Ghanaians are abusing political pluralism – JJ Rawlings

Former President Jerry John Rawlings on Wednesday expressed concern about the abuse of political pluralism in the country and called for immediate measures to correct the anomaly.

“People have associated political pluralism to abusive, intemperate language debate, justification for corruption,” he said asking: “Who is more corrupt- the current government and the previous government?”

He said political intolerance is dominating the airwaves, injustice and corruption on the ascendency while the masses continue to suffer.

Former President Rawlings made this known at a public lecture to mark the 30th anniversary of 31st December Revolution in Accra.

The public lecture on the theme: “Three decades of grassroots participation: Its relevance to current political dispensation,” was used to recap the state of Ghana before the revolution, transformational stages of the processes and the building of a new nation.

Ex President Rawlings leading architect of the revolution called for a new political culture, stressing that corruption in high public and private circles since 2000 had gone-over board and in recent times due mainly to leadership failure to investigate high level injustices.

He cited: “Government’s failure to investigate and prosecute those who were behind the gruesome killings under the previous regime, inept of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to win corruption cases at the courts due mainly to poor investigation.

“Events in the previous regime and current corrupt officials who should have been investigated and charged have all been let-off-the-hook…The only way out for the ruling government to repair its dented image is to ‘clean-out,’ the mess,” President Rawlings stated.

He blamed the current political leadership for the increasing rate of corruption and neglect of the masses, adding: “The level of corruption now is beyond what brought and ignited the fire of June 4th Uprising and the December 31st Revolution.”

President Rawlings who is also the Founder of National Democratic Congress (NDC) called on loyal members of the party with the capacity to revive it to wake-up from their political slumber.

“There is still a slim window of opportunity to redeem the party,” he stressed.

Mrs Valerie A. Sackey, Former Director of Castle Information Bureau recounted the structures built by the Revolution including formation of the Peoples Defence Committees; Workers Defence Committees; Committee for the Defence of the Revolution, which formed the vanguard of the system at the time with massive grassroots participation.

Other organised institutions included the Committee of Secretariats which served as Cabinet, establishment of the National Commission for Democracy which championed the local government systems through collation of views for the promulgation of the Local Government Act of 1988.

Mrs Sackey revealed that grassroots participation in leadership and the revolution were comprehensive.

She recounted some of the challenging and difficult times of the past before the revolution; struggle for what was termed essential commodities, bad road network, lack of fuel and economic stagnation.

The lecture was attended by large NDC faithful, cadres of the revolution, President of the 31st December Women’s Movement; Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings; Dr Ekwow Spio Garbrah Former Vice Chairman of NDC, Mr Victor Smith, former spokesman of  Rawlings and some Ministers of State.

Source: GNA