Rawlings' speech is invitation to coup -GBA Boss

THE PRESIDENT of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) Mr. Paul Adu-Gyamfi has described ex-President Jerry Rawlings speech in Kumasi as a possible invitation to coup making. “The speech was an invitation to disturb and create the condition for an overthrow of the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)”, he told the National Concord in an exclusive interview.

However the GBA boss saw the speech as constituting a red herring to divert attention from substantive national issues. But to stave-off an unnecessary standoff, Adu-Gyamfi urged the Kufour Administration to ask visiting United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to advise Rawlings to allow this country to enjoy its current constitutional democratic dispensation.

“Kofi Annan must talk to Rawlings, since it (current crisis) has coincided with his 10-day visit to the country, he said.

Such a move could succeed, he said because Kofi Annan is foremost a citizen of Ghana and “at the same time, Rawlings respects him which can act as a catalyst to influence him not to be uttering inciteful statements at public gatherings.” Mr. Adu-Gyamfi warned that if the situation is not urgently settled it could affect us internationally as the outside world would see Ghana as a coup-prone country and that would set our development back. He was however pleased that Rawlings was never molested by BNI, a situation which he said would have been different under the Provisional National Defence Council and National Democratic Congress (NDC) governments.

“He was invited twice by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) for questioning and explanations on his statements and he came out with no identification hair cuts, which tells how (far) this country has reached in terms of our practice of democracy.”

The GBA capo, said he did not understand why the NDC’s General-Secretary, Dr. Josiah-Aryeh, who is a lawyer is failing to point out the mistake of ex-President Rawlings but has rather gone ahead to “sugar-coat” his speech to suit the interest of Ghanaians.

“Ghanaians have shown their revulsion towards this speech so what explanations have they got again”, Adu-Gyamfi said.

He advised Ghanaians not to attach importance to the ex-president and should forge ahead with their business and to work hard to uplift the economy from its doldrums.

Adu-Gyamfi said that the various press conferences held by the NDC “are neither here nor there” and that they must accept what has been said” adding that Ghanaians understand the ex-Presidents speech.