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Opinions of Sunday, 5 November 2006

Columnist: Attah, Kofi

Jerry Rawlings is Liar

That Retired Flight-Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, ex-President of Ghana, is liar and cannot be trusted is fact that cannot be denied, disputed or refuted. He is capable of soliciting support financially to destabilize Ghana. Rawlings denial of President Kufuor’s accusation is false and must be taken seriously.

Not long ago, he told the nation that his friends abroad bought him cars, which he brought to Ghana and refused to disclose the source. Is such a person not capable of soliciting funds to destabilize Ghana?

Jerry Rawlings is a double face man. When he handed over power to Dr. Hilla Limann, Rawlings was visiting the late President at his office at the Castle at will and created erroneous impression to convince Dr. Limann that he (Rawlings) was not prepared to stage a come back.

Hence Dr. Limann told his security advisers to “leave Jatoe alone. He can’t do anything”. They left him (Rawlings) alone and indeed, he kicked Limann out of office. It was at a time credible intelligence reports pointed to the fact that he (Rawlings) had solicited and gained the support of Libyan Leader Ghadafi to stage a coup d’etat

In a Press Release issued to Journalists in Accra, Jerry Rawlings claims President John Agyekum Kufuor has accused him falsely and challenged him to give the name of the oil rich country and its President.

Rawlings denied in the release any intentions to overthrow the government of President Kufuor in a coup d’etat. This denial is absolutely false.

When Rawlings handed over the reins of Government to the late President Limann, the security focused on Rawlings moves due to his statement during the handing over that he would come back in six months, if the administration failed to perform. While credible intelligence report indicated that Rawlings was planning a coup, Dr. Limann rejected the report and Rawlings was left to intensify his plans.

The second coming of Rawlings followed persistent pressure brought to bear on Rawlings to appoint a transitional team to handover to Limann’s team In an exclusive interview with an American correspondent in Accra, Ghana, on the economy, President Limann said “the economy is bleak. No. It’s even bleaker,” Dr. Limann added.

He emphasized that Rawlings had refused to appoint a transitional team to meet with his team to show him the amounts of money paid into the so-called Account A and Account B and also documents on ceased properties.

Following this persistent pressure, Jerry Rawlings took advantage of the laxity in his security network to stage a come back on December 31, 1981, with the support from Libyan President Ghadafi.

Jerry Rawlings is a liar and no government must underestimate any intelligence report about this con man.

Jerry Rawlings should not pretend to be “Holy art Thou.” During his advent on June 4, 1979, he cancelled 50 Cedi bill, which was in circulation. He ordered Ghanaians to return all the 50 Cedi bills to the bank for exchange. Ghanaians complied and the question is: Did Ghanaians get their money back? Apart from that many assets and properties were ceased

Was Jerry Rawlings able to divulge to Dr. Limann how much was collected and how much was paid into the two accounts – A & B?

The first coup, which was the bloodiest, was in line with the Ethiopian Revolution. The Military top brass and some public officers were executed to nib corruption among the military and the public service in the bud. Did it kill the canker? No. It aggravated the situation. Ghanaians must note that Jerry Rawlings did not produce a transitional team to hand over to Limann. Where did the money go? Was it not the money he stole to set up his political party – NDC?

Rawlings claims in the release that he was invited to the Middle East to give speeches and challenged President Kufuor to name the country and its President.

Jerry Rawlings further claimed to have informed his audience about the situation of “bad governance, corruption and abuse of human rights in Ghana under the NPP administration” as an illustration of how the African dream of democracy and good governance is beginning to become a nightmare.

Jerry Rawlings has accused the Kufuor administration of corruption. It is preposterous and ridiculous to read this from a person like Rawlings. Apart from above, Rawlings set up Citizens Vetting Committee (CVC) under the Chairmanship of Kwamina Ahwoi.

This Committee nakedly robbed Ghanaians of their hard earned money for no justifiable reason. The CVC has not accounted for all the moneys and properties confiscated to the state. Thanks to the Reconciliation Committee, which gave Ghanaians the opportunity to voice out Rawlings’ brutalities, the blandishment and arbitrary confiscation of properties without any proper documentation.

When it comes to corruption, nothing surpasses Jerry Rawlings and his Administration. Jerry Rawlings makes a mockery of the word corruption. He must shut up and he cannot judge anybody of being corrupt.

Jerry Rawlings and his team comprising Attoh Ahwoi, Kwamina Ahwoi, P. V. Obeng and Kwesi Botchwey declared devaluation was to be over their dead bodies. But what do we see today. They were the Apostles of Devaluation. At the time of the bloodiest coup, the exchange rate of our Cedi to the US dollar was 2.75 Cedis to one U.S.dollar.

Corruption intensified under Rawlings regime and they milked the nation white. Currently, they are all rich through dubious way and corruption. How can we trust or underestimate a government which is not accountable to the nation about its’ stewardship?

Human right abuses during Jerry Rawlings 19 years of arbitrary rule are comparable to that of Penuche’s Administration. Disappearance of Ghanaians, firing squad of innocent people, incarceration of Ghanaians, public flogging and the conviction of Ghanaians by kangaroo courts set up by Jerry Rawlings. Are these not human right abuses and human degradation?

Kufuor, on assumption of office, released and granted pardon to political prisoners who were lucky not to have faced the firing squad. Rawlings cannot tell the nation there were no political prisoners at the time of his exit. All these, Rawlings is covering up to black mail Kufuor.

What does Rawlings know about good and bad governance? Rawlings did not show examples worthy of emulation by anybody. Historians will describe him as “a dictator of our time”.

How did he make the money to establish the NDC and to become the father and founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)? Was it not through the CVC?

Of the executed top brass of the Ghana Armed Forces, Rear Admiral Amedume was accused of using his position to secure a well-documented loan of 70,000 Cedis from Bank to farm. Amedume’s plan was to give job to Ghanaians. Amedume is unlike Rawlings and his cohorts who siphoned our money into foreign banks.

Kufuor must keep a watchful eye on this con man that thinks Ghana has been auctioned to him. He must not be allowed to set the clock back for his selfish ends. Was it not Rawlings himself who put blockbuster under the 1992 constitution to indemnify himself from prosecution?

His days are numbered.



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