Rawlings Tells Prez Mahama: If You Want To Win In December, Restore Dignity To The Presidency

Former President Jerry John Rawlings on Thursday demonstrated that he still has some unresolved issues with the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), when he openly told President John Dramani Mahama that an electoral victory in December will depend on how quickly he can restore dignity to the presidency, to the government and to the party, aside other factors. Addressing NDC delegates at the party�s Special Delegates� Congress at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, the former president, in his usual outspoken manner said, the party finds itself at a very complex, crucial and serious crossroad and therefore wished that today�s event is used to get back to the values of the NDC. It is an open secret that the former president has not failed to consistently criticise the current administration for what he describes as the government�s departure from the principles that brought the party into power in 2008. After the �greedy bastards, bootlickers� episode, the bad blood was also manifested in the decision of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings� to contest the NDC�s flag bearer race against the late President Mills last year. That was the first time a sitting Ghanaian President had to win his /her party�s nomination through the ballot via a keen internal contest. The convention had been for the ruling party to acclaim a sitting President for a second term. Since then, there had been a few smiles and a lot of jabs from President Rawlings and some uncharitable words from some party members and government appointees. Some had even speculated that the former president might not actively join in the party�s campaign this year. It therefore came as no surprise when Mr Rawlings, fusing adages in his speech, impliedly touched on the strained relationship between him and some party members and government officials. Whiles asking that the "babies" in the NDC who have grown "sharp teeth" and spill "horrible invectives" be "lowered with the dirty water", Mr Rawlings also described as an insult to �people�s intelligence�, the tendency to embrace people who have been treated with malice simply becuse of "political inexpediency". �It is often said we should not throw the baby with the bath water, but what do we do when some of the children don�t look like babies, but with hard teeth. Some of those babies can bite hard. They can spill very horrible invectives. Should they not be lowered with the dirty water so that we can concentrate on the few good ones?� he rhetorically asked. "The uncivilized tendency of poking people who have sacrificed and later attempting to embrace them for political expediency must stop. It�s an insult to people�s intelligence. Let�s begin to show civility to each other in the hope that it is not too late," he added.