Rawlings Factor Can't Be Taken Away - Ashanti NDC

THE ASHANTI Regional executive committee of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has warned the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government that it will fail ignobly in their political quest to destroy the Rawlings factor in Ghana's political history.

According to the regional chairman, Mr. Emmanuel Nti Fordjour, the NPP, which originated from the United Party (UP), has political mischief as its tradition and added that in 1966 and 1972 the ancestors of the ruling party, in collaboration with the erstwhile National Liberation Council (NLC), disbanded and attempted to destroy the Convention People's Party (CPP) government and its party activists through various acts of harassment, intimidation and legality, but they did not succeed, therefore they will not succeed in destroying the NDC party.

Speaking in an interview with the regional chairman, he said during the run-off of the 2000 elections, the NPP through Nana Akufo-Addo, now the Minister of Justice and Atorney-General, threatened that Ghana would become Liberia if they did not win the elections but nobody arrested him for making such a treasonable statement.

Nti Fordjour stated that in 1995 under the Alliance for Change, they demonstrated against the introduction of VAT through what they called "Kume preko" which led to the death of innocent lives but they were not arrested for the positive defiance then, neither were they arrested in attempting a violent overthrow of the then NDC government.

The chairman continued that in 1999 when the NDC government increased fuel prices, the NPP, who were then in the opposition, demonstrated under "Yabre Mo," but they were not arrested for demonstrating against government policies.

According to him, the now ruling party (NPP) has increased fuel prices by over 64 per cent, in addition to utility tariffs by 100 per cent and even contemplating increasing the VAT from 12.5 to 17.5 per cent.

Nti Fodjour said the NPP government has fooled Ghanaians that they will provide better socio-economic facilities for their well-being.

He accused the ruling party of dishonesty in telling the masses that they would solve all their economic problems only to turn round to blame their failure on a so-called NDC mess as a decoy to cover their inability to deliver.

He expressed dissatisfaction at the rate at which the statement of the former President was misinterpreted to mean an incitement for a violent overthrow government by the media.

The regional party chairman cautioned the media to desist from unbridled use of inflammatory and scathing attacks on political personalities to raise unnecessary tension, deepen the polarization of the country and create disunity among the people.

Nti Fodjour assured the NDC's numerous supporters not to be deterred in keeping the NPP government on its toes and invited all and sundry to speak out against all forms of injustices and bad governance.