I Am Prepared To Quit NDC - Rawlings

Former President Rawlings has declared that he is prepared to relinquish his position within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) if that is what it will take for the party to grow. Speaking at the party’s congress in Accra, he said he would not like to see the party broken up because some members are averse to his playing a prominent role.

HIGHLIGHTS OF RAWLINGS’ SPEECH

1. Supporters of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) are disappointed disillusioned, hungry and angry and so seriously embarrassed by the policies of the NPP.

2. The NDC treated the NPP as political opponents but NPP is treating members of the NDC as political enemies.

3. There is an exponential growth in the cost of living and the bungling of security and information issues and the harassment and humiliation of decent citizens.

Discontent among the electorate seems to make the 2004 elections an easy sure banker for the NDC.

Although some NDC members see him as a political opponent, he does not see them as such. There is no Rawlings faction within the NDC but a Rawlings factor.

Rawlings' Speech

Ladies and gentleman. Some of you in this hall may be our political opponents as we vie for positions in our party. But remember that our political enemies are waiting in the wings to extract anything as they are already doing or the diversionary advantages and to do the dirty work. But let me remind you, that I am not here and no one is here to do the dirty work. Comrades and friends, fellow NDC members, we are here to renew the fellowship, which has been a source of strength to us, to rededicate ourselves to the service of our fellow Ghanaians, to share our commitment, to strive for a peaceful, stable and prosperous nation and to welcome new faces in the councils of our party.

Unfortunately, the spirit in which we meet is supposed to be marred by some tension and unnecessary antagonism. As I was saying, the supposedly tension in this hall makes the unnecessary antagonism. Thankfully, that is not what you see here or what you sense in this hall. I’d like to say that this is a healthy spirit and let’s keep it up. More specifically, ladies and gentlemen, we have assembled here in congress, to take decisions which will ensure that our party, remains a vibrant, principled and people centred course, ready to take on the challenges ahead and to be prepared to offer the good people of this country, an alternative choice of government, come 2004.

What will emerge from this congress will determine whether the people will rally round a renewed NDC in the 2004 out of genuine commitment, inspired by leadership of the highest integrity or whether the party will nearly run to victory on the back of protest hold for the growing grounds of dissolution with the present regime.

There are some who have said that our soon focus should be to regain focus in the year 2004. But that is wrong. I think this is wrong, cheap, and I disagree. First of all ladies and gentlemen, power is not for itself, a worthy hold. Power alone can serve good, but it can also serve mediocrity and evil. Ladies and Gentlemen, let us therefore seek authority rather than raw power. Authority is derived from respect and it is only if a leadership of the NDC ends the respect of the people, by sincere and principled commitments that we can move forward. In other words our NDC party, derives from a strength of the tenacity of purpose and integrity of the Movement that gave birth to her.

Secondly, focusing on 2004, to the exclusion of everything else leaves us open to the danger of temptation of expediency. One of the reasons why the NDC did not perform as well as expected in the 2000 elections was that some of our people were begowed by expediency to ignore the principles, which had informed us, protected us and guided us since June 4, 1979. In doing so, some of us eliminated many of our loyal supporters, who were attracted in the first place to our commitment to what is right rather than what is expedient.

Thirdly, I believe that our primary aim has been to restore to the NDC, that spirit of selfless and principled service, which first inspired our people. We must also rid ourselves of self-seeking, cynical ambitions, complacency and all the several weaknesses, which threatened us over the years. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, if we can ignite the recommitment or rather the commitment to principle, to truth, to clarity to service, the people’s faith in the times ahead, we can restore our party.

A lot have been said in the previous weeks also about factions in the NDC . Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, a Rawlings faction does not exist and has never existed. What for me has existed is the June 4 factor, which others call the Rawlings factor and not the Rawlings faction. There is a distinct difference. I will guess that this faction issue arose from the press speculation, and political analysis intended to pitch personalities against each other, especially when this helps to create divisions amongst our ranks, which we must prevent.

Countrymen and women, listen to me carefully. On the basis of what has happened and some of the campaign that has been waged to malign some of us, let me say and an offer in all sincerity that if I am perceived painted as an obstacle to the revitalization of the party, I am prepared to step out and move on.( Shouts of no no). No No No, ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate that but I think, it’s important that if this campaign should gain ground, I want see this party remain intact because that is what I have fought for all my life and I will not do anything to destroy or give anyone the pretext to destroy this party. Ladies and Gentlemen, my only wish is that should it come to that, all of you must make it a point to give a truthful account of all what has been going on. Like I said I will not provide anyone here with pretence. Nor should anyone of us give anyone here the pretence to damage this party and I say that even if I were one of the frontline members, I would adjust myself in other to retain or contain them and sustain the unity and strength of this party. (applause and noise making).

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me set that subject aside for the moment.

I thank our NPP comrades for their healthy message. But we, they know, I know that it is not all of them who carry this kind of goodwill towards us. Some of them in very strategic positions are doing unnecessary damage not only towards the stability of this nation, but to the ones of goodwill . Therefore, let me set the record straight. That when the NPP was in opposition, where they are truly born to remain, (shouts) they used the freedom of expression which we had created to win public perception and felify our govt.

Admittedly, there was some room, truly for some justifiable criticism but some of them created an atmosphere of hatred against us, which was very unnecessary. And now after only one year and about three to four months, their supporters are disappointed disillusioned, hungry and angry (noise) and so seriously embarrassed by the lame policies of the NPP. And what do we see. An exponential growth in the rising cost of living. The banding security and information issues and the harassment and humiliation of decent citizens. (‘bo ho bio’- repeat it). Prof Mills’ wife is something we all know about.

I’m so grateful that they have finally put in place a team to carry out an investigation into that whole bloody unheard of murder of the Ya Na. (noise). Let me remind them that one of the most fundamental foundations of peace and stability is justice. Reconciliation is important but it is sometimes difficult to achieve reconciliation, if justice does not first and foremost take the lead.

The Andani people, our people up North in Yendi are demanding Justice. Let us do everything we can to provide every information to assist Kufuor, President Kufuor (noise) to unearth those we are behind those atrocities.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me also remind you that the discontent among the electorate seems to make the 2004 elections an easy sure banker for the NDC (NOISE- prolonged). An easy sure banker for the NDC. (shouts of ‘bo ho bio’ – repeat). Ladies and Gentlemen, ‘me bo ho biom’ – I will repeat) but listen. (noise). I will not full myself and I don’t think we should fool ourselves. In other words, it is this perception of a sure banker that has made a few of our members desperate to position themselves on an easy right of a protest vote against the NPP. Some of us, are forgetting that Mr. J. A Kufuor won the election to become President on a protest vote. The protest was more important to the voters at that time. But they are today woken up with a rude shock as I said hungry, angry, disillusioned, embarrassed and disappointed.

Ladies and Gentlemen wait wait wait. Don’t miscalculate. The fact that some of us are thinking a so called non-charismatic person like President Kufuor can emerge does not mean any party for that matter can emerge, then we are seriously making a mistake. Because, our people measure us in the NDC by a very stringent and high-level yardstick than they do in some other parties. And this is why we should not make the mistake of thinking that any body can just emerge from our party and go and be President against them.

The NDC by virtue of its caliber, its level of performance in the past, the kind of dedicated minds that we have, we are expected to put across a candidate of the highest level of order than some of the other candidates have produced. (noise …) Ladies and Gentlemen, our party, our principles, our supporters, like I said deserve the dignity of the highest caliber of all office holders. We have them but I ask, will they emerge from amongst you? The wrong candidate must not emerge but that is a decision that you will make. I will have no choice but to support whatever we elect because of democracy and the choice of our people.

Let me share one thing for observation with you and pay attention, close attention. And this I need for people all over the country outside of this hall. There are people, people, in all walks of life, in various institutions, in various positions, in all parts of this country within the public service and outside of the public service who should be able as the five Supreme Court members, judges did, put their foot down and say no this is wrong, this is just when they see things are going wrong.

Other citizens who could do so the same at governmental wrongdoing are silent and are taking refuge in waiting for the NDC congresses and the 2000 (2004) elections for us to emerge and come and stop the wrong doing and come and stop what is going wrong. Ladies and Gentlemen, Yes our party will certainly do that. But in every administration, be it President Kufuor’s administration, NDC, DPP, PNC, CPP etc, if every administration in power has to wait to be voted or booted out before any correction can start, then all of us as citizens of this country are to take the blame as well.

Because we cannot leave the corrective responsibility to a handful of people. It is not fair to our MPs, our party’s officers, our women’s organisers and a few patriotic die-hard citizens to be fighting what is wrong in this country. It is not right for us to be waiting for the congress, the results, or NDC to come into power in 2004. Everyday, leading up to 2004 things that are going wrong must be resisted. The former Presidential candidate, presidential aspirant, our former flag bearer said they should approach us and we did offer to give them pieces of advice. But they do the exact opposite We are equally interested in seeing to the peace and stability of this nation.

Why do they distrust us so much? We are the ones who went through the Herculean task of trying to contain the explosive anger form 79, 82 etc, we converted it into productive energy. We mean them no harm. They should treat us as political opponents. And not political enemies (noise). Because when were in office, if we treated them as political enemies, none of them, none of them will be around to be in government today. But we never did. Why should they be subjecting us to the kind of humiliation and make it their cardinal rule to destroy the NDC. That’s not good enough.

Ladies and gentlemen, back to the point. If each and every one of us would shoulder the moral courage whoever we are, wherever we are, to make each day a vocal judgement day, in our small way, then there will thankfully never be the need for that.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the main business of this congress is the lection of office holders to steer the affairs of the party. I urge every voting judgement to base your decision on two main criteria. Confidence, principled, dedication, loyalty, and least of all that some of the lazy ones were elected and who have disappointed us. Ladies and gentlemen, for each candidate presented here today, examine as objectively as you possibly can, this two criteria.

Confidence alone however is not enough. Confidence can also promote deceit, personal ambitions and the portrayal of our democratic ambitions, unless it stands on principle and the determination of that probity and the defence of what is right shall shine through all our actions.

Fellow NDC members, it followed from today’s elections that some of our senior colleagues may either lose the positions which they have held or may either field for new positions, to those who will step back from their positions at the end of today, I wish to say that you are still part of the family which gratefully cherishes your past contributions and dedicate services. Make no mistake, about it. You are some of the most known ones throughout the country and keep in mind that you still have no roles to play, which will by your experience, we will need them in action.