Rawlings Won�t Give Himself A Medal Like Kufuor

Aide to former president Jerry Rawlings has expressed dismay at the continuous call on his boss to emulate the statesmanship credentials of his successor, ex-President John Kufuor. According to Kofi Adams, for someone who failed to meet the socio-economic needs of Ghanaians and rather chose to award himself while in office cannot be said to be a role model worthy of emulation. He was reacting to a statement issued by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) which condemned what it says were �mischievous and provocative� attacks on Mr. Kufuor by his predecessor. Former President Rawlings in an address to students in the Volta region this week described his successor as an �autocratic thief�. The NPP said Mr. Rawlings� criticisms were unbecoming of a former president and urged him to be a statesman like his successor, ex-President Kufuor. But in a rebuttal, Kofi Adams on Asempa FM�s Ekosii Sen programme Friday said juxtaposing the two former presidents is a misnomer. He contended that Mr. Rawlings will not award himself the Grand Order of the Star and Eagles of Ghana Award as president whilst majority of Ghanaians wallow in abject poverty. Kofi Adams who is also the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC added that being a statesman does not mean one should overlook corrupt deeds which in his opinion is a bane to Ghana�s development. He stated that Jerry Rawlings will not behave like ex-president Kufuor who �sought to institutionalized corruption even when people in his government like PC Appiah Ofori exposed it�. The NDC Deputy General Secretary said he is not surprised about the response by the NPP because when it comes to issues of corruption, �it lacks consistency�. �The NPP engages in politics of convenience; they don�t have any principles and values. The party in 2012 described Rawlings as an honest politician because of his critique of the Mills administration which suited them but is now singing a new tune�. Kofi Adams said the party�s failure to deny the allegations of corruption gives more credence to Mr. Rawlings� claim.