawlings feels stabbed in the back by her, over alleged machinations to prevent Dr. Zanetor Rawlings becoming MP and that, he is yet to come to terms why she (Valerie) would overlook a long-standing relationship that existed between him (Rawlings) and her late father, Harry Sawyer; Dr Valerie in a slighting response to The aL-hAJJ, wrote:

“Did you know that he was the first Independent candidate to win a Parliamentary seat? This is how he became Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle (then Osu Klottey) in 1969. In 1979, he was reelected MP for Klottey Korle on the ticket of the UNC. He served as Minister for Transport and Communication in Dr. Limman's Government from 1979 to 1981.”

According Madam Valarie, Mr Rawlings jailed her late father for no offence, and when he was cleared of the charges, the former president appointed him Minister to help put his government on a high pedestal “After the coup de tat, he was thrown into Nsawam prison. After some months, he was released when no blemish was found against him. His symbol was the "Clean Hand"," she wrote.

The aL-hAJJ in its last edition reported of how the NDC founder is mad at Dr Valerie Sawyer over allegations that she is in cahoots with certain persons seeking to block her daughter (Zanetor) from contesting the Klottey Korle seat on the ticket of the ruling NDC.

Mr Rawlings, sources say, was disappointed in the daughter of his bosom friend who for very strange reasons is suspected to be neck deep in machinations to prevent Dr Zanetor becoming MP.

The source added that “Valerie owes her present standing in politics to the old man (Rawlings). But for the old man’s closeness to her late father which gave her the opportunity to also warm her way into the NDC through Professor Mills, I doubt if she will find herself in the present position she occupies in government. After all the things that he has done for her family, the best way to pay him back is to work against his daughter?”

But the former deputy Chief of Staff won’t take this lying low. Not only did she rubbish the publication, she also took a swipe at the Managing Editor of The aL-hAJJ, describing him as stooping so low to be in cahoots with others to unjustifiably soil her reputation.

“Shame on you Alhaji! I really held you in high esteem. Never did I think u could stoop so low to be part of this gutter hatchet job of soiling someone's reputation without justification. I thought you were too big for this…

“When you go on your next spree kindly release all your concocted ammunition on me but please leave out my dead father. He sacrificed too much for NDC and Ghana to deserve this pathetic mud-slinging against his memory.” Madam Sawyerr wrote.

We reproduce below Dr. Valerie Sawyer’s whatsapp message to our Managing Editor unedited.

Shame on you Alhaji! I really held you in high esteem. Never did I think u could stoop so low to be part of this gutter hatchet job of soiling someone's reputation without justification. I thought you were too big for this.

When you go on your next spree kindly release all your concocted ammunition on me but please leave out my dead father. He sacrificed too much for NDC and Ghana to deserve this pathetic mud-slinging against his memory.

Did you know that he was the first Independent candidate to win a Parliamentary seat. This is how he became Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle (then Osu Klottey) in 1969.

In 1979, he was re elected MP for Klottey Korle on the ticket of the UNC. He served as Minister for Transport and Communication in Dr. Limman's Government from 1979 to 1981.

After the coup detat, he was thrown into Nsawam prison. After some months, he was released when no blemish was found against him. His symbol was the "Clean Hand".

He was born in 1926. By the time he joined the NDC in 1992, he was 66 years old. So when you are writing your pieces, please be careful to whom you attribute his success in life.

You people will not let a distinguished son of the soil rest in peace just because you want to tear his daughter apart. Is this how you execute your agenda? Aaba! May God judge you all!!

... and by the way, my name is 'Valerie' ... not 'Valarie'. Have a rewarding day!!!