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Opinions of Monday, 18 July 2016

Columnist: Sagareparee, Clement

You cannot continue biting the finger that fed you

In 1992 , Flt Lt.J.J Rawlings started a meeting with cadres with a Big Bang on the table and made it clear to the huge gathering of cadres that If they fail to come together and form a formidable party to win the general election and allow the opposition NPP to win the elections and take power, then “I Rawlings would not be tried alone. All of you who have professed my ideology for all this while will equally be the prey of the enemy. “ That meeting took place on July 27th 1992 to decide whether Rawlings should contest the presidential election scheduled for November that year, and to plan strategies to win that election ONE TOUCH. With that philosophical analogy quoted above, he pricked our conscience and all of us saw reason in what he said and therefore vowed to do everything within our means to help Jerry Rawlings to win the election on the ticket of the NDC. The Cadres were provided with motor-bikes and some cash and we visited every hamlet village, town, cottage nationwide to dissemate the Message of Goodwill and told them everything they needed to hear E.g. when the opposition was describing Rawlings as a murderer – we always referred to the United Party (UP) supporters as the originators of political violence in Ghana as well as tribal politics in Ghana since they killed and burnt thousands of innocent men, women and children in Kumasi and Kyebi between 1951, 1954 and 1956 in their fight against Dr. Nkrumah for a Federal State of Asante through the National Liberation Movement (NLM) with “Mate – Meho” as its local name- most elderly people among the people we met collaborated our stories and our message sunk deep into the heads of the villagers so much that they never wanted to hear any message from NPP members in 1992. The 1992 election was never Rigged but was Won on Merit by Rawlings because Cadres went round to pick people from their homes in the villages and towns to go and vote and we sent them back after they have voted for the NDC period. This is what the NPP could not do in 1992 and they came out with a Criminal Publication called the “Stolen Verdict”. The ultimate goal of individuals winning political power can only be guaranteed if elections are conducted in a manner that accords credibility, legitimacy and transparency. Hence, it is a universal requirement for all elections to be FREE and FAIR.
Cadres suddenly realized that the NDC has OWNERS in 1996. The philosophy of NDC is favoured with paternalism because the NDC was been run as a Personal Fiefdom. President Rawlings, with political gravity and splendid patriarchal figure in the NDC proposed Professor Mills Candidacy at the in famous Swedru Declaration to pilot the NDC ship for the year 2000. There was No question and No noise as the cadres including their writer were extremely shocked and could not believe their ears from what they were hearing. This was an obdurate “Nabuchadnassarian” leadership which had found itself in Ghana politics. That proposition was challenged by the Reform Movement that had eventuated in the convulsions and hardship in the NDC in 1996 because Rawlings told the cadres at Tema in 1983 that comrade GoosieTanno will take over from him in case of any eventuality – Now why that sudden “U” turn by the same Rawlings?”We, the Reform Movement told President Rawlings point blank that with that proposition, there could not be any democracy in the party when the people cease to participate - to have a place under the sun – then all of them will wither in the darkness of decadence. All the people will become mute and demoralized lost souls. We did not fear the Rawlingses because we made them what they are today 2016.
Do you know what? Rawlings reacted by arresting supporters of the Reform Movement and dumped them in military guardrooms but we eventually registered the Reform Party and brought the NDC to its knees in the year 2000 and forced Rawlings to know that Power Belongs To The People as the June 4 Slogan clearly states, and Not the Privileged Few. However, we all supported Pro. J.E.A Mills to win the general elections in 2008 and the same Rawlings and his wife who imposed Mills on the NDC in 1996 started undermining him until he died and they refused to campaign for Pres. Mahama but he won that election in just 40 days. Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings is now a Billionaire in her capacity as a former first lady for 19years and she see herself as a future president of Ghana by constantly biting the very finger that fed her and she became a billionaire – she must stop her negative antics or face the wrath of the cadres she has been provoking with impunity – is that clear. Keep your fingers crossed I shall Return.


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Distribution Clement Sagareparee
All Media House – Accra/Ghana United Cadres Font
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