Ex-President Jerry John Rawlings might be playing smart and leaving everyone in a state of confusion with his utterances and body language as to where his political love is; the National Democratic Congress (NDC) he founded or the New Patriotic Party (NPP) whose presidential candidate; President Nana Akufo-Addo, he has become a Siamese twin to.
Mr. Rawlings, has remained noncommittal to the NDC’s 2020 campaign but seen often times with President Akufo-Addo yet on Monday, August 17, 2020, the ex-President took to his official Twitter handle to ‘rain hell’ on his detractors accusing them of scheming to take control of the NDC.
He wrote: “There is nothing ill-timed about Kwamena Ahwoi serving dankwansere soup at this time. He needed to knock down Rawlings to preempt the exposure that Rawlings’s book, “The Triumph of Evil” promises to reveal about some of them.
“People like him do not expect the NPP to let go of 2020, so they are hoping to utilize the opportunity of a loss, to damage Rawlings with some vicious, manufactured stuff. Their cunning calculation is that Mahama and his running mate will step aside after 2020 while they consolidate their control over the party and provide their own flag bearer and running mate for 2024,” he alleged.
Mr. Rawlings has been upfront about his unhappiness regarding how he has been portrayed in a controversial book authored by Kwamena Ahwoi on him and his 19-year rule as Head of State of this country.
Many have been surprised at Mr. Rawlings’ silence on incidence of corruption, murder of journalist, violence and abuse of power under the Akufo-Addo government and have been asking what happened to the man whose mouth once adored the words “transparency, probity and accountability”, at least in the Kufuor and Mills presidencies.
Hours after throwing the bombs, Mr. Rawlings was later in the day seen together with President Akufo-Addo at the commissioning of the headquarters of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat to the African Union in the Ghanaian capital Accra.
The book, titled “Working with Rawlings’ has become a social media sensation, and details in the eyes of Prof Ahwoi, some of the controversial decisions and noteworthy events that occurred during the reign of Rawlings.
Same book, had Prof. Ahwoi praising Mr. Rawlings saying “I must thank Jerry John Rawlings for appointing me to the very high office of Minister of State of the Republic of Ghana and getting me to work very closely with him. Despite whatever differences may have arisen between us today, I am very indebted to him. Not only did he change the courses of my life; he also introduced me to the world politics, governance and administration, both domestic and international. But for his action, such a book would never have been conceived, let alone written. JJ, I am grateful”.
Recently, the ex-president indicated that he would have time to respond to some of the claims in the book, most of which he says are untruths and an attempt to tarnish his image as the founder of the National Democratic Party.
Many people, including Kweku Baako and Raymond Archer have criticized the timing of the release of the book, predicting that it could sow seeds of discord in the opposition NDC ahead of the 2020 general elections.
Mr Baako said on Peace FM, “The timing of the release of this book relative to the NDC as a political machinery going for an election, questions arise… Coherence in terms of campaign, cohesion relative to the campaign, considering the timing; I’m wondering whether it’s positive or negative for the party… I realized that it is legitimate to ask about timing and what is the effect of the release of this book that sounds controversial even within NDC circles on their party campaign cohesion and coherence in terms of message and solidarity,” he said.
He further stressed that “…the things in this book will create a lot of problems within the NDC”.
Renowned journalist Raymond Archer has said the content of the book does not present the opposition NDC in a good light, therefore, it should not have been released at a time when the party is preparing for a major election.
“There’s a reason why people vote and there’s a reason why people select themselves to be voted for, so [you’ll think] politicians will like to present themselves in the best light possible.
“But does this book present the NDC and its key members, some of whom are actually contesting, in the best light possible? No,” he said on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, last Tuesday.
Professor Ahwoi served as Minister of Local Government and Rural Development from 1990 to 2001 and as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1997 under NDC government during former President Jerry John Rawlings‘ administration.
Many political observers, have said that Mr. Rawlings is being clever with his confusing entrances and body language by seeking to maintain his relevance in the NDC, wielding influence that it comes with, while keeping his friendship with President Akufo-Addo and the goodies that it bears.
