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Barely one week after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) congress in Tamale, Jerry John Rawlings who had, prior to the congress, complained of being alienated, seems to be back in the saddle. In his first public speech after the congress in which he commended the delegates, former President Jerry John Rawlings has asked grassroots members to inform his office of any complaints they must have made to the party, so he could monitor and press home their grievances. �Members must always feel free to copy and inform my office of any representations they have made to the party,� he told the new executives, urging them not to hesitate to criticize and expose executives who make themselves inaccessible or fail to respect the party. According to him, the failure of party activists to channel their petitions through the party hierarchy gave some opportunists the chance to abuse the system for their personal gains. Rawlings, apparently satisfied with the inclusion of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, Spio Garbrah and Kofi Adams in the national executives, again called for respect for the new party structure. �I know there have been complaints of some party leaders refusing to open their doors to constituency executives and other members who have grievances or contributions. I am convinced, however, that after the success of the congress and election of fresh and dynamic persons into national executives, these will be matters of the past,� he said. He asked the new executives to ensure that they do not suffocate the will of the people by ignoring the concerns and suggestions of party faithful, stressing that party structures must be made to work right from the grass roots. �It is important that we allow party structures to work because that is why we have elected people into office. If we allow a situation where individuals direct issues straight to government, it may lead to a weakening of the party structure and create mistrust between the party and government. Such communication also allows the abuse of the structure leading to some unscrupulous persons, using money to influence some members�. The former president contended that party executives are elected to serve the interest of members and noted that it is imperative that they (executives) are exposed if they fail to do so. Describing the just-ended congress as a means to an end, he said executives need to ensure that they abide by their oath of office. The Tamale congress, the most violent-free NDC congress in over a decade, saw the selection of a sizable number of Rawlings� pals, including his wife and spokesperson. He congratulated the delegates for �voting according to their conscience�.