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The Minister of Trade and Industry, Madam Hannah Tetteh, has stated emphatically that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is left with no choice other than winning the December polls without the support of the party�s founder, former President Jerry Rawlings. According to her, �the NDC would have to win without former President Rawlings given the kind of statements that he has made about the party, about the leadership, about the way we have handled the affairs of the NDC government and his critiques.� Madam Hannah Tetteh made these comments on Thursday in an interview on the Ephson�s File on Radio XYZ 93.1 FM. Asked whether the new break away party allegedly formed by Mrs Rawlings could hurt the fortunes of the NDC, Madam Tetteh said extra work needs to be done to ensure victory for the NDC in the upcoming general elections. �I think that it all depends on our efforts over the next couple of months, in explaining what we have done; explaining the rationale for what we have done and why we deserve another term in office,� adding �we have made a consistent and continuous effort to put in place the policies, the infrastructure and the additional things that we need to build on what has been created up to this time.� She said after the excessive criticism of the government by the founder of the party �it will be very difficult for him also to come around and say �as a matter of fact all that I have been saying over the last couple of months disregard it but still vote for the NDC.�� She went on to add that �President Mills recognizes [former] President Rawlings as the founder of the party. Every NDC member recognizes President Rawlings as the founder of the party. If you didn�t accept that you wouldn�t be a member of the NDC, and it means that you might have identified to some extent with what he has done as head of state and to accept that those were credible achievements on which a political party can build its future.� Madam Tetteh revealed that the government has made great investments in people across the country over the relatively short three and half year�s period. Discounting the veracity of the former president�s criticism on the party leadership, the Trade Minister stressed that �we can�t live in the past when the future is ahead of us. I think that it is extremely regrettable that things have come to this between former President Rawlings and the rest of the leadership of the party.� She said the ideals on which the NDC was built are still the ideals that form the basis of the current administration. She said in a democratic era, things do not happen haphazardly and that �things cannot happen in a democratic dispensation in the same way that it happened when you were not a democracy.� She said the demeanour of the former president towards President Mills is surprising considering how he espoused the latter�s credibility in 2000, 2004 and 2008. �President Mills as leader of the party has respected President Rawlings; has tried very hard to lead the government and has lived up to the aspiration of the party; and for that reason the members of the party should rally behind him and support him for a second term in office.�