Rawlings booms from London

...Kufuor to reply at home

London, Oct. 25 (Joy News) -- The rift between Ghana’s former President Jerry John Rawlings and current President John Agyekum Kufuor is widening by the day, at least over the past weeks, and there are no signs of a let up.

The two men with the enviable history of ever ascending to the highest national office of presidency, are trading accusations, with the latest coming from JJ.

Rawlings has accused the Kufuor government of recruiting an ethnic army to protect its interest and unduly harassing people. He however advised Kufuor not be deceived into believing that he would be safer from any strife because Asante’s are equally as angry with his rule as any other ethnic group in the country.

Rawlings who was addressing some students in London also criticized the US and UK for protecting the Kufuor administration even though it is grossly misruling the country.

Mr. Rawlings was speaking at a forum held at the South Bank University on the occasion of the London Black History Season.

His accusations come a few days after President Kufuor also accused Jerry Rawlings at a political rally of seeking financial assistance to topple the NPP government and threatening to deal with him if he so dared.

Mr. Rawlings said at the forum that the country’s judiciary is corrupt, the government is corrupt and involved in criminal activities but the US and the West are quiet on all this because they want to use the country’s electoral process as a success case in Africa.

“Why is this government misbehaving so badly and they are being protected by Western media and the governments? Because Ghana’s transition, when we led that revolt, not less than five, six governments collapsed in West Africa. Nigeria had to change governments three or four times to survive. Everybody wanted a revolt, a revolution to fight corruption so in effect Ghana means a lot to Africa in some senses. Ladies and gentlemen, why are they preserving, why are they preserving the image of this corrupt regime? Because it’s necessary for them to use Ghana as a showcase for the rest of Africa.”

Jerry Rawlings said during his reign, the Western media were all over him and reported him from close range, with the reports largely critical of his administration, however, the present government is in bed with the media so nothing negative is reported, apart from neutralising the judiciary.

He said anyone desiring to make a lot of money can set up a business with any false information and succeed.

“You want to make a lot of money? Come to Ghana and just start a business with any false information. The judiciary has been neutralised and you take it from me that Kofi Annan sat in my room and said the drowning image of the judiciary is going to destabilise this nation. He said it in my room not too long ago.”

Meanwhile the government says it will respond formally to the accusations in due course. Government spokesman on governance, Frank Agyekum told Joy News that the former president’s comments were childish and smacks of a desperate person willing to do anything to grab power.

Mr. Agyekum said the former President’s accusations underscore President Kufuor’s statement that Jerry Rawlings might be interested in toppling the current administration.