Rawlings urged for protection of NDC electoral victory

Kpone, Oct 20, GNA - Former President Jerry John Rawlings, last Friday asked loyalists and faithful of the largest minority party of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to protect its electoral victory at the December 2008 polls.

He alleged that Ghanaians were deceived in 2000 to vote the New Patriotic Party (NPP) into power and in 2004 the lack of vigilance by the party denied the NDC of the electoral victory. "This time you must not sleep but rather be vigilant and protect the victory of the NDC else if they won again you would be reduced to fourth rate citizens," the Former President said in Ga as he addressed a rally of party loyalists and supporters at Kpone, in the Kpone-Katamanso Constituency in the Greater Accra Region.

The ecstatic crowed that attended the rally, went agog with music and dancing amidst the shouting of party slogans and catch phrases when Flt Lt Rawlings (retired), the founder of the party arrived at 1735 hours.

The former President accompanied by Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prampram, Mr Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, incumbent MP and Madam Beatrice Naa Afiyie Ashong, former MP for the constituency took turns to address the rally. Ex-President Rawlings urged the people to maintain peace and avoid violence in the run up to the polls but noted however that peace was a product rather than an event, which necessitated truthfulness, peaceful acts and good behaviour.

"We have demonstrated that we are peaceful people. They rather want you to go and sleep on Election Day so that they can steal again. Peace can only come about if they stop misbehaving, let us be alert this time," he said.

The Ex-President catalogued a number of events under the NPP administration, which he said were affront to peace and added that the NPP was greedy and wanted every national asset to belong to its members. "They are thorny shrubs in a plantation and it is necessary that we plug out those thorns out of the plantation," he said.

The NDC founder accused the NPP of abuse of power and urged Ghanaians to vote for the NDC, which he said was a party of accountability, freedom and fairness. "A vote for the NDC is a vote for yourselves," he added.

The former President, a pilot by profession, said he had better knowledge of aircraft than President John Agyekum Kufuor and wondered why the latter wanted to procure two brand new aircraft. Earlier Mr E.T Mensah said: "The NPP has failed Ghanaians and it is afraid of rejection. NDC will have victory one touch," Mr Mensah said adding that a South African research had indicated that the NDC would score 60 per cent of total votes in the first round. The former MP, Naa Ashong urged the electorate to maintain the Kpone-Katamanso seat for the NDC.

Incumbent MP Nii Afotey-Agbo said he had championed the cause of the constituency in parliament and explained that the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) was responsible for development in the area. He, therefore, called for a total rejection of the NPP government at December polls in place of the NDC.