Reject bribes- Rawlings tells Volta chiefs

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has urged chiefs in the Volta Region to continue to reject all forms of inducements from people seeking to gain political power.

According to him, financial and other forms of inducements, when allowed, could destroy their dignity and strip them of the respect and reverence they carried before their people and the rest of the world.


Former President Rawlings gave this advice when he met the chiefs at an emergency meeting of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs last Wednesday. Queen mothers were also highly represented.


Former President Rawlings noted that the changing times of the world had subjected various offices, including that of the chief, to incessant financial influence.


Furthermore, people would come under the guise of modernization with all forms of assistance which sometimes caught the chiefs off guard, he said, adding that it was important that the chiefs continued to stand their ground to protect the dignity of their office and consolidate the respect they commanded.


He commended the chiefs for repelling such influences, noting however that sometimes, “there are some who fall prey to it. If anybody wants to provide some financial inducement or to assist, it will have to be done properly without undermining the dignity of your throne, your chieftaincy”.

He added that “respect is extremely important. How much in the changing times have this country been going through over the last 10 or more years? How much of the changing times have respect not been replaced with money?”


Mr Rawlings advised that since the chiefs were the ones seeing some of these changes, they shouldn’t let them undermine their office.


“You are the ones who are watching the changes that are taking place. Some of you can accommodate the changes from westernization and so on and so forth. But none of this must be made to go to the extent of undermining your dignity.”


Hardships


He lamented over the current sufferings across the country, saying, “People who have no business having strokes have been suffering from strokes for the past 10 years and over, due to the hardships and indignity they are suffering.” The only explanation to this, he said, was “the hardships and pressure in their minds and their heart”.

He also expressed worry over the kind of anxiety and desperation in the actions of the NDC government which made them take desperate decisions and actions at the displeasure of the masses.


He made reference to the disruption and attacks on demonstrators in the country, wondering what had gone amiss. “When your children decided to go on a peaceful demonstration on an issue, people sitting in Accra were so scared that it could spark an Arab Spring so they unleashed the police on them, to demonstrate to the whole country that nothing of such nature will be countenanced.”


Mr. Rawlings wondered why the government was relying on John Mahama and him (Rawlings) to convince themselves that all was well. “Now we don’t appear frightened anymore because John Mahama has ignited a situation. Rawlings has appeared at Kumasi so it has ignited some positivity.”


He added that “assuming we were to lose and to go into opposition, what have we done, while we are in office to make sure that the security we are enjoying when in office will also prevail when we are not in office?”


“Whether we stay in government or leave government we should not feel vulnerable or unsecure because that is what true democracy is all about,” he stressed.

He also expressed worry over the kind of recruitments being made in the security services, which according to him had belittled the standard and respect for the services.


He said, “The security service is now a place of employment and not people with the passion to be soldiers. So know (that) when you commit this sort of thing under your own regime and you are not investigating it, how can you investigate the Mobilla cases? You are back to square one.”


Mr Rawlings expressed worry over the deep-seated corruption in the ruling government.


According to the NDC founder, corruption was so deep that it had literally held the resources of the country to ransom; and only a handful of people were enjoying while the majority of the people were suffering.


He said: “The corruption that is going on is so deep. Some aspects of these corruptions are literally holding your national resources to ransom by just a hand full of people. I’m not here to poison your minds at all.”

He wondered why the NDC had done little to avert the situation and yet was ready to turn a blind eye to it for fear of the opposition NPP.


He stated that if the situation could not be salvaged in the last three years, what was the guarantee that it would be curbed in the future?