General News of Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Source: Kelvin Dartey

Rawlings is guilty of ‘double allegiance’

Mr Dramani Amidu, a Political Science Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, has said ex-President John Rawlings’ support of the Presidential ambitions of his wife smacks of double allegiance.

Mr. Amidu's comments follow Mr. Rawlings’ pronouncements of support for his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings in the event that she accepts to represent the National Democratic Party (NDP) as its Presidential candidate.

The founder of the NDC has however on several occasions expressed his support for the John Dramani Mahama-led NDC, noting on some platforms that he stood a good chance of winning the 2012 election.

But speaking on an Accra based radio station, Mr. Amidu explained that President Rawlings' pronouncement “appears to be double allegiance in the sense that at one point he is with his party and another point he appears to be supporting the possible candidate for the NDP. This means that he could have a divided loyalty between these two political parties.”

According to Mr. Amidu, despite these developments, it should be noted that although the NDC founder is supporting his wife, it does not necessarily mean that he will vote for his wife’s party, the NDP.

He said: “His heart will be for the party he has founded yet he is giving moral backing to the cause of his wife.”

Mr. Amidu however advised that President Rawlings’ support should not be misconstrued to mean he is abandoning the NDC.

“The fact that he supports her cause doesn’t necessarily mean that he is abandoning the NDC. His heart will be for NDC, he may even decide to vote for NDC, yet he will give the wife the needed support. He can mount NDC campaign platforms; campaign for NDC and then when it comes to his wife, he can give her the moral support."