By Adu Koranteng
The National Democratic Party has accused ex-president Mahama of deliberately destroying the Legacy of Former President Jerry John Rawlings before his death and thus called on him and his NDC party to stop shedding crocodile tears.
In an explosive press conference held yesterday at the Alisa Hotel in Accra, Alhaji Frimpong, the General Secretary of the NDP, the party founded by Mrs. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, accused the NDC of disrespecting Rawlings when he was alive. According to Alhaji Frimpong, the Ahwoi’s and Mahama group within the NDC colluded to destroy the legacy of Rawlings as the founder of the NDC and rendered him irrelevant in the party.
He said, “For the past decade, these elements led principally by the Ahwoi’s and the Mahama group within the NDC, orchestrated a series of coordinated attacks aimed at destroying the legacy of Jerry John Rawlings. This, they did, by sponsoring political neophytes JJ himself aptly described as ‘babies with sharp teeth’ to unleash barrages of insults and spew damning political rhetoric on the persons of Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings.”
Mr. Frimpong also indicated that some of those individuals who were used for such evil agenda have now been rewarded with juicy positions in the NDC. “Today, the political henchmen who were utilized for such diabolic assignments have been rewarded with high positions in the NDC under John Mahama and those who picked up the baton are also expecting big posts under a Mahama government. Those who produced forewords of books that cast the founder of the party in bad light are hoping to occupy the highest positions in government on the ticket of the party which was formed through the sweat and blood of Jerry John Rawlings.”, he said
Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman does not deserve to benefit from the toils of Rawlings
Alhaji Frimpong, further indicated that Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman does not deserve to benefit from the toils of Rawlings. In the fiery press conference aimed at calling out the hypocrisy of the NDC following the death of Former President Rawlings, Mr. Frimpong criticised Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman for contributing to the publication of a book which ridiculed the achievement of President Rawlings in the NDC.
He said, “As recently as this year, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman, the running mate of the NDC wrote the foreword of a book by Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi which was aimed at destroying the legacy of Jerry John Rawlings.” According to Mr. Frimpong, in the weeks leading up to his demise, President Rawlings made it clear to all those he had meetings with that he was extremely heartbroken that neither the leadership of the NDC nor the Executives had made any statements in defence of the Founder nor to correct the lies in the book.
Mr. Frimpong also argued that it would be against the wishes of President Rawlings for his true loyalists and cadres of the Revolution he led in 1981 to be seen to be supporting John Mahama and Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman. He therefore admonished supporters of Rawlings to honour Rawlings by voting against the NDC in the December 7 general election.
Stop shedding crocodile tears:
According to the General Secretary of the NDP, when Jerry John Rawlings was alive, John Mahama and the NDC disrespected him and desperately wanted to silence him. “And now that he is no more, they want to utilize his death to galvanize support for their failing political campaign ahead of the 2020 general elections.
He said, “We are troubled that some of these same persons, upon the demise of President Rawlings, now seek to lead in mourning the man; they have begun to shed crocodile tears. They spent thousands of dollars to sponsor videos made in Washington DC by one Kelvin Taylor, who is tipped to be information Minister in the event of a Mahama comeback, to insult President Rawlings in words, some of which we dare not repeat, and posted them all over the world through Facebook, WhatsApp, and other social media platforms.
Mr. Frimpong also accused Mahama and the NDC of endorsing the misdeeds of Kevin Taylor against Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings. He argued, “With the apparent endorsement of John Mahama and the NDC leadership, Kelvin Taylor said, and I quote, “Rawlings is a modern-day Judas and a hypocrite. He and his sleazy wife are greedy. He behaves as a lapdog to the NPP government and always kisses the ass of Nana Akufo-Addo anytime he gets the opportunity to speak about corruption.” He also went on to say and I quote, “JJ Rawlings is not God, he is bad Nationals and a modern-day Judas… and such a man does not even deserve to be a Statesman.” “JJ Rawlings is a coward… [you are] a hypocrite and a disgrace on the lap of a midget”.”
We will not allow Mahama to profit from the death of Rawlings: NDP
He further launched a scathing attack on the NDC over their alleged attempts to take advantage of the death of Ex-President Rawlings to score political points ahead of the December 7 general elections. The General Secretary of the Party categorically stated that “If John Mahama managed to profit from the death of President Mills, he should not be allowed to do same with the demise of our beloved President Rawlings and Ghanaians should not and will not oblige him that.”
“We want to serve notice that the NDP will make it a point to expose those who are making feverish attempts to rewrite their despicable opinions about President Rawlings and readjust their abhorrence for the man after all the sacrifices he made for them. And now, upon his demise, they are seeking the limelight for more personal political gain! How dare they!”, he said.
Alhaji Frempong accused Mahama and the NDC of conducting themselves in a manner that seeks to rob the late President of a befitting State burial.
According to Alhaji Frimpong, the General Secretary of the NDP, the Mahama-led NDC marshalled all forces within the party to hurt Jerry Rawlings and kill his soul when he was alive. He, however, found it strange that the NDC, in the aftermath of Rawlings’s death would attempt to square off with government and the Rawlings family over who has the right to conduct his funeral rites all in an attempt to score cheap political points ahead of the December 7 general elections.
He said, “ The most unfortunate aspect of this development is that in an attempt to unduly benefit from his demise, the leadership of the NDC are embroiled in a desperate battle against the State and the Rawlings family over who has the right to conduct the funeral rites of the late President. He argued further that, “What they do not know or perhaps have deliberately overlooked is the fact that they are robbing the late President of a befitting send-off. Or maybe that is what they want. They desperately want to reduce his send-off from a befitting state burial to a party funeral just so they can benefit politically.”
Mr. Frimpong also stated that the NDC’s petty fight over book of condolence which compelled them to use a reception logbook as a book of condolence at the party office is yet again, a demonstration of their contempt for the late president. He said, “And now, the NDC which was fighting over a Book of Condolence ended up restating their contempt for President Rawlings by using a reception logbook as a book of condolence at their party office.
Mahama lacks respect for Voltarians. Voltarians should reject him in the 2020 general elections
He criticized Mahama and the current crop of NDC leaders for their apparent lack of respect for Voltarians. The party has accused Mahama and the NDC for exploiting Voltarians for their own political gains. In calling out the hypocrisy of the NDC over the maltreatment of Rawlings when he was alive and attempting to mourn him following his death, the General Secretary of the NDP stated that Mahama turned Voltarians against their own hero, JJ Rawlings.
According to Alhaji Frimpong, the General Secretary of the NDP, Mahama disrespectfully referred to Rawlings as the Volta god who did not need to be revered by Voltarians. He said, “In what was widely reported by media outlets in Ghana, John Mahama, during the NDC’s unity walk in Ho in 2018, was on record to have labelled JJ Rawlings as a ‘Volta god’ who did not deserve to be worshipped by Voltarians. In fact, he is quoted as saying, “We have worshipped the Volta god for so long. It is time to build the party beyond individuals. No sacrifice would please him.” This was a classic situation where John Mahama made a futile attempt to turn Voltarians against their hero.”
Mr. Frimpong further accused Mahama of deliberately orchestrating to prevent Voltarians from being elected to substantive executive positions within the NDC. He said, “Voltarians who felt they were going to be safe under the leadership of John Mahama were given the shock of their lives when Mahama deliberately sponsored candidates to remove all Voltarians from the leadership of the NDC during the national executives’ elections. Today, there is not a single Voltarian elected to a substantive position, not as a deputy but as a national executive in Mahama’s NDC.”
He further urged Ghanaians particularly loyalists of Rawlings to identify the wishes of the Late President Rawlings and honour them as a way of showing their last respect to him. He argued that one of the main wishes of Rawlings was to see Mahama and the NDC to lose in the 2020 general elections. He said “As a matter of fact, Jerry John Rawlings was eager to see Mahama lose in the 2020 elections because he believed Mahama and his cohorts had departed from the very ideals of probity and accountability upon which the NDC was formed.”
He further argued, “When Mahama was elected as the flagbearer of the NDC for the 2020 general elections, JJ was blunt about Mahama’s intentions. According to JJ, Mahama’s intentions are not to win the 2020 general elections. His intentions are to simply hijack the NDC with his money in an attempt to show up again as the party’s flagbearer in 2024.”
Mr. Frimpong therefore advised true believers in the ideals of Rawlings not to do anything that will go against the wishes of President Rawlings. “Ladies and Gentlemen, clearly, if you are a true believer in JJ, you cannot honour his memory by choosing a candidate who together with his backers, sowed discord between JJ and the party he founded and worked hard to discredit Mrs. Rawlings, his lifelong defender, partner, counsellor, pillar, friend, confidante, comrade and soul-mate.”, he proclaimed.
He urged true believers and loyalists of Rawlings to vote for Mrs. Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, wife of the late President Rawlings and flagbearer of the National Democratic Party in the 2020 Presidential elections.
Alhaji Frimpong, the General Secretary of the NDP argued that Mrs. Konadu Agyeman Rawlings is the best candidate who embodies and represents the true ideals of JJ Rawlings. He said, “…if there was ever anyone who embodies Jerry John Rawlings’ essence in his absence, it is none other than Mrs. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings”
In outlining reasons why supporters of JJ Rawlings should back Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, he stated that as a wife and mother of his children, she stood by him even in the darkest moments of May 1979 when President Rawlings came close to being executed. “She was with him throughout the events of the June 4th 1979 uprising. She stood by him through the 31st December 1981 revolution which culminated in the birth of the PNDC. And she was also right at the very centre of the founding of the NDC.” He retorted.
It is worth noting that, JJ in an interview with Kwaku Sakyi Addo on Asaase Radio, on 12th July, 2020, categorically stated that he voted for his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings in the 2016 Presidential Election indicating his wish for his supporters to vote for his wife in the 2020 general elections.
The general secretary of the NDP also cautioned the NDC against attempts to capitalize on the death of President Rawlings to score political points. He said, “When he was alive, he chose not to be a part of John Mahama’s 2020 campaign and it would be disingenuous to seek to make him a part of the campaign now that he is gone.”
“So, ladies and gentlemen, the 2020 elections are due in a matter of weeks. But JJ is gone. However, ask yourself as a cadre or as a comrade: ask yourself as you mourn his passing; ask yourself as someone who shared the pain that Mahama and his supporters inflicted on JJ when he was alive; ask yourself as someone who believes in what JJ stood for: would JJ want you to vote for a candidate that he thought was not fit to lead the party that he JJ founded?” Mr. Frimpong question
