2000 elections will be tough, Rawlings tells cadres

Tamale (Northern Region) 28th June 99 -

President Jerry John Rawlings on Saturday called for unity among the various groupings constituting the NDC, saying it is only through unity that the party could win future elections.

''The year 2000 elections are going to be tough, so we have to close our ranks. We do not want enemies from within, because we already have a lot of them outside the party'', he said.

The President was addressing a durbar at Tamale by the Association Committees for the Defence of the Revolution (ACDR) to mark this year's 'Cadres Day,' under the theme ''ACDRs and the Challenges of Our Time''.

On June 19, 1983, a group of dissident soldiers from outside the country attempted to oust the erstwhile PNDC. The coup attempt was foiled by loyal soldiers, with support from cadres, then known as Committees for the Defence of the Revolution (CDR).

Some of the cadres lost their lives, and June 19 has since been celebrated as cadres day.

President Rawlings told the cadres, who are referred to as ''foot soldiers of the NDC": ''Let us bury our differences and start with our preparations for the 2000 elections. Our political opponents have started campaigning'.

''If we have any quarrel, let us talk it over among ourselves. It is no use making our differences public'', he said, apparently referring to cracks within the ranks of the Progressive Alliance and the emergence of the Reform Movement, which is a breakaway faction of the NDC.

President Rawlings, whose address drew several rounds of applause from the cadres who came from all over the country, said: ''I am 52 years old, but nothing has changed about me'', referring to his leadership style.

He spoke about his countryside and factory tours of old and said he would soon go back to that ''I will meet you on the field and in the factories'', he told the cadres.

''There is work to be done. Let us begin to take the initiative as we did in those days. What we have in common is more than our differences."

Dr Obed Asamoah, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, painted a bleak picture of conflicts within the NDC and said ''containing conflicts within the party is going to be the struggle of the future''.

He said these conflicts revolve around people promoting their personal agenda, trying to undo each other with a view to becoming members of parliament or for other appointments.

''If we do not manage these, then, we will have problems because a house divided against itself cannot stand. Therefore, we have to curb these tendencies to ensure the success of our party'', Dr Asamoah said.

Dr Asamoah said the NDC needs unity to enable it to manage the transition from ''one leadership group to another'', referring to Vice-President John Atta Mills as NDC presidential candidate for the 2000 elections.

''We need your support to manage successfully the transition process'', he said.

Professor Kofi Awoonor, a presidential staffer, said cracks might appear within the ranks of the Progressive Alliance as a result of disappointments and frustrations.

''We have the right to disagree, but let us do so within our party. We should not voice our disagreements on the platforms of other parties and on the wave lengths of radio stations''.

GRi?/