Rawlings should have ignored Valerie Sawyerr - Atik

Ex-President Rawlings has responded to an article by Ex-President Mahama's former Deputy Chief of Staff, Valerie Sawyerr regarding him.

Mrs. Valerie Sawyerr attacked the personality of Mr. Rawlings accusing him of "still flogging a dead horse” although they are in opposition.

The Ex-President had attributed the defeat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2016 elections to corruption scandals that characterized the Mahama administration.

But his remarks didn't sink down well with the former Deputy Chief of Staff who lambasted him for being unfair to the previous government.

“They say he booms . . . I say he buzzes . . . like an agitated mosquito . . . looking for his next victim. Again, he heads for other Heads of State . . . describing their governance as riddled with corruption. Is he trying to say that his reign was unblemished or that his twin brother’s (President Akufo-Addo) reign is unsullied? Really? Who born dog . . . in fact . . . who born monkey?”

“JJ oooo JJ . . . the great Papa JJ . . . the one and only Junior Jesus … the great saint who never does wrong … you are still flogging a dead horse … the NDC is in opposition in case you have not noticed, while a living raging bull is moving around with reckless abandon destroying everything it finds in its path including the assets and citizens of this nation,” she said.

Rebutting the criticisms by Mrs. Sawyerr, Mr. Rawlings described her as a person without integrity.

“NDC is at a crossroads between those with integrity and those without. Those who lack it feel threatened by those of us who have the influence of integrity and that is what is frightening them. None of all these calls against us will hold. I mean it’s false, they know it but they have to propagate it," he also stated.

Commenting on the response by Mr. Rawlings to Valerie Sawyerr, Atik Mohammed expressed disappointment in the Ex-President for replying the Deputy Chief of Staff.

According to him, he expected Mr. Rawlings to have ignored her remarks.

Atik noted that Mr. Rawlings was gaining the sympathy of Ghanaians following the article by Valerie Sawyerr concerning him but his response may affect the sympathy from the citizenry.

“I think he could have just ignored it. In conflict resolution, there’s a mechanism called ignore. Sometimes, some conflicts are ignored to resolve themselves.”