CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
|
Ghana |
PERSONALITIES
Ghana’s immediate past President and the present incumbent are not hitting it off. During the 2002 Christmas festivities when Rawlings turned down a gift from the government, it offered Ghanaians an insight into the polarity between the two
A great deal has been said and written about the deterioration in relationships between President John Kufuor and his predecessor, John Rawlings, who handed over power in 2001. What most Ghanaians thought were the usual political differences based on party rhetoric, now seems to have descended into an acrimonious relationship.
For the first time, Ghanaians received some idea just how far matters had deteriorated, when Rawlings rejected some presents the government made to him as a gesture of goodwill during the 2002 Christmas festivities. His explanation? He does not need anything from the Kufuor government.
What makes the whole affair intriguing was that former Vice-President John Atta Mills, who served under Rawlings, and who is intending to stand against Kufuor in the 2004 elections, also rejected the Christmas presents offered by the government. He claimed he had already made up his mind not to accept presents during the Christmas season.
Ghanaians were, however, not amused. Most felt that Rawlings had asked Mills to reject the items.
Although Rawlings and Kufuor are said to be diametrically opposed to each other, in 2001 they showed a reconciliatory gesture during the state visit of President Laurent Gbagbo of Côte d’Ivoire. Pictures of Kufuor and Rawlings hugging each other adorned the pages of the newspapers, to the delight of Ghanaians.
But this cordiality has since disappeared. A number of Ghanaians however lay the blame on Rawlings for what they term his «unguarded utterances». Rawlings has time and again lambasted the present government for being the worst-ever in the annals of the country’s history.
Most Ghanaians seem to hold a contrary view. If anything, they blame Rawlings for his poor human rights record, nepotism, ineptitude, corruption and the impoverishment of Ghanaians during his almost 20-years’ rule. There is a deep feeling that Rawlings and his cohorts, after nearly two decades of power, left behind them a legacy of rot, mismanagement of state institutions and the perpetration of massive fraud on the country under the guise of divestiture of state assets.
On the other hand, ever since Rawlings handed over power, he has on numerous occasions, condemned the ruling government for alleged excesses and deceit.
Concern
Things got to a head in August, last year, when at the inauguration of the women’s wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the party he leads, Rawlings aroused passions once again. He asked Ghanaians not to wait until 2004 (election year) before they stop what he termed «the rot in Kufuor’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) government». He also said people must use «positive defiance» whilst they wait for the elections.
The government’s reaction was swift. It felt, together with a number of Ghanaians, that Rawlings was up to something. The general feeling was that Rawlings wanted to incite people to overthrow the government. Incidentally, it was around that time that Rawlings took delivery of four cars said to be bullet-proofed.
Most people remember Rawlings for having expressed his utter disdain for multi-party politics even when he was an elected President, so there was some level of concern.
Dan Botwe, the NPP‘s general secretary issued an immediate response. He said: «The NPP really finds it very difficult to understand why Rawlings chooses to undermine the democratic processs at the least opportunity. His latest call to arms and his hypocritical romanticising of what he called positive defiance should be condemned by all Ghanaians before it leaves a disastrous imprint on the minds of adventurous demagogues.»
Eventually, Ghana’s security machinery swung into action. The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) invited Rawlings for questioning. There, he was quizzed on how he acquired the vehicles worth US $136,200, all registered in his name. Rawlings said that «friends» had bought them for him. He, however, declined to disclose the identity of his benefactors and was reported as saying, «his head would have to be cut off before he would divulge the information requested from him.»
Angered by Rawlings’ behaviour, the government ordered the immediate return of all but one of five state cars then in his possession.
The cars’ saga
The Majority Leader in Parliament, Papa Owusu Ankomah, defending the government’s stance, said facilities available to former Presidents as laid down in the Greenstreet Report (The Greenstreet Committee had been commissioned to look into ways and means of proving for the well-being of former heads of state), are clear and unambiguous, and Rawlings cannot have five state cars as part of his retirement benefit.
A Government spokesman, Kwabena Agyepong, denied that Rawlings was being stripped of any privileges. «We are not stripping him of anything. We are only going by the book. We bent over backwards to ensure a smooth transition of power, and allowed him to take those cars, but his conduct has shown that he is not worthy of such treatment».
Days after the disclosure of the acquisition of the four gleaming bullet-proof land cruisers by Rawlings and the ensuing debate surrounding it, the ruling NPP called upon the former President to disclose the identity of his «philanthropists», if he is the man of integrity he claims to be.
So the stage was set for further acrimony. Rawlings has recently indicated that his anger against Kufuor and his government, stems from the injustice he claims the present government is meting out to him and his party functionaries. Indeed, the government has put on trial some of the ministers from the Rawlings’ era for alleged misappropriation of state funds. A deputy minister for Finance in the Rawlings’ government, Victor Selormey, has been jailed for fraud. Rawlings has spoken against these trials describing them as a «witch-hunt», although the due process of law is being followed.
It’s of concern to note that former Vice-President Mills, who has been described as «Rawlings’ poodle» by a section of the media, seems to be following in Rawlings’ footsteps — to the discomfort of some of his loyal supporters. Mills’ decisive rejection of the gifts sent to him, was seen as being inspired by the refusal of Rawlings to receive similar gifts only a few hours earlier. Haruna Atta, a journalist, says: «The coincidence is just too much. Rawlings gets a seasonal gift from the state and turns it down. An hour or so later, Mills is offered seasonal gifts and even before the messengers have knocked on his gate, he is waiting at the gate personally to send them away».
Despite the rejection of the Christmas gifts by Rawlings and Mills, Kufuor said his government will continue with the tradition by offering presents to statesmen. It is a worthy tradition, which we inherited and we will continue to uphold it». He expressed the hope that Ghanaians will appreciate the gesture. Ghanaians still believe the rejection of the well-intended offer was unfortunate and disappointing, since the presentation of gifts at Christmastime is intended to foster unity, harmony and peace in the country. The current instability in the sub-region is too close for comfort and Ghanaians know that.