Don’t condemn Rawlings - EGLE

THE EGLE Party has said its leader, former President Jerry Rawlings, cannot be stripped of his rights by pointing out or commenting on thorny issues that have the potential to undermine the unity and cohesion of the country.

The party said even though the former President was blunt in delivering his message , it highly welcomes his statement condemning the government and certain security apparatuses of state for the harassment of leading members and the rank and file of the Progressive Alliance .

Alhaji Alhassan Bene, Deputy General Secretary of the EGLE Party, who was addressing a meeting of the party in Accra yesterday, pointed out that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) still needs the alliance to properly manage the country even though it is no longer in power.

According to Alhaji Bene, it is unfortunate that the statements made by former President Rawlings at a public lecture to mark the 22nd anniversary of the June 4 uprising has been misconstrued to mean something vile and vicious.

“Former President Rawlings will not, under any circumstance, plunge the nation into turmoil, since he personally supervised the handing over of the reins of political administration from his government to that of the NPP on January 7, this year”.

Alhaji Bene described as unfortunate the situation in which some sections of the society have identified the former President as an embodiment of confusion and noted that “ those who know our leader very well see him as a person who scorns double standards and hypocrisy.”

“How can somebody who laid down his life on May 15, 1979, and December 31,1981 to rescue the country from total collapse and lead it onto the path of economic reconstruction and material progress all of a sudden start sowing seeds of confusion to destroy all that he has toiled for in the prime of his life?” he asked.

The Deputy General-Secretary wondered why Ghanaians who spontaneously welcomed former President Rawlings’ intervention in the country’s politics on two occasions have all of a sudden branded him as a villain and a pariah and are striving to consign him to the dustbin of history .

“ The EGLE Party would never show any signs of ingratitude to such a charming and colourful personality whose efforts have once again enabled Ghana to regain her lost image and respect in the international community,” Alhaji Bene said.

He said the statements of former President Rawlings represent the anxiety of members of the alliance concerning the present state of affairs in the country and should, therefore, not be dismissed with contempt by the government and its allies.