Wikileak�s Expos� Nothing But Gossip � Victor Smith

A former Spokesperson for the Rawlingses, Ambassador Victor Emmanuel Smith, has discounted claims by the wife of a former Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana that her short stint with former President Rawlings provided enough clues to indicate Mr rawlings was a drug user. The August 31 release of classified diplomatic cables from the US embassy in Ghana by the international whistle blowing website, Wikileak titled �a close look at Ghana�s ex-president Rawlings� chronicled what it describes as detailed interaction between then departing Ambassador for the Netherlands Hein Princen and Ghana�s former president. The former Ambassador and his spouse, according to the publication spent a week-end with the Rawlingses at the latter�s presidential yacht anchored on the Volta Lake during which his spouse, who is a social worker saw what she considered as incontrovertible evidence of drug use by the former president. The report was said to have been filed between 1997 and 2000. But Victor Smith, who is now Ghana�s Ambassador to the Czech Republic, told Citi News that the report is a figment of Mrs. Princens� own imagination. �Whatever this lady observed, if she thinks that certain pointers indicate the use of drugs, then those were her own observations. I don�t have an authentic explanation of someone�s behavior. �But during the time I was with the former president, I never, once, thought he was on drugs. I admit that he does have anger spasms over issues when he is very irritated and that is natural. There are people who have a short fuse and these are facts of life. �There are other times when he is sober where he will appreciate, understand and make his submissions in such a manner�. According to Ambassador Smith, Wikileaks is only exposing needless gossips of diplomats. Citing personal examples of how he decides which cables to send to Accra from his Prague base in the Czech Republic in his capacity as Ghana�s senior representative, Ambassador Smith said he only communicates very crucial information to the seat of government in Accra. �The information I send must be positive but if someone wants to cause harm to country, it is crucial that I pass on the information so that we can take preemptive measures. I will not go and gossip, neither will I take interest in anyone who comes to divulge things of no consequence to individuals. �If the person has no bearing on our country then what has it got to do with me, really?�