Cadres debunk Mrs Rawlings’ claim

The Brong-Ahafo Regional Cadres of the 31st December Revolution on Monday expressed deep surprise at the claim by former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, that she owned the National Democratic Congress (NDC) logo.

“We are equally amazed that the former first lady went further to register the said logo as her intellectual property on the 12th of April, 2010 and its overall impact on the direction of the Party”, the cadres said.

The cadres made their views known at a press conference held at the premises of the regional office of the party in response to Nana Agyeman-Rawlings’ recent letter to the leadership of the Party claiming ownership of the party’s Umbrella or Akatamanso symbol.

Mr Ransford Job Gyaasi, Regional Secretary of the cadres, who read the statement stressed “We wish to use this forum to set the records straight by stating emphatically that the Umbrella or Akatamanso symbol was not created by the former first lady as her lawyer, Mr. Stanley Ahorlu would want the good people of Ghana to believe”.

The statement explained that in the months of April and May 1992, meetings were held at which the late Alhaji Kwadwo Maama Adams, then regional organising assistant of the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution (CDR), suggested the umbrella as the logo for the party.

It said the late Maama-Adam’s suggestion was endorsed and was taken to Accra “and this fact was confirmed at his funeral at Baamire (in Techiman Municipality), on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 by former President J.J. Rawlings in his tribute and captured by the Daily Graphic on page 13 of its September, 13 2002 edition”.

The cadres quoted the former President as having said among other things at the funeral that, “When the N.D.C. was formed in 1992, it was the late Alhaji Adam who designed the umbrella symbol for the party”.

They said the origin of the logo had been “corroborated by Professor Kwame Addo, formerly of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) School of Fine Art.

“Nobody can jump a stage in the development of history. It is therefore instructive to state that it is rather the run of time and the dynamics of history that created a leadership vacuum in which former President Rawlings aptly responded.

“The situation of the time found leadership in him. The monumental achievement of the Rawlings regime could be attributed to the contributory efforts of his able lieutenants and the progressive-minded cadres who sacrificed to assist.

“It is therefore important to learn the lessons of history. We must not take refuge in history, despite the success of the past. If we do, we will not be able to understand the present and if we do not understand the present, going forward will be a difficult and disastrous venture”, the cadres intimated.

Answering a question as why the cadres had waited for over one month before coming out with their response, they said they were piecing things together for the necessary facts to put the records straight.

The cadres reminded the party faithful to protect and strengthen it to ensure its continuity in power after 2012, adding “Posterity will judge us very harshly if we allow one individual to destroy the treasured legacy of this generation and of those yet unborn”.

Other cadres at the press conference included Mr. Kwabena Anane Adjei, senior cadre and former Regional organiser of the CDR, Alhaji Mohammed Doku, former Goaso Zonal Organiser of CDR and now Asunafo North Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) and Mr. Kwasi Oppong-Ababio, also former Sunyani Zonal Organiser CDR and now MCE for Sunyani.**