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| ''We will all perish, if...." -JJ |
11/1/2005 |
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''We will all perish, if...." -JJ
Takoradi (Daily Guide) -- FORMER PRESIDENT Jerry John Rawlings, at the weekend, stepped up his agenda to boot out the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Administration, by any means possible, from power, when he charged Wahala marchers to suffocate the government with massive and forceful demonstrations, over and over again, since, according to him, it would be extremely difficult for the opposition to get power, through the ballot box.
Mr. Rawlings, who was addressing faithful of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)-inspired Committee for Joint Action (CJA), and other opposition elements in Takoradi, after they had undertaken a three-hour demonstration, in Takoradi on Saturday, said if the masses, who are in the millions do not confront the NPP Administration, which he said is a few hundred, “we will all die.”
“If you are not prepared to die a little bit for this generation, then we will all perish,” he charged.
The march failed to live up to expectation, as only a sparse crowd joined the Wahala leaders on the march, prompting the former President to task the organisers to make sure they rope a lot more people, next time around. Clad in red colours, the demonstrators started the march at about 9.00 am from the Takoradi Embassy Hotel, and went through some of the principal streets holding placards some of which read;
“we need jobs not lies”, “God will deal with you Kufuor,” and “NPP government, equal to lies , wahala continua”.
Daily Guide’s investigations revealed, the leadership of NDC in the Western Region mobilised party members from all the constituencies in the region, but the turn-out was still poor. About 20 vehicles were made available, but failed to attract the expected crowd.
Former President Rawlings entreated all those who think they are suffering to muster courage and battle the government in the streets, with massive demonstrations till members of government run and leave their shoes behind.
He said the corruption going on in the NPP Administration cannot be compared to any government in the history of the country, and that a corruption of the past, put together, will never equal what officials of the present government are involving themselves in.
Mr. Rawlings said, the current administration, led by President Kufuor, is so corrupt and wicked that it does not care about the rest of the society. According to him, it is so hard that his very good friend, Kwesi Pratt, cannot afford to pay a ¢10 million bill of his sick mother, at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Raining all sorts of insults on President Kufuor, he said in the face of all these difficulties, President Kufuor and his ministers and family members are acquiring wealth, using state resources, and accused President Kufuor of stealing state money for his son Chief Kufuor to purchase a hotel near the President’s house.
He said that some ministers are also wilfully wasting the country’s resources, while the president sits down unconcerned.
Mr. Rawlings said Mr. Kwame Peprah and the late Mr. Selormey, one-time Finance and Economic Planning Minister and deputy minister respectively were jailed by the present administration for no crime committed, yet Hon Osafo-Maafo, Education and Sports Minister, had awarded a dubious printing job, worth $27 million to Macmillan of the UK, while the same minister also wasted hundreds of millions of cedis to chase IFC loan which was never to be, but still walks freely on the streets of Accra.
He said the same crime that led to the revolt of the 1979 and 1981, where some heads of state were executed, are now taking place, under the NPP Administration.
He said the Kufuor’s Administration has inflicted evil and hardship on the country, and it is using the Secretary-General of the UN, Mr.Kofi Annan, to do public relations, and to help white-wash the evil deeds.
According to the former president the Millenium Excellence Award held recently to honour Kofi Annan for his meritorious service to the UN was only aimed at giving credit to the NPP government.
Rawlings stated that as if that was not annoying enough, President Kufuor went to America and shook hands with President Bush, and the picture was placed on the front page of Daily Graphic, last Friday, just so that NPP could clear itself of evil deeds, but assured his supporters all would come to nothing. He said no amount of “cleaning” by Mr. Kofi Annan will ever make Kufuor and his cohorts white, because their evils are unpardonable.
He therefore called on Obasanjo and Kofi Annan to deal with the injustices to ensure peace and stability in the country.
He mentioned the killing of Ya-Na and 40 others in 2002, and the murder of CPP activists, Alhaji Mobila, as some of the serious evils of NPP.
“Ghana was the first African country, south of the Sahara to gain independence from the treacherous whiteman but today, it is even the blackman who has become more treacherous than the whiteman,” he said.
Former President Rawlings said as a result of the intensity of its sins, the NPP Administration, led by President Kufuor, is trying, desperately, to corrupt the moral fabric of the society by “buying” influential people, adding that if Kwesi Pratt did not have that high moral integrity, he would have also, been bought to prevent him from criticising the government, and its evil deeds.
He charged Ghanaians to always remind themselves of the national anthem which says, in part that Ghanaians must be fearless and cheerless to always resist oppressors’ rule.
Mr. Rawlings also, wondered why numerous pastors and reverend ministers who have been inundating the airwaves with the gospel, have kept mute over such a national problem of maladministration of the country.
Prof Mills, who had driven to Takoradi in two of the Rawlings’ Nissan Patrols, one of which conveyed his bodyguards, looked very tired after marching through the scorching sun. He told the wahalians to help push NPP out because his prediction that it would only bring hardship unto the people had come to pass.
Present at the demonstration were Kwesi Pratt, Bernard Monneh, Totobi Quakyi, and Betty Bosomtwe Sam.
Source:
Daily Guide
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