General News of Monday, 6 June 2011

Source: Daily Guide

JAK Is A Threat To Ghana’s Democracy -JJ

Ex-President Jerry Rawlings has once again accused former President Kufuor of looting the nation’s coffers during his eight-year stewardship of the country.

Founder of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) consistently accused President Kufuor’s government of being corrupt during its eight-year tenure. The accusations heightened when the former President left office in 2008 and the NDC, under the leadership of President Mills, took over power. Addressing supporters of the party in Kumasi on Saturday at the commemoration of the 32nd anniversary of the June uprising, ex President Rawlings renewed his allegations.

The longest serving leader of the country said former President Kufuor did not steal money from the nation’s coffers alone, but his confidants and members of his government also did same.

He said because the money ex-President Kufuor stole during his tenure of office was still with him, he had been made powerful to the extent that he had the capacity to make kings. According to him, ex-President Kufuor was capable of using his money to influence the outcome of elections in the country, stressing that the former President was a threat to the country’s democracy. “My brothers and sisters, if they think they can use the money to battle the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2012 elections, then they are lying because the money they stole are still with them,” ex-President Rawlings stressed. He added that his heart bled when he realized that neither President Kufuor nor any member of his government had been dealt with ruthlessly according to the law, for corrupt practices.

He accused President Mills of being in bed with officials of the previous administration, hence the lack of will to prosecute members of the erstwhile NPP government for corrupt practices. “I can sense that there is a theory of “I scratch your back you scratch my back going on between President Mills and the erstwhile NPP regime,”, the former President claimed. Ex-President Rawlings indicated that if for nothing at all, some members of the past regime should have been jailed to confirm the corruption and murder that went on during the era of the NPP.

In view of this, he said it was necessary that former First Lady, Nana Konadu Rawlings made herself available to lead the Party, stressing that his wife was on a mission to rescue the NDC and the nation as a whole.