The despondence among followers of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), coupled with the in-fighting and bickering among top guns of the party has been so gaping that the former first lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings has virtually been compelled to contest for an executive position of the party to correct the shortcomings.
Nana Konadu, wife of ex-president Jerry John Rawlings Rawlings on Tuesday in an interview with Citi, and Accra based radio station disclosed that her decision to run for the position has become necessary because the party they suffered to build was “crumbling before my own eyes.” She was also of the view that the structures of the NDC were weakening day by day and her inclusion on the executive committee will help strengthen the “crumbling” structures.
The wife of the founder of the NDC is contesting the position of First Vice Chairman of the party in their elections which is expected to be held in December this year. Sounding more frustrated, Mrs. Rawlings bemoaned that, “… there’s a certain level of despondence and … I sit in my office and people come to me and discuss issues… they tell me about their disappointment, I try and give them hope.
I can only give them hope. In the course of talking to people for these ten months, I said to myself why is everybody coming to me? They should be consulting people who have the positions. That really gave me the feeling that I could do a lot more than just helping members of the movement (31st December Women’s Movement, 31st DWM).
Her office, according to her, since the assumption of power by the Mills-led administration, has been flooded with a avalanche of complaints from party members, and it is her wish to use the first vice chairmanship platform to help address some of those grievances.
Mrs. Rawlings confirmed worries that the party was losing touch with its grass root supporters who strained every sinew they had to return NDC to power.
Dr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah, it would be recalled, has on a number of occasions complained of similar feelings among party faithfuls.
She recalled that the NDC was founded on the ideals of social democracy saying the NDC “… basically looks at always helping with development for the downtrodden, for the vulnerable, rural areas and always for the people… and apart from that we take care of each other as party members. We hold each other and that is what makes us strong as a party.”
Mrs. Rawlings further explained she wanted to be “… and executive of the party at the national level, a level where it will not take all my time and still have time to look after the Movement’s activities. So I chose to go for the first vice-chairmanship position of the party.”
Asked whether her presence on the National Executive Committee will not be an attempt to take charge of the party, the former first lady said “… I think that no mother brings a child into this world and cuts off the head of the child. Unless that mother is really raging mad.
She debunked widespread allegation that party founder Jerry Rawlings wanted to hijack the party because the Mills administration does not heed to his advice, by positioning Dr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah, - who contested the sitting President for the NDC flagbearership slot in 2006 and a widely touted Rawlings protégé, to also vie for an executive position, Mrs. Rawlings said “my husband is the founder of the party. It rests on his shoulders. It rests on his lap.” Indeed, Dr. Spio Garbrah recently at a press conference in Accra declared his intention to contest for the Second Vice Chairman of the party.
“He (Rawlings)”, she continued, “made it possible for President Mills to be our candidate for three times. He talked to people and convinced them.” She further revealed that, “all the regions were coming and saying two times was enough, choose another candidate and as a founder he said, look, give him another chance if he wants to run…” referring to the then candidate Mills.
Commenting on the recent Spio Garbrah/Ato Ahwoi media brawl, Mrs. Rawlings was puzzled that an internal constructive critique could elicit the kind of response it did form party stalwarts, when party leaders have insulted themselves in the past without any punitive action meted out to them.
Source: The New Crusading Guide
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