Rawlings Grants Interview To German Paper

Accra, (Greater Accra) 29 Oct. President Jerry John Rawlings has warned coup makers in Africa not to repeat the wrongs of the people they overthrow. Speaking in an interview with the mass circulating German weekly, "Der Spiegel" before his recent visit to that country, President Rawlings said his words of caution are not always heeded by other coup makers. ''Our revolution in Ghana was a wonderful thing which many want to imitate. We have rolled up our sleeves and helped to build our country. I myself have even emptied drains in the slums. ''That is something those coup-making generals in Africa did not do. I have warned them against behaving like those they had overthrown. ''But they did not listen to me. They started to fill their pockets and drive big cars," he said. President Rawlings rejected a suggestion that military dictatorships are the real problem in Africa, saying that they (military) rather help to transform political ideas into reality. President Rawlings said he could not be counted among coup leaders who start off by promoting themselves. ''When l overthrew the government, l did not promote myself. I remained a Flight-Lieutenant. Still today, l address the higher ranks with 'Sir.' ''Even if l would put on all the medals, that would still not make me a General. It's what l am inside, that makes me a General,'' he said. Asked if he is not rpt not tired of being Head of State after 16 years in power, President Rawlings said: ''I'm tired of preaching the same things over and over again, yes. But apart from that the answer is no The people look up to me. l have to obey the will of my people.'' He said his government had to abandon its leftist ideas in the early years of the revolution and follow the dictates of the World Bank because that was the only viable option. ''That was the only way we could go. Economically, we had come to a standstill. We were crawling on our knees even if we were too proud to admit that'''. President Rawlings said although events in former Yugoslavia have shown that barbarism is not only confined to Africa, the civil strife in Rwanda and Somalia has evoked the impression of Africa as a continent of murder and beastiality. On Ghanaians living abroad, President Rawlings said a way has to be found to entice them to come back home since conditions abroad are better than home.