With the Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jerry John Rawlings dead, the flagbearer for the 2020 elections, and former Pr...
With the Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jerry John Rawlings dead, the flagbearer for the 2020 elections, and former President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama will have to shoulder the burden of managing the affairs of the party until the party leadership takes a decision about it. Though the party managed to alienate late Rawlings’ influence from the party, which he founded, he managed to have a degree of control in its affairs and it was respected as such.
From his retirement in 2001 as president of Ghana, the party has had a tradition of consulting with him anytime they wish to elect a flagbearer for the elections. His counsel took the party this far, and shall be recognized as exceptionally useful.
But recently, until he passed away, J.J Rawlings has been a critic of the crop of leadership in the party. He had issued dozens of warnings amid criticisms of the party’s leadership, one that made him- arguably, a perceived threat to John Mahama’s bid.
Beyond the rants, three critical warnings were sounded by the late ex-president, and this must not be taken likely. I do consider it to be a challenge on the NDC, especially in John Mahama’s interest to resolve them as soon as possible. At least it will be an honour of his name for the counsel he offered.
These warnings were sounded as far as December 2016, and then recently, in August 2020.
Warning 1
On December 31, 2016 in celebration of the December Revolution, late J.J Rawlings lashed that the NDC’s defeat in the 2016 elections was as a result of the disrespect some party men have accorded its founders and elders.
“I kept providing the warning whenever and wherever I could, and in public as well. But no, once again the uncouth and uncultured in our party and government chose to insult and disrespect some of us. The genuine and true founders and elders (warriors and youthful fighters) of what has transformed into the NDC were being disregarded and disrespected way back from 2008 after victory was delivered on a silver platter.”
Warning 2
Late J.J Rawlings on September 2019 lamented that party is being corrupted with money. He shared that executive positions and other leadership roles in the party are now being bought by the highest bidder, and thereby shying away true servants of the party. He cried that such tendencies is eating into the fabric of the virtues of the party, and could stain its integrity.
"They have purchased the power of the party into their pockets even though they know that their aim is not 2020. Their main target is 2024 when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) would have been weak by then," he said.
Warning 3
The Prof. Ahwoi’s ‘Working with Rawlings’ Book had caused some anger in the Founder as he made some damning remarks about the latter’s leadership. Mr. Rawlings described the content and its author as having a grand agenda to bulldoze their way into the higher realms of the party. He said it was a desperate attempt that was being taken to control the NDC.
But in Rawlings’ response on August 2020, he cursed that such actions if not corrected could end the party into years of opposition.
" . . The NDC could, should and has survived on the authority of the word but if care is not taken, it will collapse and drown as has been happening, on the word of those in authority.''
But has anything change in the part in respect of these criticisms by the late Founder? It is a task indeed not just for Mahama but for the entire party going into the elections and after.
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