The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, today subjected former president Rawlings to perhaps his greatest tongue-lashing yet, for his continuous criticisms of President John Evans Atta Mills.
According to Pratt, Ex-Prez Rawlings �is completely getting out of hand with his unwarranted verbal abuse on Prez Mills and needs to be advised by his close confidants.�
Ex-Prez Rawlings is reported to have told a meeting of the United Cadres Front (UCF), a youth wing of the NDC in Kumasi at the weekend, that �there is disillusion among the people due to the governing style of President Mills which lacks a revolutionary spirit.�
�Is he calling for the revolutionary zeal that prevailed in �79 and �82? If that is what he is asking for then who will vote for the NDC. I tell you, no-one will vote for the NDC again. The NDC shall always be last,� he strongly averred.
Mr Pratt continued, �Again, Rawlings said, that Prez Mills is slow in arresting and prosecuting former gov�t officials in the NPP Administration. But is that how citizens are arrested? That you are not charged for any offence, not tried by the courts and yet imprisoned? Then, let me say, that I know Prez Mills too well that he will not go in for that revolutionary governing style,� he Quipped.
The Insight newspaper Managing Editor also chided the ex-prez for allegedly saying he(Rawlings) is allowing the sitting President him some time but that he (Rawlings) might run out of tolerance.
�If he runs out of patience, what can he do, will he attempt a coup d��tat or will he fight Ghanaians? He should give us a break. The time has come for us to let him know that Ghana belongs to all of us and we won�t allow kind of narcissism anymore � If you don�t share the same opinion or agree with someone, why, that is okay, Does that call for issuing threats?� he inquired.
He recounted several instances where he felt the former president over-stepped the boundary of proprietary, most especially, when he allegedly denigrated Ghana�s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, contributions in the attainment of independence as �flag and anthem independence�.
�Who does he think he is and what kind of person is he though? Even 90% of those he planned the 1981 coup with, have not been spared his vituperations. He has insulted Tsikata, he doesn�t like the Ahwoi�s, he doesn�t like Totobi Quakyi, P.V. Obeng and others, why�what does he want from us (Ghanaians)?� he asked.
Still firing on all cylinders at former President Rawlings, the outspoken social commentator, talked off how, at a recent meeting of former African Leaders this year, called at the behest of the German government, Ex-Prez Rawlings angrily said �I thought you were inviting men of integrity, I didn�t know you were inviting thieves like Kufuor.� This statement, Mr Pratt said, this did not go down well with the Prez of Mozambique, who called him to order.
�Why, if you have a problem with your successor, is that how you go about it, by voicing it out openly among statesmen in Germany?... �In three years of his (Rawlings�) administration, look at the number of State Owned Enterprises that were sold by his gov�t with nearly 300,000 workers being laid off� I cannot understand this thing, what�s wrong with this man?� he said.
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