Rawlings won't talk again - NDC

The minority NDC says the statement made by former president Jerry Rawlings on June 4 did not amount to incitement or disrupt the democratic process, as the government would want the public to believe.

"Indeed the substance of what the ex-president sought to say was not different from the contents of the NDC's recent protest letter to President Kufuor on the disturbing political situation in the country", the NDC explains in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Huudu Yahaya.

The party reiterated its commitment to the full realisation of the principles of democracy as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, adding it stands ready to defend the Constitution at all times.

The NDC says it has consequently endorsed the decision of the former president and its founder and leader not to make any further public comments on the address at the June 4 lecture which has attracted a lot of reactions some very abusive.

The party says the move is a demonstration of its readiness and willingness to contribution towards reducing the political tension, which has engulfed the country following the former president's pronouncements a week ago.

"Being the first major public pronouncement by our former Head of State since leaving office. It has understandably aroused a great deal of public interest. Unfortunately however, some of the reactions to the speech especially from members of the ruling government and sections of the media have generated more heat than light", the NDC explains.

Of particular concern to the NDC party is the tendency of the NPP government to invoke the spectre of coup d'tat-in-the-making whenever they are subjected to public criticism as they have done in this case, or whenever they are confronted by public agitation as happened when the youth of Nima-Maamobi went on the rampage recently.

It notes that the so-called threat of coup is then used to whip up mass hysteria and anger against their political opponents which is a cynical ply to justify the use of high-handed methods of the government in its dealings with the ex-President and members of the NDC as a whole.

"According to the ex-President, he has had occasion in the past to advise President Kufuor to have his own ears to the ground in order to know the real feelings of Ghanaians and not to take loyalty and respect for granted. As Shakespeare put it, "There is no art to find the mind's construction in the face." The party explains that this is the context in which the former president made reference to the well-known Ghanaian phrase "fun-fool respect", adding it was not meant to incite any group of Ghanaians.

Similarly, in several of his speeches over the years, the NDC says ex-president Rawlings has always stressed on the potential dangers of governing through fear and intimidation and that this often degenerates into hatred against a government and politicians in general - a situation which gave rise to the controversial June 4 1979 Uprising.

This, the NDC says is the context in which Rawlings advised the government against some its actions that are already breeding fear and resentment.

The party cautions the NPP government to show restraint and endeavour to use its mandate to promote the economic well being of the suffering people of Ghana.

It also called on the President to be wary of false alarmists and peddlers of rumours of coup d'tat since the hysteria they are inducing is creating a feeling of insecurity in the country. "This atmosphere does not augur well for economic development and the earlier the government acts to re-establish the congenial investor friendly atmosphere, the better it would be for all Ghana."