Ghana Review presents below a transcript of the speech given by President Rawlings at the gathering as recorded by Reporters of THE STATESMAN and published in The Statesman.
Ladies and gentlemen, as the chairman tried to say, the truth is not lost on you. Ladies and gentlemen, let me just summarise these. I will not speak long to take too much of your time.
A good number of speakers have spoken so much words of wisdom. Not one single of them has spoken any insults. Even our brother who came from the Ashanti Region area was speaking the truth. What the gentleman said and I do say for SOME OF THEM, THE WAY THEY ARE BEHAVING NEED TO HAVE THEIR HEADS EXAMINED. I AM SAYING A FACT.
Ladies and gentlemen, listen to me. Maybe we occasionally make a few mistakes here and there. VAT, let me say something about this slight mistake and I admit it. The VAT is a necessity, and there is no doubt about it because it reaches out to every corner of economic activity to make sure we all pay our appropriate and due share.
The mistake we made was that the educational programme was not carried out intensively and widely enough. And also the only part of the misstate was that we didn't put in place a very solid monitoring machinery to make sure nobody takes advantage of it, as people have ended up doing.
Ladies and Gentlemen, if this government is asking for, and demanding, more revenue, it is because of one crime we must be occurred of: the crime of wanting to make sure we take development to every part of this country. A crime to step up the pace of development. So this is a crime?
I am saying, and I keep on saying, a lot of you people are asking: why are you people in Accra and Kumasi bothering us? You have your roads and electricity, you have your water, we don't have water to drink, very basic things. Admittedly, ladies and gentlemen, we are facing hardships. The issue of pay, I admit, is difficult to take us through the month. If the workers wanted to go on strikes and demonstrations, they do everything possible to make the demonstration non-violent as possible.
Ladies and gentlemen, the misapplication of VAT creates problems like escalation of prices, etc., and people are feeling agitated. Yes, I cannot understand why people don't bring their concerns to government and we are aware of it and day and night we are looking for solution.
So if some of you have a political agenda and I cannot understand! In Africa, the opposition know one thing and that is: "bring him down". Wait a minute, every opportunity they get they exploit it. If that is the only way the know how to do politics, go ahead, but don't do it to the extent as to create an eruption, anarchy, to wind back the clock. We have come a long way. There is only one thing I ask for, not for the presidency as I stand here, but for..... We have some people who don't know much about Nkrumaism, or Busiasm, or Danquaism.
We have seen corruption under Nkrumah's regime: we have seen arrogance and corruption under Busia. We have seen the coups and the corruption that it also led to and finally this country exploded as you know. The PNDC regime, the millions of people who were not Nkrumaists or Busiasts who came from the Busia party, the Nkrumah party. The one thing we know that they all have in common, the sense of high integrity, irrespective of where they come from I keep repeating this point. What am I trying to tell you? The time has come finally when a responsible government, when the people's government of this country, must lay an irreversible foundation. We will do everything, everything possible to lay a sound political atmosphere. We need a sound economic foundation, so that even if Rawlings has to go, whoever comes, let's make sure that we don't wind back the clock as we keep doing on this Africa continent. If something goes wrong we must revise the clock and start again.
BLACK CONTINENT Ever since every single country on this black continent won their independence, how many of them haven't wound the clock many times backwards? Tell me, how many of us have made a success programme of African independence? We should be ashamed of ourselves. Such a rich continent, a continent with rich ancestry, with traditional values. We end up being derailed time and again.
While people who are supposed to know better, today, if you declare, if I were to say even, elections today, no sound respectable person will stand on a platform because they have taken over the newspapers to create an environment hostile to people of integrity so that only they, the criminals will have a field day.
What kind of politics is this? We have a problem. When you want to see demonstrations going on, go ahead but don't tell that from day one you do not know their agenda. Every single one of us have known their agenda.
I have to give you a twist. The very night before, police were in place, they wanted to burn down some of the markets. We even want to move. The Security Council met to move the military to all those places and I said, no leave them out; just take care of the Ministries. Why do they want to go through the commercial centre and the big market place? In order to create looting and anarchy.
You know it, I know it. I must say thank you to some of our revolutionary organs, wait a minute, our own forces. And I stand here in defence of truth and what is noble. Our forces also wanted to engage in a counter demonstration to show them. If it is anarchy they want, we will prevent them. I said no, never mind, let us do what we can to control them, there will be no counter-demonstration. However, because the police are not so well equipped, YOU WILL HELP THE POLICE BY FORMING A CORDON to protect private property and public property. You will go on no demonstration. DO WHAT YOU CAN TO PROTECT THE MARKET PLACES, because they are aiming at that place.
They were told, you will also not come to this place; you will go on another route and yet they chose to go the route that was prohibited, leading to a clash. Young kids, street-side boys, C1,500 each, although we have whatever amount, from all over; criminals, cocaine, wee smokers, and they put them in your midst and you don't see what their agenda is.
Ladies and gentlemen, you know something? Let me give them one word of advice. FOR EVERY SINGLE STONE THEY CAN THROW, WE CAN THROW ONE HUNDRED. Ladies and gentlemen, for EVERY OUNCE OF VIOLENCE THEY THINK THEY CAN INVOKE WE CAN INVOKE ONE HUNDRED MORE !!!
Ever since constitutional rule started, some of you wanted to call this democracy? I DON'T CALL IT DEMOCRACY!!! WHAT WE HAVE IS NOTHING MORE THAN PROVOCATION UPON PROVOCATION. AND TOLERANCE FROM THE OTHER SIDE. IF WE WERE TO REACT TO THE CONSTANT PROVOCATION, WHICH OF THEM WILL STILL BE THERE TODAY?
We want to demonstrate to the world that there a wise nation here that has achieved its political stability ready to take off.
N country as I keep on telling you, has a higher credibility than we do. As you and I stand here, ladies and gentlemen, there is 1 billion dollars, hundreds of millions, waiting for us to continue our development programme.
This money, Kwesi Botchwey would have told you, will only come if we can ensure we can harness the right cedis to go with it. If we can't make it possible to exchange that money we will not get clean, clear grants and loans. What more can you ask for?
So when we say take it easy with your demands, there is a long term validity. This country must reach it.
But when we bury our own children because they are misled, you know something. Tell me anyone of them who led them, who provoked them, who paid them, if any one of them have died. Not one single one of them. It has to be you, it has to be my people.
Listen, as I stand before you, I have a senior brother called Nii Ade, 10 years older than I am. I won't say I am a relation to the others, there is one Dr. Arday, I don't know but I think he was practising in Kumasi. The time I was being born, when my mother was giving birth to me. The midwife who was helping to give birth to me is a sister to this Dr Arday, who was then a young boy, he was fanning the coal pot, the hot fire, for hot water. I grew up under guidance of this Arday and Hongar. One of the 14 year old kid who was buried, called Hongar, his father used to cut my hair when I was kid.
Let me personalise things. These days, I leave the office late, 7pm and 8pm. I know my wife is not at home, I know where she is going to be, I call the office: "Nana wadidi, what are you having? I am not hungry", is usually the reply. At least she should eat to put on a little flesh for me. When I ask whether she's eaten, she replies that whether I have also eaten. Not that we couldn't afford the meals.
Brothers and sisters, make no mistake about this, we feel the pain. It is enormous, so when even you have no desire, the problems of this country is a big burden on our shoulders.
There are people who just can't give a damn: live well and eat well and at the end of the day they will give money to you. Like the man who made the admission in the Ghanaian Times, you think he was made up. Maybe, we should have brought him. He told the truth because they did not give him the rest of the money.
Should we allow ourselves to be misused? We have genuine problems: and are trying hard to find solution to them.
Some of these characters are not worth the attention. But sometimes I think when we also, within the party, within the executive, as parliamentarians, the lack of unity sometimes only depict us that we are not on the grounds with the people. These are problems of concern that we must concern ourselves with.
Don't let the so-called opposition think we are facing problems. They will take advantage of our mistakes and the gap between us. Otherwise they have nothing to offer the people of this country. I don't say this as a political statement. You can take it if you want, not to follow these characters who will insult the integrity of this country. I was glad to hear one of the students talking. I don't know whether he comes from Tech or wherever. Please we, as far as we are concerned, we don't have money to do money politics.
My brothers in the revolutionary organs, let us re-unite and learn our lessons through our mistakes. Let us not think that a lot of people have amassed. of course they did. How many of us will learn a lesson from this? So that we re-organise ourselves and get down and take our work a little more seriously than we have been doing. Let's not create gaps for the charlatans to take advantage of. Let's not lose our humility, our commitment, our education. What happened to the days when we used to move into the factories to explain things? To the rural areas, the constant durbars?
I won't ask you where those people are. They don't count but I say you and I have set high standards from the time of the PNDC. We are being judged by the yardstick we have set ourselves. There is no way people can even measure up to the standards we have set.
True, "Eye Mmboasem, Eye mmboasem". As I say, there is a lot of work, there is too much work. For some of us to be voted back may be the immediate objective but please let's look at the more noble exercise to raise the living standards of the people of this country.
MONEY POLITICS Let's chicken it, because if it is money politics we can't match them. They sold state enterprises to themselves. They deal in the mot questionable things. If we were to put Serious Fraud Office on them not many will survive it. And yet it would be construed that we are doing politics against them.
A noble person like Justice Archer, a noble person like Justice Abban, is appointed. Because they can't take men and women of truth, they went and campaigned. Ladies and gentlemen don't we have eyes to see? Don't you ever mind them. Have I offended you? Do my people offend you, come and fight with me but don't insult yourself and me. Don't fall on such characters, you will insult yourselves.
Ladies and gentlemen, money, they will organise it, their so-called supporters for people to register in their names. If you are smart when they bring it, register but when the time comes vote wisely. I know the massive support we command in this country, sometimes despite our mistakes. The support wherever we are moving the crowd etc. But ladies and gentlemen this support will be consolidated or be made tangible when you have to vote. Please everything has not been sweet.
No doubt they may also contest and win, I don't know, maybe sometime. Ladies and gentlemen, don't make a mistake just because you and I hold so highly with our brothers and sisters in Parliament, our popularity, you go and sleep. NO. You also make sure you register, get your people to register, so that when the voting times come, we beat them ten times over and over again. There will be no room for any stolen verdict. Like the last time if the world want to come and referee they are welcome to be referees.
We are monitoring the conflicts between some of our brothers. We must sort it out quickly, because there are some who have taken the advantage to arm themselves, not to use it to fight among themselves but to play the fool when the time comes for voting.
Oh yes, we are monitoring it and at the right time we will strike.
Until then it is not the bullet which will keep us here if that's what you want. The bullet is that paper that you put into the box. Without registration you cannot have that paper.
Register, register massively and let's show the world that integrity is here to stay, accountability is here to stay, transparency is here to stay.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's get it straight when the time comes for all the campaign, the insults, the fabrication against Rawlings, the NDC government we are intelligent people. They cannot dissuade us. When you go in unity, solidarity, disabuse their minds.
You turn round harmless and they threaten them: anybody who opens his shop does so at his own risk. If they believe in freedom and justice and democracy, who do you want to threaten people who open their shops. Some people attempted to open their shops only to have people appear in cars with red arm bands etc., ordering them to shut. Look at that. They employ thugs to intimidate people. I am glad that had it not happened we won't know their true colours. When things like these happen, you begin to see their true colours.
So we have to despatch the police to look for them. They wanted to organise a massive this thing and it all fell flat in their face. So when things don't work you want to intimidate people, you threaten them with guns, etc. And you think they are fools?
If you were to publish the names of everybody in this country who owns a gun I can assure you that most of them are from the other side. Not you. Private weapons, licensed
weapons. We don't know what they have or what they want to protect and yet I can tell just as in America I should tell you all shop owners who own property, YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO ALSO OWN A GUN JUST LIKE THEY. AND YOU CHICKEN OUT JUST BECAUSE OF A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE IN A CAR COMING ROUND TO HARASS YOU. UNITE TO TEACH THEM A LESSON. BUT YOU WAIT FOR THE POLICE, WAIT FOR THE REVOLUTIONARY ORGANS, WAIT FOR THE PARTY MACHINERY.
Ladies and gentlemen, you are the strength of this country, each and every of you. If you don't unite, they will break you. If you unite nobody can touch you.
If you want to follow someone, look for men and women of integrity. Concerning the VAT, Parliament is working on it and whether it stays or comes we will have to ensure that we must use the appropriate revenue for what must be done.
Ladies and gentlemen, make no mistake, we have no intention of really hurting anybody. NO. We are still human. We have no intention to hurt. WE ARE YOU PRODUCT. IT IS YOUR AGAINST CORRUPTION AND ALL THESE THINGS THAT GAVE BIRTH TO US. No, we cannot turn round and betray you or misuse you. No. You can count on our loyalty day and night. If you are dissatisfied that we are making mistakes, get hold of us and say, brother, you are wrong. There are so many issues involved in nation building, the economic dimension etc.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think I will come to the end of my address. I say I continue, we won't leave this place.
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