President Rawlings confers with security personnel

President Jerry John Rawlings said on Friday that constitutionalism under multi-party democracy "is a fertile ground for an increase in corruption, lawlessness and disorderliness in the society".

"It is against natural justice and offends the conscience of the society when the truth is being twisted and stifled, with social injustices and economic malaise raging on unchecked in the name of multi-party democratic system of government." The president, who is on a three-day campaign tour of the Brong Ahafo Region, was addressing a durbar of officers and men of the security services at Sunyani. Ghana goes to the polls on December 7.

The tour enabled the head of state to interact and share some political observations with the security personnel. Rawlings said that until the advent of the June 4, 1979 Uprising and the 1981/82 revolution, the entire fabric of the Ghanaian society was retrogressing. "The reverse is the case now because the two military interventions have taught Ghanaians some lessons, he said, adding that army officers are now tried by their own peers.

The interventions, he noted, have restored control, law and order in the Armed Forces. Rawlings stressed that he has no power over the courts or what the constitution of Ghana says since the authority to try cases and adjudicate on issues are constitutionally invested in the judiciary.

He, however, noted that much as neither he nor any Ghanaian is above the judiciary, the courts must be seen to be acting reasonably in the interest of the state. The president emphasised that it does not serve the national interest if a man who was alleged to have stolen one million dollars belonging to the state is granted bail by the court with a paltry sum of money below what he stole.

He expressed regret that the country annually destroys and replaces 200 billion cedis because of the mishandling of the currency notes by fishmongers, petty traders and other categories of Ghanaians. He blamed this problem on corruption, explaining that when more coins were being minted and put into circulation, some people were also melting them for jewellery.

"Though corruption is one of the causes of Africa's misery, the advanced nations must stop blaming Africa for her woes. Their own officials have been condoning and supervising the hoarding of the monies belonging to some African countries in hard currencies by certain past leaders like the late Mobutu Sese Sekou of former Zaire.”

Earlier, the president, who was highly impressed with the neatness and cleanliness at the Liberation Barracks where the durbar was held, promised to institute an award for good sanitation practices in the country's security barracks.

He commended the officers and men at the barracks and asked them to keep up such environmental practices. Lieutenant Colonel Martin Owusu-Ababio, Commanding Officer of Three Garrison, Sunyani, said in a welcoming address that it was gratifying and re-assuring "to see the president in such a healthy condition" despite the accident he had a few days ago.

On behalf of the officers and men, he wished the president and the First Lady well. Lt. Col. Ababio said the soldiers who lost their lives in that fatal accident died for "a just cause" and hoped that their souls were resting in the bosom of the Lord. Last week Sunday the president’s convoy was involved in a motor accident in which four of his bodyguards died on the spot.