Chambas condemns Rawlings

The former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Ibn Chambers, has strongly criticised the outbursts of Ex-President Rawlings describing them as unwarranted and uncalled for.

Speaking in an interview on Joy FM yesterday, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, who is also the NDC Member of Parliament for Bimbilla Constituency, said even though the Ex-President was expressing a genuine concern, the way he presented it did not help him; rather, it created a platform for total condemnation.

"Even though he was presenting a genuine concern I think the way and manner he did it did not help him. The Ex-President has done so much for this country and on the international scene. For him to come down to this level and make such pronouncement that give all kinds of people the excuse to make all kinds of interpretations is most unfortunate."

It would be recalled that on the 4th of June 2001, Ex-President Jerry John Rawlings made some scathing remarks about the NPP government and the Presidency on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary celebration of June 4th Uprising which was held at the Art Centre, Accra.

In his address to members of the NDC and activists of the party the Ex-President said the New Patriotic Party under President J. A. Kufuor is committing the same mistakes that brought about the June 4 uprising in 1979. He told his party supporters that he was not surprised that June 4 has been expunged from the nation's calendar as public holidays because he and the NPP do not see eye to eye. The Ex-President expressed concern about the way he was being treated by the NPP government and described two Ministers of state, Miss Elizabeth Ohene and Mr. Hackman Owusu Agyemang, as liars.

The Ex-President's vituperations received swift responses from senior members of the NPP government. "He must not bring his nonsense to me. He is a big liar," Mr. Owusu Agyemang moaned.

"I cannot understand his obsession with the use of the word which, in Ewe, means 'dzimapla' (literally, somebody who did not have home training) on people including even those older and more dignified than him. Maybe the word 'dzimapla' fits him", fumed Miss Elizabeth Ohene.

Touching on the reaction of Mr. Owusu Agyemang, the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs said for him to also descend to that level is unfortunate. Mr. Owusu Agyemang is the nation's Chief Diplomat. For him to as well descend to that level is unfortunate.

Dr. Ibn Chambers called for the strengthening of institutions for good governance. We have to strengthen governance by strengthening all our institutions, especially Parliament, to move the nation forward and not to allow ourselves to be distracted by platform speeches.

He added that the press overreacted by subjecting the Ex-President's address to various interpretations.

According to the Ex-Minister the media's handling of the Ex-President's address rather created a panicky situation. As a senior and eminent statesman, Mr. Rawlings should learn to stay up there on the international scene and not come down to the level he did last week, Dr. Ibn Chambas opined.