Tony Aidoo: What Rawlings Has Done Is "Unforgivable"...He Should Examine His "Conscience"

Head of Policy Monitoring and Evaluation at the Presidency, Dr Tony Aidoo, appears to be courting the wrath of Founder of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) following his call on former President Jerry John Rawlings to examine his �conscience� and learn to speak the �truth� at all times. He was responding to remarks by the NDC founder that the conduct of the Electoral Commission (EC) before and during the elections should be critically investigated. According to Mr. Rawlings, although he is happy about President John Mahama's victory, the complaints by the NPP must be taken seriously by the EC. �Government must urge them on to make sure everything is investigated so that the public is told what the situation is or must have been. Whichever way it�s going to lead to, Ghanaians will accept it.� He indicated that similar incidents �were done in our time, we complained without providing evidence and when we even finally won, it happened in 2004 and when we finally won in 2008, we could have investigated some of these things but we did not. Today, they are in the same situation on the opposite side now and making this allegation which I think it is our duty and our responsibility to investigate.� But in a rather sharp riposte, Tony Aidoo said he finds it intriguing to hear the ex-President calling for any such investigations. He noted that the use of the word �investigation� creates an impression that �the elections were deliberately massaged for the purpose of facilitating the victory (for the NDC)...and I think it is very irresponsible. I don�t know what Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings has against the NDC�. Dr. Tony Aidoo, who once served under Mr. Rawlings as a deputy Minister of Defence, accused the NDC founder of playing an integral role in aiding their major political opponent; the NPP, to throw tantrums and pour invectives at the current NDC leadership. �From the very day that President Mills was sworn in, we were handicapped. The NPP started campaigning against him through a strategy of vilification and throwing at him anything that could discredit him. And they had helped...they had help from the very founder of the party,� he stated.